Month: June 2022
Methane Emissions from Russia Coal Mine
Internationally, there’s a renewed focus on methane. Carbon dioxide emissions are mostly responsible for causing climate change, but CH4 is a big culprit too. Molecule for molecule, its warming effect is greater than CO2, but it’s also short-lived in the atmosphere, meaning that if human produced sources from fossil fuels, agriculture, and waste in landfills
Australia new carbon emissions target
Australia is one of the world’s highest per capita carbon emitters. The target brings the country more in line with other developed economies’ Paris climate accord commitments. Anthony Albanese has pledged to cut carbon emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030, up from the previous conservative government’s target of between 26% and 28%. Australia has
Climate Friendly Fungi
Ectomycorrhizal fungi – enables certain trees to absorb CO2 faster (and therefore grow faster) than others. This is known as the “CO2 fertilisation effect”. These fungi live in the root system of a host tree. In a symbiotic relationship, fungi help the tree to absorb more water, carbon and other nutrients. In exchange, the tree
India and Bangladesh floods
Unrelenting rains over the last week have inundated vast swathes of the country’s north-east region, exacerbated by runoff from heavy downpours across mountains in neighbouring India. Schools have been converted into makeshift shelters and troops have been deployed to evacuate households cut off from neighbouring communities as a result of rising waters. At least 59
Apple store workers Union
Unions are less common in the US than in many European countries, but are still protected in law. Forming one involves either the company voluntarily recognising a union, or workers gathering signatures from at least 30% of employees so that the National Labour Relations Board can hold a formal election. Workers at an Apple store
stagflation in America
Inflation is running at around 8% in both America and Europe, far above central-bank targets. Growth is starting to slow down, prompting fears of a recession. That has led to some, including the World Bank, to warn of an old foe: “stagflation”. In America it brings memories of a time when inflation was high, the
Nuclear plants in Russia
The war has also brought back fears of nuclear destruction. Vladimir Putin’s decision to increase the readiness of Russian nuclear forces in its first days, and veiled nuclear threats from Russian officials, provoked a direct response from Joe Biden. Last month he promised “severe consequences” for “any use of nuclear weapons in this conflict on
extraterrestrial life
From the ancient Greek philosophers who theorised about it to modern-day astrobiologists using robust scientific techniques to answer it, the question of whether life exists beyond Earth has captured the human imagination for centuries. today scientists are more confident than ever that we’ll discover some sign of life in our corner of the galaxy in
Global unhappiness
The world is suffering from a large European conflict (in addition to other ongoing wars), inflation and the consequences of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. But the global rise in unhappiness started long before most of those issues made headlines. In fact, unhappiness has been increasing for a decade. Negative emotions the aggregate of stress, sadness, anger,
Latin America’s vicious circle
In a region that was discontented even before the pandemic, there no longer seem to be many takers for the moderation, compromise and gradual reform needed to become prosperous and peaceful. That matters not just to Latin America, but to the world. Despite everything, the region remains largely democratic and should be a natural ally