DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Agency Votes to Replace Official Accused of Rushing Start of Seabed Mining
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Eric Lipton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The international agency charged with regulating seabed mining worldwide voted on Friday to replace its top executive, after accusations that the British lawyer running the agency was too closely aligned with the mining industry. Leticia Carvalho, an oceanographer from Brazil and a United Nations environmental regulator, was elected by a 79-to-34 vote by the nations that run the International Seabed Authority to replace Michael Lodge, a lawyer who has overseen the agency for nearly eight years. “I can’t wait to start to work with state parties and stakeholders at this honorable organization,” Ms. Carvalho said after the vote, which was done by secret ballot. Mr. Lodge has been a polarizing figure at the seabed authority, which has jurisdiction over any future mining in international waters. Environmentalists have argued that he worked behind the scenes with private contractors to try to accelerate the start of mining.

Persons: Leticia Carvalho, Michael Lodge, “, ” Ms, Carvalho, Lodge Organizations: United, Authority Locations: Brazil, United Nations

☆ Hotels and offices are using an AI tool that scans what they throw in the trash to reduce their food waste and cut costs
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Hotels are reducing how much food they waste at their breakfast buffets by installing AI-powered cameras above their kitchen trash cans. Of this, nearly 30% was wasted in the food service sector. Food loss in the supply chain and food waste generate almost five times the total greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation sector, per the UNEP. Reducing food waste can boost a company's eco credentials — and cut costs. Winnow's clients include hotels, cruise lines, universities, and food service companies that provide professional catering services.

Persons: they're, Marc Zornes, Winnow, Zornes, Hilton, Sebastian Nohse, Hilton EMEA's, didn't, Nohse, Paul Fairhead Organizations: Service, Business, Chefs, United Nations Environmental, UNEP, Guckenheimer, United Arab Emirates Locations: East

☆ Walmart bans single-use bags in more stores
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Walmart will eliminate single-use paper and plastic carryout bags at the register from stores in New York, Connecticut and Colorado this month. The company previously stopped giving out single-use plastic bags in New York and Connecticut and in some areas in Colorado. Plastic-bag bans reduce the number of these bags in stores and encourage customers to bring reusable bags or pay a small fee for paper bags. In New Jersey, a ban on single-use plastic and paper bags has meant grocery delivery services have switched to heavy-duty bags. Reusable bags — cloth totes or thicker, more durable plastic bags — aren’t a perfect solution, either, unless they are actually reused.

☆ Historic compensation fund approved at U.N. climate talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The decision establishes a fund for what negotiators call loss and damage. Early Sunday morning, delegates approved the compensation fund but had not dealt with the contentious issues of an overall temperature goal, emissions cutting and the desire to target all fossil fuels for phase down. This year’s talks “were very focused on the fund and less on the mitigation (cutting emissions) part,” Eide added. However, that fight was overshadowed by the historic compensation fund. But like all climate financials, it is one thing to create a fund, it’s another to get money flowing in and out, she said.

Search resuls for: "United Nations Environmental"

4 mentions found