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☆ Devastation from Hurricane Helene could bring semiconductor chipmaking to a halt
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Clare Duffy | Dianne Gallagher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In addition to this, our teams are joining the local taskforces to try to restore the most basic services and bring further supplies to Spruce Pine,” The Quartz Corp said in a statement. The Quartz Corp facility near Spruce Pine, North Carolina, is seen during a CNN flyover of the area on Monday, September 30. And while quartz is abundant around the world, the kind of ultra-high-purity quartz mined in Spruce Pine is not. The Spruce Pine mines provide an estimated 80% to 90% of the world’s high-purity quartz — experts say the exact amount is proprietary and unknown — supplying semiconductor manufacturers like chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. However, Wang said that despite the scale of the devastation in Spruce Pine, there is still reason for optimism.

Persons: Hurricane Helene, Helene, —, ”, Seaver Wang, Spencer Bost, ” Bost, ’ ” Sibelco, “, Sibelco, that’s, Gregory Allen, David Bader, CSIS’s Allen, Wang, ” Wang Organizations: New, New York CNN, Quartz Corp, Breakthrough Institute, Downtown, CNN, Belgian, Wadhwani Center, AI, Technologies, Center for Strategic, International, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Institute for Data Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology Locations: New York, North Carolina, Hurricane, Spruce Pine, United States, Sibelco, Silicon, Downtown Spruce, Norwegian, Spruce, Spruce Pine , North Carolina, “

☆ My daughter lives in Asheville, and I lost contact with her for 3 days as the hurricane hit. I imagined the worst.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Jeneane Nicodemus | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

I texted her when I heard Hurricane Helene was headed her way to see how she was preparing. I then didn't hear from her for three days, and as I watched the news, I feared the worst. I found myself rocking back and forth for three days, imagining the worst for my ill-prepared daughter. Related storiesShe sent a series of short texts right before they lost power — "Five trees went down outside our building, water, and power out." A woman shared that her sister was pregnant and stuck on top of her roof in Black Mountain, a neighborhood my daughter lived in when she first moved there.

Persons: Helene, —, wasn't Organizations: Asheville, Service, Facebook, Weather Locations: San Francisco, Asheville, Carolina, Broad Rivers, Buncombe, Buncombe County

☆ Brazil drought: Stark pictures reveal dramatic shrinking of major Amazon rivers
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Laura Paddison | Gianluca Mezzofiore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Rio Negro in Manaus in Amazonas state Brazil on September 12, 2021. Copernicus, Sentinel-2 satellite Rio Negro on September 16 2024. Copernicus, Sentinel-2 satellite Satellite images of the Rio Negro on September 12 2021 versus September 16 2024 Copernicus, Sentinel-2 satellitePart of the Rio Negro in Manaus on June 19, 2024. So too is the Solimões River, whose muddy-colored waters converge with the Rio Negro at Manaus to form the Amazon River. Copernicus, Sentinel-2 satellite Copernicus, Sentinel-2 satellite Satellite images of Lake Tefé on August 26 2023 versus August 25 2024 Copernicus, Sentinel-2 satelliteResearcher Miriam Marmontel, from Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, after finding a dead dolphin on Lake Tefé on September 18, 2024.

Persons: It’s, —, Copernicus, Edmar Barros, Lincoln Alves, Jorge Silva, ”, Alves, ” Miriam Marmontel, Miriam Marmontel, Leonardo Benassatto, Romulo Batista, Adriana Cuartas, André Guimarães, El, El Niño, Cemaden’s, ” Guimarães, “, ” Cuartas Organizations: CNN, Amazon, Rio, — Rio, Sentinel, Rio Negro, National Institute for Space Research, Reuters, Mamirauá Institute, Sustainable Development, Greenpeace, Amazon Environmental Research Institute Locations: Brazil, Rio, Manaus, Amazonas, Rio Negro, — Rio Negro, Tabatinga, Brazilian, Colombia, Peru, Tefé, Copernicus, Greenpeace Brazil, “

☆ HIIT workouts without jumping that are high-intensity but low-impact
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Melanie Radzicki Mcmanus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Increased cognitive function due to HIIT workouts was even seen in young adults, a February 2020 study showed, which researchers said indicated HIIT workouts may be both an efficient and effective way of combating cognitive decline as people age. “It always takes them by surprise.”Rowing machines are also a great choice for a high-intensity, low-impact workout, McCall said. “If you’re jumping up and down off a box, you’ll risk falling when you’re jumping back down. But don’t let that stop you from incorporating HIIT workouts into your weekly routine since they offer so many benefits, especially for older adults. “The biggest benefit we’re seeing now with HIIT workouts is the brain.”Sign up for CNN’s Fitness, But Better newsletter series.

Persons: you’ve, ”, Jonathan Tylicki, you’re, Pete McCall, ” McCall, Tylicki, ” Tylicki, McCall, “, Melanie Radzicki McManus Organizations: CNN, American College of Sports Medicine, International, of Environmental Research, Public Health, CNN’s Locations: Irvine , California, Encinitas , California

☆ World’s biggest waste-to-energy facility will power more than 100,000 homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Ana De Oliva | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Much of it ends up at a plant operated by the Warsan Waste Management Company. “Around 45% percent of Dubai’s total waste comes to this facility,” says Tim Clarke, the company’s CEO. Operational since March of this year, the Warsan plant will use 2 million metric tons of trash annually to produce electricity, enough to power approximately 135,000 homes, according to the company. However, since the plant produces power, replacing the burning of fossil fuels, Warsan Waste Management believes the overall result is positive. But some environmental groups, such as Zero Waste Europe, argue that burning waste to generate electricity discourages efforts to cut waste and initiatives to increase recycling.

Persons: ”, Tim Clarke, Clarke, “, Bryan Staley, Staley Organizations: Dubai CNN, CNN, Warsan Waste Management Company, “, United Nations Environment, Waste Management, Energy, Research, Education Foundation Locations: Dubai, Europe, Japan, China, UAE

☆ Asia heatwave: Record temperatures cancel classes, widening learning gaps across Southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Heather Chen | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

His class of 43 students pass around mini hand-held fans during lessons on most days to keep cool. More than 33 million children were impacted as a result of the heatwave, according to groups like Save the Children and UNICEF. The worst hit were poor children in rural areas whose families couldn’t afford devices like laptops and tablets to facilitate remote learning, UNICEF says. “We don’t allow children outside when temperatures get too hot,” said Bong Samreth, who teaches at a public school in Phnom Penh. Loose, lightweight and light colored clothing was also advised for students to protect them from sunburns and heat exposure.

Persons: Seila, ”, “, —, Sheldon Yett, ” Yett, Bong Samreth, Ezra Acayan, Benjo Basas, Basas, Mirasol, Hang Chuon Naron, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Chaideer Mahyuddin, it’s, Joy Reyes Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Children, UNICEF, UN, ”, Volunteers, Getty, Governments Locations: Hong Kong, Cambodia, Phnom Penh, South, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, Philippines, Tondo, Manila, Pangasinan, Philippine, Banda Aceh, Indonesia, AFP

☆ Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Breaded shrimp contained the most tiny plastics by far, at well over an average of 300 microplastic pieces per serving. Plastics are everywhereThere are a staggering number of plastics in the world, today, according to a recent analysis — 16,000 plastic chemicals, with at least 4,200 of those considered to be “highly hazardous” to human health and the environment. (The authors declined to mention which brands of bottled water they studied.) Prior research using older technology had identified only about 300 nanoplastics in bottled water, along with bigger microplastics. · If you can, eat as much fresh food as possible, and limit purchase of processed and ultraprocessed foods wrapped in plastic.

Persons: CNN —, can’t, Rice, Let’s, it’s, ” Sherri “ Sam ” Mason, ” Mason, ”, pollock, Mason, don’t, “ Organizations: CNN, McGill University in, University of Queensland, Penn State, International, Water Association, Environmental Research, Environmental Locations: McGill University in Quebec, Canada, Erie , Pennsylvania, United States

☆ US regional banks are still under pressure. That’s likely to continue
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Despite overcoming a crisis in 2023, the pain isn’t over for America’s regional banks. Shares of New York Community Bank have tumbled 71%, Bank OZK shares have slid 16% and Webster Financial shares have lost 11%. Regional banks reported wide losses on their profits during the first quarter. PNC projects that its net interest income will fall between 4% to 5% in 2024 from last year. “I’m worried about a handful of [regional banks],” Bair told CNBC on Tuesday.

Persons: that’s, Jerome Powell, “, ” Powell, Sheila Bair, “ I’m, ” Bair, ” Tesla, Tesla, Elon Musk, Chris Isidore, Musk, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, Read, Samantha Delouya, —, Maximilian Kotz, Leonie Wenz, Noah Diffenbaugh Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Regional Banking, New York Community Bank, Bank OZK, Webster Financial, PNC Financial, T Bank, US Bancorp, Citizens, PNC, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, First Republic Bank, Federal Reserve, Wilson Center, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, CNBC, Tesla, Securities and Exchange Commission, United Nations, Potsdam, Climate, CNN, Stanford University Locations: New York, Delaware, ” Delaware

☆ Climate change and global warming come with increasing economic cost to individuals
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

However, they say immediate actions to reduce climate change could stem some losses in the longer term. Noah Diffenbaugh, a professor and environmental researcher at Stanford University, said the economic damage from climate change will take different shapes. Researchers estimated it would cost the global economy $6 trillion by 2050 to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement—the international agreement among nearly 200 nations to tackle climate change—compared to the study’s estimated $38 trillion economic damage due to climate change. “That’s what’s likely to happen from the global warming that’s already occurred and what’s likely to happen even for small increments of global warming.”The Nature study estimated the economic damage of different regions. The ICF paper said price hikes on essential elements of the cost of living in the US will add up due to climate change.

Persons: –, Maximilian Kotz, Leonie Wenz, Noah Diffenbaugh, It’s, Wenz, Bernardo Bastien, Bastien, ” Bastien, “, ”, “ That’s, what’s, won’t Organizations: CNN, United Nations, Potsdam, Climate, Stanford University, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California Locations: Nature, Paris, University of California San Diego, California, North America, Europe, South Asia, Africa, United States

☆ Biotech startup Seed Health is betting its profits on AI-powered medical science
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Natalie Rose Goldberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

On Thursday, Seed Health launched CODA, a computational biology platform funded by its consumer business profitability. Seed Health has been in the business of microbiome scientific breakthroughs since its founding in 2015, but its biggest success to-date may have been becoming profitable as a bioscience startup. Katz's co-founder and co-CEO at Seed Health, Raja Dhir, said CODA and the accompanying data set will help to standardize microbiome science methods, which has long been an issue in the field. CODA's first applications are in metabolic health, brain health, longevity, and menopause, research areas chosen because they have already been identified as areas of human health where early CODA data displayed the strongest evidence. Seed Health has been working on several efforts around pioneering microbiome science for human and planetary health, and many in the field believe the approach is destined to have wider applications.

Persons: Katz, Ara Katz, Eran Segal, Eric Topol, transcriptome, Katz's, Raja Dhir, Dhir, Arpana Gupta, Goodman, There's, Segal, Joseph Petrosino, Petrosino Organizations: Seed, Seed Health, CNBC, Weizmann Institute of Science, Scripps Research Institute, UCLA, Luskin Microbiome, Baylor College of Medicine, Center, Metagenomics, Microbiome Research

☆ Miami shows how a new kind of gentrification is coming to US cities
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Miami has one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. Real estate developers are promoting new housing in drier parts of the city as an escape from regular flooding, researchers have found. And Miami is far from alone — coastal flooding, extreme heat, and other climate impacts are affecting cities across the country. And Miami residents are spending a larger share of their income on housing these days. The rent-to-income ratio in Miami has risen from 35.9% in 2019 to 37.0% at the end of last year, according to Moody's.

Persons: Moody's, Pedro, — Organizations: Service, Business, Liberty, Dade, McKinsey & Company, Miami Locations: Miami, South Florida, Little Haiti, Liberty City, — Miami, Florida, Dade County

Across much of America and especially in the normally chilly north, the country went through the winter months without, well, winter. The Lower 48 states averaged 37.6 degrees (3.1 degrees Celsius), which is 5.4 degrees (3 degrees Celsius) above average. But Iowa blew past its warmest February by 2 degrees, while parts of Minnesota were 20 degrees warmer than average for all of February, Gleason said. A strong ridge of high pressure kept the eastern United States warm and dry, while California kept getting hit with atmospheric rivers, she said. Winter weather expert Cohen, who is based outside of Boston, joked that the U.S. no longer has four seasons: "We have two seasons.

Persons: “, El Nino, ”, Jeff Masters, Masters, Karin Gleason, Gleason, Copernicus, Judah Cohen, Cohen, ” Cohen, Theresa Crimmins, weren’t, Crimmins, ” Crimmins, Patrick Whittle, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: National Phenology Network, El, Climate, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Environmental, Iowa, El Nino, Associated Press, Atmospheric Environmental Research, National Weather Service, Rutgers Snow Lab Locations: America, Colorado, New Jersey, Texas, Carolinas, U.S, Michigan, United States, Minnesota, Great, California, El, That's, Boston, Europe, Asia, Fort Kent, Maine, Portland , Maine, AP.org

However strange it sounds, that contradiction fits snugly in explanations of what climate change is doing to Earth, scientists said. But when the polar vortex weakens, the arms start flailing out, the skater slips and “all the cold air then gets released away from the center of the polar vortex," Cohen said. The current cold outbreak is consistent with Arctic change and the polar vortex, Cohen said. Cohen and others have done studies that show the polar vortex outbreaks have become more frequent in recent decades. But another polar vortex looks like it's coming at the end of the month, though not as strong as this one, they said.

Persons: turvy, ”, Jennifer Francis, Judah Cohen, Cohen, Steve Vavrus, It's, Francis, Marshall Shepherd, “, Victor Gensini, Gensini, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: North Dakota, NFL, Amplification, Atmospheric Environmental Research, University of Wisconsin, University of Georgia, Northern Illinois University, Associated Press Locations: United States, Asia, Africa, East, South America, North, Miami, Kansas City, Melbourne, Aruba, Curacao, Argentina, Oman, Iran, Texas, Boston, Madison, Chicago, Denver, Lincoln, Omaha , Oklahoma City, Dallas, Houston, AP.org

Parts of the East Coast, particularly the Mid-Atlantic, may get more snow than normal because of that, he said. That means more rain in the South and extra storminess in the late winter, Gottschalk said. El Nino often means “unusual severe weather across the state of Florida because of a strong subtropical jet stream,” he said. He pointed to Washington’s paralyzing 2010 Snowmageddon storm that dumped more than 2 feet on the capital region during an El Nino. The Siberian snow cover, El Nino and other factors “indicate an overall mild winter,” he told The Associated Press.

Persons: there’s, Jon Gottschalk, ” Gottschalk, El, Gottschalk, El Nino, it's, ”, Judah Cohen, Cohen, ___ Read, Seth Borenstein Organizations: El Nino, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Environmental Research, Associated Press, Twitter, AP Locations: United, America, East Coast, Tennessee , Missouri , Nebraska, Nevada, California, U.S, Alaska, Pacific Northwest, New England, Massachusetts, East, Tennessee, Texas , Kansas , Colorado , Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Lake Erie, Washington, United States, Florida, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Boston, Siberia, Boston , New York City, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, Denver, New Mexico , Arizona , Texas , Oklahoma , Arkansas , Mississippi, Alabama

But the recent shift toward e-cigarettes that can’t be refilled has created a new environmental dilemma. U.S. teens and adults are buying roughly 12 million disposable vapes per month. But the quantities used in vaping devices are too small to warrant salvage. Disposable e-cigarettes currently account for about 53% of the multi-billion U.S. vaping market, according to U.S. government figures, more than doubling since 2020. The company has incinerated more than 1.6 million pounds of vaping waste in recent years, mostly unsold inventory or discontinued products.

Persons: ”, Yogi Hale Hendlin, Michael Garland, ” Garland, Brian King, “, New York Sheriff Anthony Miranda, Bob Cappadona, Daniel Ryan, Shelly Fuller, ” Fuller, Joseph Frederick, Matthew Perrone Organizations: WASHINGTON, University of California, Environmental, Agency, EPA, FDA, Regulators, New, Veolia, Centaurus High, ”, Twitter, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: U.S, San Francisco, Monroe County , New York, Arkansas, New York City, New York , California, Monroe County, “, New York, Gum Springs , Arkansas, Boulder County , Colorado, Boulder

ATLANTA (AP) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering a ban on certain hair-straightening chemicals that have been used by Black women for years and that research shows may increase the risk of uterine cancer. But Black hair stylists say such products — specifically the ones being looked at by the FDA, which contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals — have fallen out of favor, especially among younger generations. The possible rule would apply to both salon-grade and at-home products, FDA spokesperson Courtney Rhodes said. Pressley said in an Oct. 6 statement that the FDA's possible action is “a win for public health — especially the health of Black women." The risks for Black women could shift with better regulation of chemical hair straighteners, said Dr. Kimberly Bertrand, an author of the Boston University study.

Persons: “, ”, Kayleigh Butler, Courtney Rhodes, Jasmine Garcia, Jasmine Nicole Xclusives, —, Ayanna Pressley, Shontel Brown, Pressley, Kimberly Bertrand, Dr, Yolanda Lenzy, cosmetologist, there's, who’ve, Lenzy, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: ATLANTA, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Associated Press, Reps, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, National Institutes of Health, Boston University, Environmental Research, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: U.S, Atlanta, Ayanna Pressley of, Ohio

☆ Putting your head down and hustling is 'totally wrong,' says Yale happiness expert—here’s what to do instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

You've heard those phrases promoting the idea that success, achievement and happiness are all enabled by a hefty bank account. Don't miss: Hustle culture isn’t dead, it just got a Gen Z rebrand: ‘People want time to live their lives’Working too hard can increase stress, depression and burnout, a Mayo Clinic blog post notes. "We have an intuition [that] I'm going to earn a million dollars, and I'll be happy. "You think, 'I've got to hustle more ... Now I need $5 million to [be happy].' That hustle culture misconception winds up doubling down on itself."

Persons: You've, Laurie Santos, it's, I'm, Santos, That's, I've Organizations: Yale, CNBC, Mayo Clinic, International, of Environmental Research, Public Health

MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — Communities dependent on the Amazon rainforest's waterways are stranded without supply of fuel, food or filtered water. These are just the first grim visions of extreme drought sweeping across Brazil’s Amazon. Raimundo Silva do Carmo, 67, makes his living as a fisherman, but these days has been struggling to simply find water. Like most rural residents in Brazil's Amazon, do Carmo typically retrieves water untreated from the biome's abundant waterways. The drought has affected most of the main rivers in the Amazon, the world’s largest basin, which accounts for 20% of the planet’s fresh water.

Persons: Raimundo Silva, Carmo, ” Joaquim Mendes da Silva, ”, Edvaldo de Lira, Ana Paula Cunha, Marcus Suassuna Santos, Brazil’s, Ane Alencar, Alencar, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s, Geraldo Alckmin, Ayan Fleischmann, Fleischmann, Flávia Costa, Fabiano Maisonnave, Eléonore Hughes, Diane Jeantet Organizations: Associated Press, Geological Survey, Amazon Environmental Research Institute, Bolsa, Sustainable Development Institute, National Institute for Space Research, National Institute of, AP Locations: MANAUS, Brazil, Brazil's, Puraquequara, Amazonas state's, Manaus, “, CEMADEN, Amazonas, Parana, Lake Puraquequara, Equatorial, Rio Grande do Sul, Madeira, Bolivia, Porto Velho, Santo Antonio, Negro, Bolsa Familia, Solimoes, Madeira —, Lake Tefe, rocketed, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro

BELEM, Brazil, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Amazon rainforest nations emerged from a summit this week with a stronger hand to play at upcoming United Nations climate talks, despite the meeting's lackluster final agreement, according to environmental groups. Lula will take that message on the road this year at the G20, United Nations General Assembly and U.N. COP28 climate summit. But he also applauded the symbolism of the eight Amazon countries meeting together for the first time in 14 years and joining their voices with the world's other major rainforests. STRONGER VOICERainforest nations have a stronger unified voice after the meeting, at least on paper, said Luis Roman, a representative of nonprofit WWF Peru. Rainforest nations thus far have focused on past funding commitments.

Persons: It's, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, André Guimarães, Marcio Astrini, Astrini, Luis Roman, Susana Muhamad, Jake Spring, Oliver Griffin, Brad Haynes, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Democratic, United Nations General Assembly, Amazon Environmental Research Institute, Observatory, WWF, Colombia's, Thomson Locations: BELEM, Brazil, Nations, Indonesia, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Venezuela, Lula, Bolivia, WWF Peru, European, Belem, Bogota

☆ US scientists trying to harness the power of the sun have made a 2nd major breakthrough for the future of sustainable, green energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Why nuclear fusion is so important for global energy needsWe see the colossal power of nuclear fusion in action every day — the sun. Meaning that unlike fossil fuels, nuclear fusion doesn't contribute to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are driving climate change. It was a major breakthrough and the first time a fusion experiment had ever generated an energy surplus. Why nuclear fusion beats nuclear fissionCurrent nuclear power plants use fission to make energy. While fission creates a chain reaction, nuclear fusion reactors of the future would not, avoiding the risk of a meltdown.

Persons: Energy Jennifer Granholm, Lawrence, Jason Laurea, Paul Rhien, J, Robert Oppenheimer, Arjun Makhijani, Daniel Jassby, Jassby Organizations: Service, International Energy Agency, Department of Energy, Energy, Ignition, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Financial Times, Manhattan, International Atomic Energy Agency, Scientists, Institute for Energy, Environmental Research, Princeton Plasma Physics Locations: Wall, Silicon, Lawrence Livermore, That's

During those COP27 climate talks last year in Egypt, China's top climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, made an unexpected appearance at a meeting of the Global Methane Partnership, a U.S.-EU led initiative aimed at slashing 2020-level methane emissions by 30% by the end of this decade. Xie said China had drafted a plan with concrete measures to curb methane emissions from energy, agriculture and waste. COAL GASTwo big sources of methane emissions growth in China are livestock and rice production, neither of which are included in the country's climate plans. China is the world's largest source of methane from coal mines, with 28% of the world's biggest methane emissions points, according to Antoine Halff, co-founder of the environmental research group Karryos. "When you look around at the sources of coal mine methane worldwide, China is three or four times bigger than the next country's coal mine methane emissions," Banks said.

Persons: John Kerry, Kerry, Xie Zhenhua, Xie, Jonathan Banks, Joe Biden, Biden, Banks, Antoine Halff, Halff, Valerie Volcovici, David Stanway, Dominique Patton, Timothy Gardner, Katy Daigle, Will Dunham Organizations: Sunday, Methane Partnership, EU, Air Task Force, Program, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Task Force, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, U.S, China, Beijing, United States, Washington ., Glasgow, Sharm el, Egypt, Dubai, Shanxi, Boston, Singapore, Washington

☆ More than 50 pilot whales die after mass stranding on Scottish island
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

London CNN —A pod of more than 50 pilot whales has died after a mass stranding on a northwestern Scottish island, according to a marine charity on the ground. Pilot whales are sociable animals, so if one becomes stranded, experts believe others from the pod will follow and also become stranded. Known to be gregarious, pilot whales have “extremely strong social and emotional bonds with one another,” Jarvis told CNN. In the UK, the largest stranding of pilot whales was in Scotland in 2011, when 77 were found stuck on the country’s northerly shores, according to Jarvis. Tasmania’s largest stranding was in 2020, when more than 450 pilot whales were found.

Persons: ” Dan Jarvis, Mairi Robertson, Carrey, BDMLR, ” Jarvis, we’ve, SMASS, We’re, Peter Evans, ”, Evans, Jarvis Organizations: London CNN, British, Welfare, CNN, Scottish, Sea Watch Foundation Locations: Scottish, North Tolsta, Lewis, Scotland, Tasmania, Australia

☆ Leaks Can Make Natural Gas as Bad as Coal for Climate, Study Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Hiroko Tabuchi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Natural gas, long seen as a cleaner alternative to coal and an important tool in the fight to slow global warming, can be just as harmful to the climate, a new study has concluded, unless companies can all but eliminate the leaks that plague its use. It takes as little as 0.2 percent of gas to leak to make natural gas as big a driver of climate change as coal, the study found. That’s a tiny margin of error for a gas that is notorious for leaking from drill sites, processing plants and the pipes that transport it into power stations or homes and kitchens. The bottom line: If gas leaks, even a little, “it’s as bad as coal,” said Deborah Gordon, the lead researcher and an environmental policy expert at Brown University and at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a nonprofit research organization focused on clean energy. “It can’t be considered a good bridge, or substitute.”The peer-reviewed study, which also involved researchers from Harvard and Duke Universities and NASA and is set to be published next week in the journal Environmental Research Letters, adds to a substantial body of research that has poked holes in the idea that natural gas is a suitable transitional fuel to a future powered entirely by renewables, like solar and wind.

Persons: it’s, ”, Deborah Gordon Organizations: Brown University, Rocky Mountain Institute, Harvard, Duke Universities, NASA

☆ Smoke from Canada’s wildfires has reached as far as Norway
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Over the last few days, plumes of smoke have stretched from Canada across Greenland, Iceland and made their way to Norway. It’s not unusual for wildfire smoke to travel long distances. “Smoke from wildfires such as those in Canada is injected at high altitudes thus staying in the atmosphere longer and able to travel over far distances,” he said. In 2020, smoke from California’s record-breaking wildfires was detected in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located deep inside the Arctic Circle. Wildfire smoke moving over the Arctic deposits soot on the snow and ice, darkening the white surface, which allows it to absorb more heat.

Persons: Nikolaos Evangeliou, Evangeliou, It’s Organizations: CNN, Environmental Research Locations: Canada, Norway, Greenland, Iceland, Europe, Svalbard, Norwegian

☆ 1.5-degree climate threshold won't prevent 'significant harm,' scientists report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —For years, the world has been focusing on a key climate change threshold: limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. But even at that threshold – which could begin to be breached within the next five years – millions of people will still face “significant harm,” including death, displacement and food and water scarcity, an international commission of researchers reported Wednesday. In a study published in the journal Nature, the panel of more than a dozen researchers integrated environmental justice – the idea that climate thresholds should minimize significant harm – with climate science. And they said that the key climate threshold nations pledged to meet in the Paris Agreement in 2015 – one that would ensure a “safe and just” world – should have been 1 degree Celsius. “We argue that there is no safe planet without justice,” Gupta said, underscoring that incorporating justice to the Earth system’s boundaries reduces significant harm to communities and individuals.

Persons: ”, Johan Rockström, Joyeeta Gupta, “, ” Gupta, Kim Cobb, ” Cobb Organizations: CNN, Potsdam Institute, Climate Impact Research, Earth Commission, University of Amsterdam, Brown University Locations: Paris

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