DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Elon Musk's Starlink satellites could burn up the ozone layer, scientists warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewInternet satellite networks like Elon Musk's Starlink could contribute toward the depletion of the ozone layer, a new study claims. There are currently more than 8,000 internet satellites in low-earth orbit, of which about 6,000 are Starlink ones, a press statement said. SpaceX has plans to launch another 42,000 Starlink satellites, according to Space.com. The first launch carrying experimental Starlink satellites was in 2019. AdvertisementA 1987 ban on CFCs helped slow the process, and by 2013, authorities were projecting that the ozone layer would repair itself within a few decades.

Persons: —, Elon Musk's, Mark Handley, University College London Elon Musk, CFCs, Starlink Organizations: Service, Elon, University of Southern California's Department, Astronautical Engineering, Business, SpaceX, Amazon, University College London Elon, European Space Agency, USC Locations: Ukraine, Antarctica, Brazil

☆ Thomas Midgley Jr.: The man who almost destroyed the planet (twice)
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-24 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Facing a crowd of journalists, inventor Thomas Midgley Jr. poured a lead additive over his hands and then proceeded to inhale its fumes for about a minute. Unfazed, he said, “I could do this every day without getting any health problems whatsoever.”Soon afterward, Midgley needed medical treatment. The task of addressing the issue of engine knocking fell to Midgley while he was working at General Motors in 1916. An estimated 1 million people a year still die from lead poisoning, according to the World Health Organization. The toxicity of lead was already well-known when Midgley added it to gas, but that didn’t stop Ethyl from becoming a commercial success.

Persons: Thomas Midgley Jr, “, ”, Midgley, —, Ford, Gerald Markowitz, Colin Creitz, Charles Kettering, ” Markowitz, ” Midgley, Bill Kovarik, Midgley —, Kettering —, Freon, Joe Sohm, CFCs, Perkin, Priestley, Kettering, Willard Gibbs, Carl E, ” Kovarik, Markowitz, I’m Organizations: CNN, General Motors, City University of New, GM, Standard Oil, DuPont, Network, UNICEF, World Health Organization, Radford University, America, Montreal Protocol, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders, Society of Chemical Industry, American Chemical Society, National Academy of Sciences, TNT, Linde Locations: Beaver Falls , Pennsylvania, United States, City University of New York, Algeria, American, Dayton , Ohio, Virginia, Montreal, Chicago

Among the best body pillows, Coop demonstrates how an adjustable memory foam design can transform and customize your comfort with the Coop Sleep Goods Original Body Pillow. Coop Sleep Goods Memory Foam Body Pillow The Coop Sleep Goods Body Pillow is soft, supportive, and perfect for any body type. I found that the shredded memory foam did an excellent job of breathing and not trapping heat, a common problem with solid memory foam. AdvertisementThe bottom lineDespite these concerns, I really like the Coop Sleep Goods Body Pillow. Though one person's favorite pillow may be horrible for others, I strongly recommend that all side sleepers give the Coop Sleep Goods body pillow a try.

Persons: It's, Suzy Hernandez, Coop Organizations: Business, Sleep Goods Locations: LA

☆ Richard Benedick, Negotiator of Landmark Ozone Treaty, Dies at 88
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Trip Gabriel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A May 1985 report in the journal Nature was alarming. High above Antarctica, a massive hole had opened in the ozone shield that protects life on earth from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. The finding confirmed what scientists had warned of since the 1970s: Atmospheric ozone was being broken down by the wide use of chlorofluorocarbons, chemicals known as CFCs, which were found in aerosol sprays, refrigeration and air conditioning. Just over two years later, dozens of nations meeting in Montreal signed an agreement to significantly reduce CFCs, which the Environmental Protection Agency estimated would prevent 27 million deaths from skin cancers. “This is perhaps the most historically significant international environmental agreement,” Richard E. Benedick, the chief United States negotiator, said at the time.

Persons: ” Richard E Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency Locations: Antarctica, Montreal, States

☆ A California man charged with smuggling greenhouse gases hints at the revival of a decades-long black market
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But there's also a blooming black market in greenhouse gases. HFCs are commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners, but they're also potent greenhouse gases. There's been a thriving black market for climate-altering refrigerant chemicals since the 1990s, at times as lucrative as selling cocaine. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty ImagesThe black market "comes with the territory" of regulation, Doniger said. At the height of the CFC black market, many cars still used those refrigerants for their air conditioners.

Persons: there's, hydrofluorocarbons, they're, Adrees Latif, Michael Hart, Tara McGrath, There's, Hart, Carlo Allegri, David Doniger, HFCs, Avipsa, Victor Molina, KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI, Mahapatra, Doniger Organizations: Service, Department of, Business, Facebook, Department of Justice, Reuters, Natural Resources Defense Council, NASA, Environmental Investigation Agency, Getty, EPA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, DOJ, US Attorney's, Southern, of, New York Times, CFC Locations: San Diego, Mexico, Port of Miami, Montreal, Elk Grove Village , Illinois, AFP, United States, of California, HFCs, Europe

☆ Satellites burning up in our atmosphere may not be as harmless as first thought
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Satellites and spacecraft burning up in our atmosphere are leaving metal particles in the stratosphere — and scientists are worried it could harm our planet. Stratospheric particles can shape the ozone layerRemember the ozone layer? AdvertisementThat, in turn, can spark a chain reaction that creates rainbow-colored polar stratospheric clouds. Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) are seen in the sky over Jukkasjarvi, northern Sweden, on December 17, 2023 in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden. "There's an increasing number of rocket launches for small satellites and tourism, which burn kerosene or other fuels that emissions in the atmosphere.

Persons: Daniel Murphy, that's, Roy Rochlin, Murphy, Thomas Parent, Chelsea Thompson, Martin Chipperfield, Chipperfield, It's Organizations: Service, Business, National Oceanic, Administration Chemical Science, NASA, WB, NOAA, University of Leeds Locations: Montreal, Tonga, Sweden, Jukkasjarvi, Alaska, UK

☆ Scientists said the ozone hole was recovering. That good news was premature, one study claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Angela Dewan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

But in a new study published Tuesday, some scientists claim it may not be recovering at all, and that the hole may even be expanding. In a paper, published by Nature Communications, they found that ozone levels have reduced by 26% since 2004 at the core of the hole in the Antarctic springtime. They used historical data to compare that behavior and changing ozone levels, and to measure signs of ozone recovery. “Altogether, our findings reveal the recent, large ozone holes may not be caused just by CFCs,” Kessenich said. “Those events have been shown to have strongly decreased the ozone hole size,” he said, “so including those events would probably have nullified any long-term negative trend.”

Persons: ”, Hannah Kessenich, didn’t, ” Kessenich, —, Martin Jucker Organizations: CNN, Nature Communications, University of Otago, University of New, Science Media Center Locations: UN, Montreal, New Zealand, El, Southern, University of New South Wales, Australia

Refrigerants used in fridges, freezers and cars change from a fluid to a gas to transport heat away from the place you want cooled. In refrigerators, the refrigerant starts as a liquid and expands into a gas, which forces it to cool down. The refrigerant then flows through condenser coils where it releases its heat out and cools back into a liquid. The cycle starts over when the refrigerant enters the expansion device, where the fluid spreads out, cools, and once again turns into a gas. Methane, the second most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide is 28, or 28 times worse.

Persons: hasn’t Organizations: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, AP Locations: fridges, Phoenix , Arizona, Dubai, Montreal, Kigali, United States

‘Living on top of each other’Mission Antarctica: Each year, the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust sends a crack team to run one of the world's most remote post offices. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Shovel your way in: It was a tough start. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Food reserves: Unsurprisingly, fresh food is in short supply, other than what comes their way via visiting cruise ships. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust Kitted out: Those sunglasses are crucial if you don't want to risk snow blindness. UK Antarctic Heritage Trust The post office at the end of the world Prev NextThe chosen candidates beat out odds of one in a thousand – but this is not a cozy posting.

Persons: They’d, Clare Ballantyne, it’s, Ballantyne, Lucy Bruzzone, Mairi Hilton, Natalie Corbett, Camilla Nichol, Nichol, “, ”, Vicky Inglis, ‘ Cheeriness, Cheeriness, They’ll, aren’t, Says Nichol Organizations: CNN, Britain’s Royal Navy, Port, Antarctic Heritage Trust, Base, Antarctic Heritage Trust Food, Antarctic Heritage, British Antarctic Survey, International Association of Antarctica Locations: there’s, Antarctica, Inglis, Montreal, Antarctic

☆ Singapore's love affair with air conditioning shows a Catch 22 of climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Thankfully, Chee said, his home has five air conditioners – one in each bedroom and a larger unit in the living room. “I drank plenty of water, took cold showers and kept the air conditioning on for the entire weekend. Indeed, in this city, air conditioning has become almost a way of life. But Singapore’s love affair with air conditioning has an enormous cost. Here are some possible solutions 02:39 - Source: CNNBreaking the loopStill, experts say there are ways to break the air conditioning doom-loop.

Persons: Chee Kuan Chew, ” Chee, “, Mo Kio, Chee, Lee Kuan Yew, Edgar Su, Suhaimi Abdullah, Matthias Roth, Roth, Radhika Khosla, ” Khosla, Heng Chye Kiang, Smart, Heng Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Economic, International Energy Agency, Urban, United States Environmental Protection Agency, National University of Singapore, United Nations, Montreal Protocol, Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise, Environment, Bloomberg, Getty, Singapore’s National Environment Agency, NEA, ”, National University of Singapore’s School of Design Locations: Singapore, New York City, Japan, United States, ”, Kigali, Montreal, Orchard

☆ A short seller betting against this UK grocer says its shares could plunge by over 40%
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

There's more pain to come for investors in British grocery technology company Ocado , according to short seller Chris Dale. The chief investment officer at Kintbury Capital expects Ocado's shares to fall a further 45% from Wednesday's close of £6.60 down to about £3.75 ($4.52) a share. The short interest in Ocado has risen to more than 4% of its stock in recent months after a two-year lull. AHL Partners, AQR Capital, Gladstone Capital and D. E. Shaw & Co. are the other firms currently holding a significant short position in Ocado. Earlier this month, Ocado's shares soared by 32% after a new deal to construct six CFCs for South Korea's Lotte Shopping was announced.

☆ Ocado enters South Korea with Lotte Shopping deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( James Davey | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Paul ChildsSummarySummary Companies Lotte Shopping becomes Ocado's 12th partnerOcado to build six robotic warehouses by 2028Ocado shares soar 34%LONDON, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Ocado (OCDO.L), the British online supermarket and technology group, has entered South Korea, one of the most mature e-commerce markets in the world, through a partnership deal with Lotte Shopping (023530.KS), the companies said on Tuesday. Lotte, South Korea's second largest grocer, becomes Ocado's 12th partner across 10 countries. Ocado's in-store fulfilment technology will also be rolled out across Lotte stores from 2024. Lotte Shopping, part of South Korea's Lotte Group conglomerate, operates department stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets and e-commerce, with more than 1,000 stores nationwide and an annual revenue of 9.5 billion pounds ($10.9 billion). Ocado Group's shares have been hurt this year by the performance of Ocado Retail, its retail joint venture with Marks & Spencer (MKS.L).

☆ Ocado shares jump over 10% on Kroger/Albertsons merger report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Kroger is in talks to merge with Albertsons, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterOcado struck a deal with Kroger in 2018 to help the U.S. firm ratchet up its delivery business with the construction of robotically operated warehouses. The initial deal saw Kroger identify at least 20 sites to build automated warehouses, or customer fulfilment centres (CFCs) as Ocado calls them, in the United States. Ocado reported in May that six Kroger CFCs were live. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by James Davey; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Duke Energy is one of the top leakers of a gas that is 25,000 times more polluting than carbon dioxide, EPA records show
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Phil Mckenna | Inside Climate News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +22 min

The emissions were equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of more than 59,000 automobiles, according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas equivalency calculator. Under such a scenario Duke Energy would likely have years of low emissions punctuated by a single year of high emissions. While other utilities have participated for decades in a voluntary program with the EPA to reduce SF6 emissions to next to nothing, Duke Energy has not. Brooks said Duke Energy is also targeting its most leaky equipment for faster replacement. The figure is roughly half of 1% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, far smaller than yearly emissions of carbon dioxide, the primary driver of climate change.

Search resuls for: "CFCs"

14 mentions found