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☆ ‘Hanging by a Thread’: U.N. Chief Warns of Missing Key Climate Target
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With the planet in the grips of its highest temperatures in more than 100,000 years, scientists with the United Nations weather agency have crunched the numbers and come to a stark conclusion: More record-hot years are all but inevitable. The chances are almost as great that, in at least one of these five calendar years, the average global temperature will be 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, higher than it was at the dawn of the industrial age. That’s the level of warming that countries set out to avoid under the 2015 Paris Agreement. “The target of limiting long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is hanging by a thread,” the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, said in a speech in New York City on Wednesday. He called for urgent action in a number of areas, including slashing carbon dioxide emissions and adopting renewable energy, helping poor countries finance their climate plans, and clamping down on the fossil fuel industry.

Persons: there’s, António Guterres Organizations: United Nations, World Meteorological Organization Locations: Paris, New York City

☆ 'Everyone is too scared to come': Taiwan's earthquake deals a blow to top tourism hotspot
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Jan Camenzind Broomby | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

As a bed and breakfast owner in Taiwan's Hualien County, Chen Rei-jia was used to the minor tremors that sometimes disturbed her work. Source: Jan Camenzind BroombyNow, survivors like Chen are facing a new challenge. "It might take five to 10 years for full recovery," Chang Chih-hsiang, director general of Hualien's tourism department, told CNBC Travel. Chang Chih-hsiang, head of Hualien's tourism office, estimates the area's tourism industry could take five to 10 years to fully recover. Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby

Persons: Chen Rei, jia, Chen, I've, Camenzind Broomby, Lai, Camenzind, Liang, Howard Yeh, Chang Chih, Stephanie Zhang, Chang, Cheng Wen, zhong, Lin Ya Organizations: Tourists, Hualien Hotel Association, CNBC Locations: Hualien County, Taiwan, Hualien, Taroko, Taipei

☆ China’s Chang’e-6 probe lifts off with samples from moon’s far side in historic first
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Nectar Gan | Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe departed from the far side of the moon on Tuesday, moving a step closer to completing an ambitious mission that underlines the country’s rise as a space superpower. Its return journey to Earth is estimated to take about three weeks, with a landing expected in China’s Inner Mongolia region around June 25. “The lunar surface is rich in basalt,” Zhou added. It marked the second time a mission has successfully reached the far side of the moon, after China first completed that historic feat in 2019 with its Chang’e-4 probe. Last year, India landed a spacecraft on the moon for the first time, while Russia’s first lunar landing mission in decades ended in failure when its Luna 25 probe crashed into the moon’s surface.

Persons: China’s, Bill Nelson, Nelson, –, “ zhong, CNSA, ”, Zhou Changyi, Zhou, James Head Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing, China National Space Administration, NASA, CNSA, Brown University, Luna Locations: Hong Kong, China, Mongolia, Aitken, India, Japan, Texas

☆ Deadly Floods in Brazil Were Worsened by Climate Change, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Raymond Zhong | Manuela Andreoni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Human-caused warming has doubled the chances that southern Brazil will experience extreme, multiday downpours like the ones that recently caused disastrous flooding there, a team of scientists said on Monday. The deluges have killed at least 172 people and displaced more than half a million residents from their homes. Three months’ rain fell in a two-week span of April and May in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. In the cooler climate of the 19th century, before large-scale emissions of greenhouse gases, such colossal downpours were far rarer, the researchers said. That pushes more warm, moist air toward the south, where it can fall as rain.

Locations: Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, South America

☆ Climate Change Added a Month’s Worth of Extra-Hot Days in Past Year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Over the past year of record-shattering warmth, the average person on Earth experienced 26 more days of abnormally high temperatures than they otherwise would have, were it not for human-induced climate change, scientists said Tuesday. The past 12 months have been the planet’s hottest ever measured, and the burning of fossil fuels, which has added huge amounts of heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere, is a major reason. Nearly 80 percent of the world’s population experienced at least 31 days of atypical warmth since last May as a result of human-caused warming, the researchers’ analysis found. The precise difference varies place to place. In others, including Colombia, Indonesia and Rwanda, the difference is upward of 120 days.

Locations: Colombia, Indonesia, Rwanda

☆ Thunderstorms, Wind and Climate Change: Here’s What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The severe storms that swept through Houston and the Gulf Coast on Thursday left all the destructive traces of a hurricane, yet they didn’t blow in from the tropics. Here’s what to know about such storms, and how they might be changing in our warming climate. Global warming creates conditions more favorable to severe storms. As the planet warms, severe storms of all kinds are likely to deliver even bigger payloads of rain. The heat energy released into the atmosphere by this condensation is what feeds thunderstorms.

Locations: Houston, Gulf, United States

While many of the effects of climate change, including heat waves, droughts and wildfires, are already with us, some of the most alarming consequences are hiding beneath the surface of the ocean. David Gelles and Raymond Zhong, who both cover climate for The New York Times, explain just how close we might be to a tipping point.

Persons: David Gelles, Raymond Zhong Organizations: New York Times

☆ What Happens When NASA Loses Eyes on Earth? We’re About to Find Out.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sometime in the next few years — no one knows exactly when — three NASA satellites, each one as heavy as an elephant, will go dark. Already they are drifting, losing height bit by bit. But age is catching up to them, and soon they will send their last transmissions and begin their slow, final fall to Earth. With some of the data these satellites gather, the situation is even worse: No other instruments will keep collecting it. In a few short years, the fine features they reveal about our world will become much fuzzier.

Organizations: NASA

☆ China's automakers must adapt quickly or lose out on the EV boom in the face of regulatory scrutiny abroad and competition at home
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The automaker is the joint venture partner of Honda and Toyota in China, and has an electric car brand called Aion. Expanding outside ChinaLike other automakers in China, GAC is also turning overseas. China's overseas car sales surged last year, putting the country on par with Japan as the world's largest exporter of cars. Dyer expects that to drive overseas demand for Chinese electric cars. Chinese consumers placed almost twice as much importance on tech features compared with U.S. consumers, Dyer said, citing AlixPartners' survey.

Persons: Evelyn Cheng, Tesla, Feng Xingya, Feng, Wei Haigang, Wei, Stephen Dyer AlixPartners, There's, Stephen Dyer, AlixPartners, Dyer, BYD, Nio, CATL, Zhong Shi Organizations: CNBC, GAC, Labor, Huawei, Honda, Toyota, China Passenger Car Association, EU, U.S, Factories, Greater China Business U.S, Ministry of Commerce, Tech, Volkswagen, SAIC Motor, Battery, China Automobile Dealers Association, Automotive, Robotics, Lotus Technology, Geely Locations: Beijing, Evelyn Cheng BEIJING, China, East, Mexico, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt, Brazil, Turkey, Amsterdam, Greater China, Asia, U.S, Europe

☆ Drought That Snarled Panama Canal Was Linked to El Niño, Study Finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The recent drought in the Panama Canal was driven not by global warming but by below-normal rainfall linked to the natural climate cycle El Niño, an international team of scientists has concluded. Low reservoir levels have slowed cargo traffic in the canal for most of the past year. Without enough water to raise and lower ships, officials last summer had to slash the number of vessels they allowed through, creating expensive headaches for shipping companies worldwide. The area’s water worries could still deepen in the coming decades, the researchers said in their analysis of the drought. That means future El Niño years could bring even wider disruptions, not just to global shipping, but also to water supplies for local residents.

Persons: El Locations: Panama

☆ Nospace is a new nostalgia-filled social media app for Gen Z that's already got a 500,000-person waiting list
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Alexandra Bacon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewA new social media app targeting Gen Z, Nospace, is set to be released in June, the company told BI. Her new app jumps on Gen Z's love of Y2K and harkens back to a simpler age of social media. Nospace wants to recapture some of the magic of social media apps like MySpace and early Facebook, which centered on friendships and making new connections. Zhong is a seasoned social media pro who knows how to appeal to Gen Z trends. Through her previous companies, she's advised companies like Snapchat, Levi Strauss, and Google on how to reach a younger Gen Z audience.

Persons: —, Nospace, Tiffany Zhong, Zer, Zhong, Z's, everyone's, Tati, she's, Levi Strauss Organizations: Service, Pineapple Capital, Business, Google

☆ Beijing half-marathon winner stripped of medal after 3 African runners let the Chinese athlete overtake, video appears to show
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Organizers of Beijing's half-marathon stripped the winner of his gold medal, say reports. Video evidence appeared to show African runners slow to allow China's He Jie to overtake and win. Robert Keter then waves at He to overtake and signals to the other two African runners to pull back. AdvertisementThe investigation revealed the three African runners to be pacemakers, hired by Chinese sports company Xtep, which sponsored both He and the Beijing Half Marathon, but it did not inform the organizers. AdvertisementAll four runners' results have been revoked, and they will be stripped of their trophies, medals, and bonuses.

Persons: Jie, Kenya'sWilly Mnangat, —, Kenya's Robert Keter, Willy Mnangat, Mnangat, Robert Keter, Xtep, Zhong'ao Organizations: Service, Guardian, BBC Sport, South China Morning, World, Sports Management Co Locations: Beijing, BBC Sport Africa

☆ Beijing half marathon winners stripped of medals after African trio let Chinese runner win
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —The top four finishers of the Beijing Half Marathon have been stripped of their medals after an investigation found three African runners deliberately slowed down near the finish line to let a Chinese competitor win, according to organizers. The three African runners were invited to join the race as pacemakers by Chinese sports company Xtep, which sponsored both He and the Beijing Half Marathon, according to the committee. But Xtep failed to note the trio as pacemakers to the race operator, Zhong’ao Lupao Beijing Sports Management company, the committee said. The committee disqualified the operator from hosting the Beijing Half Marathon and banned Xtep from sponsoring any more races this season. He is ranked 74th in the world in the men’s marathon by World Athletics and is expected to lead the way for Asian runners in the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

Persons: China’s, Jie, Kenya’s Willy Mnangat, gesturing, Robert Keter, Ethiopia’s, Xtep, Xtep “, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Beijing Sports Management, Marathon, World Athletics Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Kenya, China

☆ Dubai’s Extraordinary Flooding: Here’s What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Scenes of flood-ravaged neighborhoods in one of the planet’s driest regions have stunned the world this week. Heavy rains in the United Arab Emirates and Oman submerged cars, clogged highways and killed at least 21 people. Flights out of Dubai’s airport, a major global hub, were severely disrupted. The downpours weren’t a freak event — forecasters anticipated the storms several days out and issued warnings. officials said the 24-hour rain total on Tuesday was the country’s largest since records there began in 1949.

Organizations: United Arab Locations: United Arab Emirates, Oman, Dubai’s

☆ A controversial study says intermittent fasting may shorten your lifespan. It shows how little we really know about the long-term effects.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A new study links intermittent fasting to a higher risk of early death instead of longevity. While there's not yet enough evidence to say intermittent fasting is risky, the findings suggest we may have a lot more to learn about whether it's good for our health in the long run. However, some rigorous studies on intermittent fasting have found mixed results: some suggest it's no better for you than other diets, and isn't worth the side effects like hunger. people who follow the 16:8 diet — would have a lower risk of dying during the study, and better heart health. Advertisement"Overall, this study suggests that time-restricted eating may have short-term benefits but long-term adverse effects," Gardner said in a press release.

Persons: —, there's, Victor Wenze Zhong, Krista Varady, Varady, David Spiegelhalter, Christopher D, Gardner, Zhong Organizations: Service, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, American Heart Association, University of Illinois Chicago, University of Cambridge Locations: Shanghai, China, Chicago, Stanford

☆ China's richest man is under fire over conspiracy theories that say he's secretly promoting Japan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China's richest man is being targeted by nationalists who say he's not patriotic enough. AdvertisementZhong Shanshan, the richest man in China, has been beset this month by accusations from an online nationalist crowd that he isn't loyal enough to his country. Some think Nongfu Spring loves JapanThe hostility escalated this week into claims that Nongfu Spring was intentionally planting elements of Japanese culture into its product marketing. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images and Jinhee Lee/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesAnother complaint accused Nongfu Spring of using a red bottle cap that resembles the Japanese flag. China's nationalist groups have been notorious for turning on typically celebrated figures and businessmen.

Persons: Zhong Shanshan, Zong Qinghou, —, Zhong, he's, Zong, Zhong Shuzi, Jinhee Lee, NurPhoto, Mr Zong, Hu Xijin, shouldn't, Hu, Li Guoqing, Li, Zong Fuli, Mo Yan Organizations: Service, Nongfu, Hong, Hangzhou Wahaha, Hangzhou Wahaha Group, Getty Images, Weibo, Mount, Publishing, Getty, Global Times, The Global Times, Rongsheng Petrochemical, China Newsweek, China News Service, Business Locations: Japan, China, Hong Kong, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, American, Tokyo, Mount Fuji

☆ A devastating fried chicken shop explosion in China has killed 7 people and injured 27 others, the authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The intense blast seized national attention in China and drew controversy when frontline staff blocked local reporters. AdvertisementA suspected gas leak explosion in a fried chicken store has killed seven people and injured 27 others in Yanjiao, a town just east of Beijing, state media and authorities said on Thursday morning local time. Another state media reporter, Xu Mengzhe, was seen physically struggling with a group of policemen who surrounded her and two colleagues. She wore a jacket with a logo for China Media Group, a state-owned broadcasting company. "They must not control public opinion, simply and crudely obstructing media reporters from performing their duties," the association said.

Persons: —, VCG, Ng Han Guan, Yang, Xu Mengzhe, Xu, Zhong Ming Organizations: Service, Getty Images, Emergency Management Bureau, Business, Authorities, Firefighters, China Media Group, China Journalists Association Locations: Yanjiao, China, Beijing

☆ Nongfu Spring: Bottled water empire of China’s richest man Zhong Shanshan is facing a boycott by nationalists
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Zhong and his drinks firm Nongfu Spring, the country’s biggest maker of bottled water, are the latest targets of an army of internet zealots. WeiboThe nationalists have also highlighted the fact that prominent US investment funds, including Vanguard and BlackRock, are major shareholders of Nongfu Spring. “Taking advantage of Mr Zong’s death, a lot of slander against me and Nongfu Spring appeared on the internet. “Whether Wahaha or Nongfu Spring, we always insist on the same thing — producing good products for the people,” he said. Nongfu Spring is just the latest major target of China’s nationalists.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN — Zhong Shanshan, Zhong, Zong Qinghou, Zong, Zhong’s, —, “ Zhong Shuzi, ”, “, He’s, Mr Zong’s, ” Zhong, influencers, netizens, “ Zong, Wei Jiang, Mo Yan, Mao Zedong, Stringer, Li Ning Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Wahaha, Danone, Weibo, ”, Vanguard, BlackRock, Nongfu, American, Wahaha’s, CNN, Zhejiang Daily, Communist Party, Auto, Zhejiang University of Finance, Economics, People’s Liberation Army, AFP, Getty, Nike, Adidas, United, Toyota, Honda Locations: China, Hong Kong, Beijing, American, Weibo, Nongfu, Zhejiang, Hami, China's, Xinjiang, AFP, United States, Japan

When it comes to newer consumer-social startups, the environment they're entering is turbulent — investor checks have dwindled, users are facing subscription burnout, and successful advertising models require massive scale. AdvertisementSo how are the emerging, buzzy social startups approaching monetization in 2024? "There's really only two monetization business models for consumer products," said Tiffany "TZ" Zhong, founder of new social platform NoSpace and early-stage VC firm Pineapple Capital. 3 ways new social-networking startups are approaching monetizationWhile some newer social startups are already monetizing their product, many are still pre-revenue and experimenting with different models to see which will make sense for their product and audience. And Verse CEO Bobby Pinckney told BI that the social platform, centered around music, plans to add a premium subscription that will unlock advanced AI tools, analytics, and templates.

Persons: —, there's, Eric Wittman, Tiffany, Zhong, VCs, Bianca Ambrosini, Ambrosini, Marlon Nichols, Nichols, Emma Bates, Andrew Kahn, Danial Hashemi, Alexandra Debow, Bobby Pinckney Organizations: Service, Meta, Business, Pineapple, Mac Venture Capital, Twitter, Crush Ventures, Crush, BI Locations: Berlin

☆ Are We in the ‘Anthropocene,’ the Human Age? Nope, Scientists Say.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Triassic was the dawn of the dinosaurs. Is it time to mark humankind’s transformation of the planet with its own chapter in Earth history, the “Anthropocene,” or the human age? Not yet, scientists have decided, after a debate that has spanned nearly 15 years. Or the blink of an eye, depending on how you look at it. A committee of roughly two dozen scholars has, by a large majority, voted down a proposal to declare the start of the Anthropocene, a newly created epoch of geologic time, according to an internal announcement of the voting results seen by The New York Times.

Organizations: The New York Times

☆ Singapore brokered a deal with Taylor Swift, so she wouldn't take the Eras Tour to other Southeast Asian countries. Now, a Philippines lawmaker is calling it out.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThere's a feud between Singapore and neighboring government officials — and it's all down to Taylor Swift. "Some $3 million in grants were allegedly given by the Singapore government to AEG to host the concert in Singapore. AdvertisementFans of US singer Taylor Swift arrive for the first of the pop star's six sold-out Eras Tour concerts at the National Stadium in Singapore on March 2, 2024. Taylor Swift performs at the National Stadium on March 2, 2024 in Singapore. He claimed he was told the Singapore government offered $2 million to $3 million per show in exchange for exclusivity.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, Joey Salceda, Swift, Salceda, Rosland Rahman, Ashok Kumar, Srettha Thavisin, Angel Zhong Organizations: Service, Business, Philippines, Department of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, AEG, The Straits Times, Getty, GMA Network, Association of South East Asian Nations, Sky News, BBC News, CNA, Finance, RMIT University, Forbes Locations: Singapore, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangkok, Thailand

☆ Why the Year of the Dragon doesn't bode well for China’s declining population
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | In Charmainemariajacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In this zodiac cycle, those born between Feb.10, 2024 and Jan. 28, 2025 will be classified as "Dragon babies." While people in China also hold these beliefs, birth rates in the country have actually fallen during the "Dragon Years." For instance, Singapore's birth rates rose by 21% in 1988, and 8% in 2000 and 2012. Asian folklore, however, may not be able to do much for China's falling birth rates, which could continue to drop "quite precipitously," Tay warned. China's birth rates have seen a secular decline, falling to 6.39% in 2023 from 22.37% in 1988.

Persons: Jacelyn Phang, feng, Yuan Zhong Siu, Phang, Erica Tay, Maybank, Tay, Tianchen Xu Organizations: CNBC, The Economist Intelligence Locations: China, Asia

☆ Locust Swarms Could Expand Their Range in a Hotter, Stormier World
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rising temperatures could expand the area of the globe under threat from crop-devouring locusts by up to 25 percent in the coming decades, a new study found, as more places experience the cycles of drought and torrential rain that give rise to biblical swarms of the insects. Desert locusts for millenniums have been the scourge of farmers across northern Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. They love hot, dry conditions, but they need the occasional downpour to moisten the soil in which they incubate their eggs. Human-caused warming is heating up the locusts’ home turf and intensifying sporadic rains there. That is exposing new parts of the region to potential infestations, according to the study, which was published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances.

Persons: ” Organizations: National University of Singapore Locations: Africa, East, South Asia

In the U.S., lab-grown diamond sales jumped 16% in 2023 from 2022, according to Edahn Golan, an industry analyst. Social media posts show millennials and Generation Zs proudly explaining the purchase of their lab-grown diamonds for sustainability and ethical reasons. Natural diamonds take billions of years to form and are difficult to find, making their price more stable. Globally, lab-grown diamonds are now 5-6% of the market and the traditional industry is not taking it sitting down. It's also still true in more rural areas of the United States, while lab-grown diamonds have taken off more in the cities.

Persons: Bario Neal, Haley Farlow, ”, Golan, Zs, Farlow, that's, Cupid, Martin Roscheisen, Paul Zimnisky, Zimnisky, It's, Mother Earth, ” Zimnisky, Page Neal, it’s Organizations: PHILADELPHIA, Diamond, Diamond Foundry, telltale, Gemological Institute of America, Mother, Associated Press Locations: Philadelphia, U.S, India, China, Henan, Zhuhai, Na Diamond, HeNan, Ningbo Crysdiam, United States, Wenatchee , Washington, Columbia, AP.org

☆ Have We Crossed a Dangerous Warming Threshold? Here’s What to Know.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That number carries special significance in the international effort to stop dangerous climate change. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, nations agreed to try to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared with preindustrial times, or at least to keep it comfortably below 2 degrees Celsius. The latest temperature data doesn’t mean we’ve already passed that lower limit. It might be helpful to start with what they aren’t, which is thresholds encoded somewhere in the laws of nature. Instead, they represent warming levels that would bring consequences that are unacceptably difficult for societies to manage, as decided and agreed upon by the nearly 200 nations that signed the Paris accord.

Locations: European, Paris

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