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☆ Why this rusting industrial city could be Greece’s next tourism hotspot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

For 2023, it’s been given the title as a Cultural Capital of Europe – a title it shares with Timisoara in Romania and Veszprem in Hungary. Sergio Tsitakis / Design Farm ProductionsFor the occasion, the city’s magnificent archaeological site has been overhauled, improving its accessibility. Being a Cultural Capital has helped dozens of cities that have previously held the title to foster urban regeneration and find a spot on the travel radar. Among upcoming highlights this summer is a play, “Ma,” by Italian director and playwright Romeo Castellucci, a performance specially created to be staged in Eleusis’ archaeological site. And with the majority of international flights landing in Athens, Eleusis is perfectly located as an easy-to-reach destination.

☆ Opinion | There Is Plastic In Our Flesh
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Mark O Connell | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

(Later in the same article, the environmental scientist who makes this recommendation also counsels against instilling fear in our children.) Joe Rogan, perhaps our culture’s foremost vector of meathead masculinity, has been talking about the topic for several years. Not only were the taints of infants shrinking at an alarming rate; so, too, were penises and testicles themselves. Maybe it’s microplastics that are stopping you and your partner from conceiving, or making you lazy and lethargic, or forgetful beyond your years. Maybe it’s microplastics that caused the cancer in your stomach, or your brain.

☆ The US still waits for its high-speed rail revolution
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Ben Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

So why doesn’t the United States have a high-speed rail network like those? Many Americans have no concept of high-speed rail and fail to see its value. William C. Vantuono, editor-in-chief of Railway Age“Many Americans have no concept of high-speed rail and fail to see its value. Corridors for the greatest potentialBrightline West and CHSR offer templates for the future expansion of high-speed rail in North America. “Where those conditions apply in Europe and Asia, high-speed rail reduces air’s share of the market from 100% to near zero.

☆ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is actually a unique ocean ecosystem teeming with sea creatures that cling to the plastic trash
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Great Pacific Ocean Patch refers to a big swirling soup of plastic in the ocean. The findings challenged the assumption that coastal species couldn't survive in the open ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch typically refers to an area of the Pacific Ocean between California and Hawaii in which floating trash concentrates due to factors like wind and currents. The findings also contradicted the assumption that coastal species could not survive in areas of open ocean. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch refers to areas of marine debris concentration in the North Pacific Ocean.

☆ Volkswagen to partner on Indonesia EV battery ecosystem -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JAKARTA, April 17 (Reuters) - Volkswagen will build an electric vehicle (EV) battery ecosystem in Indonesia and will partner with miner Vale, Ford and China's battery minerals producer Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, the Southeast Asian country's investment minister said. Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Sunday that Volkswagen, Europe's biggest automaker, will work with Vale, Ford, Huayou, French miner Eramet and several Indonesian firms such as Merdeka Gold Copper, the parent company of Merdeka Battery, and energy firm Kalla Group. Volkswagen, Ford, Eramet, Kalla Group, Huayou, and Merdeka Gold Copper did not immediately respond to requests for comment. PT Vale Indonesia declined to comment. Last month, Ford (F.N) inked its first investment in Indonesia by joining Vale Indonesia and Huayou in a $4.5 billion nickel processing plant in Southeast Sulawesi.

☆ The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is now so huge and permanent that a coastal ecosystem is thriving on it
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Haram and her colleagues examined 105 items of plastic fished out of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch between November 2018 and January 2019. Courtesy Linsey Haram/Smithsonian InstitutionCoastal aggregating anemones found on a black floating plastic fragment collected in the garbage patch. Oceans of plasticThe Great Pacific Garbage Patch, which is twice the size of Texas, is the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world. If you look up at night, you see all those white dots, that’s essentially what you see in the garbage patch. A bag of plastics and debris collected in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is unloaded in Sausalito, California in July 2022.

☆ New Jersey's environmental agency called itself out for destroying two endangered birds' protected habitats while creating one for another species
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

New Jersey's environmental agency plans to punish itself for damaging land for endangered birds it was supposed to protect. The damage happened when the department was trying to create habitat for another bird species, the American woodcock. The work was designed to create habitat for one species of bird, but actually wound up destroying habitat for two others. Before the work was done, this land was considered suitable habitat for the barred owl, which is listed as a threatened species, and the red-shouldered hawk, an endangered species. The project also cleared and disturbed an additional 12 acres of land near wetlands known as transition areas, which also are protected.

"Climate change is an existential risk and a risk to investor returns," said John Galloway, who oversees the Pennsylvania firm's engagement and proxy voting at portfolio companies, in an interview by teleconference. Galloway said in practice the proposal, which won 42% support, would have required a wholesale change to Valero's business, a decision best left to the board. "A proposal that’s asking a company to make a change that’s changing its strategy is not a proposal we're likely to support," Galloway said. U.S. Republican politicians applauded the move as responsive to their efforts to counter many companies' treatment of environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters. Galloway said the decision was driven with an eye on the varied views of its largely retail client base.

SAPPORO, Japan, April 14 (Reuters) - Canada is ready to become a reliable provider of critical minerals to its international allies including Japan, a senior official said, as the Group of Seven (G7) countries deem such minerals essential for climate goals and energy security. Canada has signed a joint action plan with the United States to advance secure supply chains for critical minerals. It has similar critical minerals cooperation agreements with Japan and the European Union. China dominates the market for critical minerals used to make electric vehicle batteries, central to developed nation goals to decarbonise, and Russia - which invaded Ukraine last year - is also a major player. "We have a lot of those critical minerals, we have almost all of them in Canada with a few exceptions.

[1/2] A train loaded with copper cathodes travels along a rail line inside the Chuquicamata copper mine, which is owned by Chile's state-run copper producer Codelco, near Calama city, Chile, April 1, 2011. Lundin last month agreed to pay $950 million for 51% control of the mine, calling the deal "an endorsement that we believe the mining royalty and taxation discussions are trending in the right direction." In the past 18 months, mining giants have been vocal about concerns in Chile. BHP Group Ltd (BHP.AX) said it might reevaluate its investments depending on new tax plans by the government, while Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX.N) has said it would pause expansion plans in Chile, citing political uncertainty. Lundin remains confident in the future of the Caserones project, which began operations in 2014 and has annual output of 100,000 tonnes of copper.

☆ Racial Disparities are worsening disaster recovery for people of color. With climate change, things could get worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Lauren Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Rolling Fork, Mississippi suffered massive damage from a powerful tornado on March 24. Racial disparities existed in Rolling Fork for decades. She started I-DIEM after spending over 14 years in disaster management. Shirley Stamps stands in the rubble of her home in the aftermath of the Rolling Fork tornado. And increasingly, non-profits are doing things differently to address racial disparities in disaster management.

☆ Risks of Tupperware and other plastic containers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Figuring out the answer to that question for any type of reusable plastic food storage products — not just Tupperware — often comes down to understanding what they’re made of. Risks of container wear and tearPutting stress on plastic food containers by washing them in the dishwasher or with rough scrub brushes “increase the ability of that plastic to leach whatever it was made out of,” Vandenburg said. The “microwave safe” label on some plastic containers doesn’t mean the product is totally safe from a health standpoint, she added. “Some of the plasticizers and chemicals can transfer from the plastic containers into the food during heating,” Rogers said. “If you can’t afford to replace everything all at once, replace them one at a time.”Glass food storage containers are a safer option.

☆ Blocking FDA approval of abortion pill could stifle innovation in the biopharma industry, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A messy legal fight over the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone poses risks to the biopharma industry that go beyond the single drug. If a subsequent decision tosses out the pill's approval, it could potentially stifle innovation in the sector and deter investments in the development of life-changing drugs, biopharma companies and experts in law and economics say. More than 200 biopharma companies made a similar claim Monday in an open letter calling for the reversal of Kacsmaryk's decision. But Hastings said biopharma companies still respect the FDA when the agency turns down their drugs. Suliman offered a more hopeful take on how the legal fight could affect biopharma innovation.

☆ US March CPI comes in on the cool side
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Year to date, the CPI increased 5.0%, the smallest 12-month gain since May 2021. "The data was a little bit better than what was expected, so that tells me that the bond market is saying that the probability of this next rate hike has decreased just a little bit." "The other number that's important is the PPI number that comes out this week. That will probably change a little bit today as people digest this data, maybe even within the next half an hour or so." It weakens the argument for a pause.”“Futures are going up based on the topline number, that’s what markets are focusing on.”“Inflation is cooling down.

CNN —A fast-moving wildfire in southern New Jersey has grown to nearly 4,000 acres less than 24 hours after it started. It was just 500 acres at 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. About 170 structures in the Manchester Township area were evacuated Tuesday night, but all residents have since been allowed to return home, Manchester Police Chief Robert Dolan said during a news conference Wednesday. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection/APThe fire was primarily burning on federal, state and private property in Manchester Township, but it had jumped to the nearby borough of Lakehurst. The cause of the fire is under investigation, New Jersey Forest Fire Service Warden Trevor Raynor said.

☆ Apple to invest another $200 million in carbon removal fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 11 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) said on Tuesday it doubled its financial commitment to a fund it had established two years ago to invest in projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere. The iPhone-maker said it will invest up to an additional $200 mln in its Restore Fund, which was created in 2021 with an initial $200 million commitment. The additional investment is expected to help the fund start new projects and carry forward its previously stated goal to remove about 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, the company said. Apple is making efforts to become carbon neutral through its entire supply chain and the life cycle of every product by 2030. The expanded fund will be managed by Climate Asset Management, a joint venture of HSBC Asset Management and Pollination, Apple added.

☆ Fact Check-No evidence a 50-foot snake exists
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

According to experts, the longest snakes recorded have reached lengths of around 20 feet. “I have never heard of an extant (currently living) species of snake that can grow this long. Smithsonian Magazine reported that boas can be up to 14-feet-long and anacondas could exceed 20 feet ( bit.ly/3U5K9kf ). The Natural History Museum of London says on its website that the reticulated python reaches sizes over 20 feet. The biggest snakes recorded are up to 20 feet long, according to experts.

☆ New Support for Some Extinct Tasmanian Tiger Sightings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Joshua Rapp Learn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Depending on whom you ask, the Tasmanian tiger or thylacine has either been extinct for nearly a century or has been just really good at hiding. Now new research examining hundreds of reports from more than a century shows there is a good chance the thylacine may have persisted for a few decades longer in the most remote parts of Tasmania. “There are pockets where the species could have maintained small populations,” said Barry Brook, a professor of environmental sustainability at the University of Tasmania. One of the problems with the thylacine, and extinction in general, is it’s hard to prove something is truly gone. Australia’s night parrot for instance, was thought to be extinct for 140 years until its recent rediscovery.

☆ Fact Check-Photo shows 2015 demolition of Istanbul’s rainbow stairs due to construction work, not to erase political message
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A photograph showing Istanbul’s iconic rainbow stairs being demolished in 2015 due to construction has been miscaptioned by users online. A post with more than 3.3 million views at the time of publishing can be seen (here) with the caption, “Yes. There is no reference in the article to the stairs being destroyed in 2015 because of a visual reference to the LGBTQ community. Several other reports have also quoted Cetinel saying that painting the stairs did not stem from a political message, (here), and (here). This photo shows the demolition of Istanbul’s rainbow stairs due to construction work in 2015, and the painter of the stairs has said he was not inspired by activism and they do not have a political message.

☆ Apple CEO Tim Cook shares his No. 1 strategy for clearing his head: 'It's better than any other thing you could possibly do'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

At least, that's what Apple CEO Tim Cook does. Getting out into nature eases those tensions and helps Cook mentally reset, he told GQ on Monday. Its data showed that good health and wellbeing peaked after spending 200-300 minutes outside. Cook, who has an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion, isn't the only billionaire who prioritizes outdoor time. Take this survey and tell us how you want to take your money and career to the next level.

☆ Mountain Valley Pipeline's West Virginia water permit tossed by court
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Clark Mindock | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Circuit Court of Appeals found several defects in the review the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection conducted before issuing the permit. They told the court the agency ignored Equitrans' history of violating state water regulations when it issued the permit under the Clean Water Act. A spokesperson for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection said they're reviewing the decision. The permit is one of the last remaining hurdles for the multi-billion dollar project, which would carry natural gas between West Virginia and Virginia. For West Virginia: Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Michael Williams and Lindsay See of the state attorney general’s office and Jason Wandling of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.

☆ Big real estate landlords are finally starting to decarbonize, creating an $18 trillion market that this Blackstone portfolio company plans to profit from at every turn
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Alex Nicoll | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Blackstone portfolio company Legence wants to be a one-stop shop for landlords. A Real Estate Board of New York study found that the total penalties could top $213 million. Its ICS became the strategic planner, its CMTA, which designed the first net-zero school in the United States, designed the upgrades, and its Gilbert Mechanical installed the new heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting hardware. How to do itIt may still be a challenge to coordinate decarbonization processes, which don't come naturally to large-scale real-estate operators, Boland said. Legence plans to grow the business's geographic scope and increase its depth in current markets, including Colorado and California, Sprau said.

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☆ Morningstar: Buy these 10 cheap stocks that will maintain higher-than-average dividends as a looming economic slowdown makes it even harder to find strong returns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But dividend-paying stocks provide stable and consistent cash flow, even during downturns. Morningstar analysts shared 10 top undervalued stocks to buy for long-term cash flow. 10 cheap dividend-paying stocks to buyWhen faced with a looming economic downturn, one traditional strategy for investors to use to hedge recessionary risks is to buy dividend-paying stocks. "Price risk remains elevated, as does the risk that companies may not be able to maintain current dividends due to economic strain." Below is the full list of top dividend-paying stocks identified by Shetty and Compton, along with each company's ticker and market capitalization.

☆ Britain sets out next steps to green its financial system
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Asset managers oversee assets worth 10 trillion pounds ($12.35 trillion), with nearly half having integrated ESG into the investment process, the paper said. "This will support the quality of standards, labels and disclosures used in the industry for green finance activity," the ministry said in a statement. "The government proposes that nuclear - as a key technology within our pathways to reach net zero - will be included within the UK’s Green Taxonomy, subject to consultation." In the fourth quarter, Britain will also consult on requirements for the largest companies to disclose their transition plans to net zero carbon emissions, if they have one, the ministry said. Brendan Curry, policy fellow at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, said the updated strategy has "failed to deliver" a clear roadmap for the annual investment needed for net zero.

☆ Senate votes to roll back Biden administration clean water rule
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Senate has approved a resolution to overturn a Biden administration rule that would expand federal protections for the country's waterways, a measure Republicans have criticized as overbearing and burdensome to business. The vote comes after the Biden administration last year issued a rule that more broadly defined which types of waterways in the U.S. are eligible for federal water quality protections under the 1972 Clean Water Act. The White House said the revised rule is based on definitions that were in place before 2015, when the Obama administration sought to expand federal protections. The Biden administration argued that rolling back the rule would make federal regulations unclear for businesses and farmers and that increased uncertainty would threaten economic growth for agriculture, and local economies. However, a federal judge this month paused the Biden administration's waterway protections in Texas and Idaho, marking a victory for Republican challengers.

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