BenjaminHCCarr

BenjaminHCCarr, 10 hours ago to Battlemaps

'Boiling not warming': Marine life suffers as Thai #sea temperatures hit record
The once vibrant and colourful #corals, about five metres (16 feet) underwater, have turned white in a phenomenon known as #coralbleaching, a sign that their health was deteriorating, due to higher water temperatures, scientists say.
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/boiling-not-warming-marine-life-suffers-thai-sea-temperatures-hit-record-2024-05-23/

BenjaminHCCarr, 1 day ago to DigitalNomadHub

#ReturnToOffice (#RTO) mandate is backfiring on a key federal agency
In offices where routine #telework has been curtailed, a staggering 81% of respondents admitted they were actively seeking alternative #employment opportunities. This dissatisfaction stands in contrast to offices where some level of telework is maintained, where only 42% of respondents expressed a desire to leave their current positions.
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4663587-return-to-office-mandate-is-backfiring-on-a-key-federal-agency/ #WFH

BenjaminHCCarr, 2 days ago to renewableenergy

The One Thing That’s Holding Back the #HeatPump
One recent study found that if everyone in #US got a heat pump, it’d slash emissions in building sector by 36 to 64%, and cut overall national #emissions by 5-9%. (Because they’re fully electric, #heatpumps run on a grid increasingly loaded with #renewableenergy.)
It’s not the technology itself. It’s that we don’t yet have enough trained workers to install heat pumps for full-tilt #decarbonization.
https://www.wired.com/story/heat-pump-worker-shortage/
https://archive.ph/dA2mV

BenjaminHCCarr, 2 days ago to random

A Fight About #Viruses in the #Air Is Finally Over. Now It’s Time for Healthy #Venting
#WHO now admits the #COVID virus and other #germs spread “through the air.” This plain language may help improve research and action to fight #disease https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-fight-about-viruses-in-the-air-is-finally-over-now-its-time-for-healthy/

BenjaminHCCarr, 8 days ago to asia

#ExtremeHeat continues to scorch large parts of #Asia
Large swathes of Asia are sweltering through a #heatwave that has topped temperature records from #Myanmar to the #Philippines and forced millions of children to stay home from school. Experts say #climatechange has made #heatwaves more frequent, longer and more intense, while the #ElNino #weather phenomenon is also driving this year's exceptionally warm weather.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/extreme-heat-continues-to-scorch-large-parts-of-asia

BenjaminHCCarr, 4 days ago to Dogs

#Microplastics found in every #human #testicle in study
#Scientists say discovery may be linked to decades-long decline in #sperm counts in men around the world
Scientists tested 23 human #testes and 47 from #dogs. They found microplastic #pollution in every sample. The human testicles had been preserved and so their sperm count could not be measured. However, the sperm count in the dogs' testes could be assessed and was lower in samples with higher contamination with PVC
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/20/microplastics-human-testicles-study-sperm-counts

BenjaminHCCarr, 4 days ago to China

A fully-electric 10,000 ton #containership has begun service equipped with over 50,000 kWh in batteries
#China #Ocean #Shipping (Group) Company, or #COSCO has launched the #GreenWater01 with a length of 119.8 meters, width of 23.6 meters, depth of 9 meters, a design draft of 5.5 meters, and a maximum speed of 19.4 km/h (12 mph). The vessel has commenced weekly service between #Shanghai and #Nanjing.
https://electrek.co/2024/05/02/fully-electric-10000-ton-container-ship-begun-service50000-kwh-batteries/

BenjaminHCCarr, 7 days ago to privacy

#Carmakers Will Give Your #Location to #Police Without a #Warrant, Senators Say
Eight manufacturers reportedly told Congress they’d comply with a request for driver data without a court order. https://www.thedrive.com/news/automakers-will-give-your-location-to-police-without-a-warrant-senators-say #privacy #surveillance

BenjaminHCCarr, 6 days ago to Battlemaps

Watch the world's first artificial energy island being built
#PrincessElisabethIsland will be an electricity grid at #sea connecting #offshorewind to #Belgian mainland and also serve as a hub for future interconnectors with #UK and #Denmark. Belgian #electricity transmission system operator #Elia is project’s developer. Princess Elisabeth Island is part #PrincessElisabet Zone, a future 3.5GW offshore #windfarm in the #NorthSea, around 45 km (28mi) off the Belgian coast
https://electrek.co/2024/04/25/watch-the-worlds-first-artificial-energy-island-being-built-video/

BenjaminHCCarr, 7 days ago to China

#China Launches World's Largest Electric #ContainerShip, Slashing 8,600 Pounds of Emissions per 100 Nautical Miles
China's state-owned #Cosco launches the #Greenwater01, the world's largest fully electric container ship.
According to Cosco, the vessel can reduce #CO2 #emissions by 2,918 tons per year, which is equivalent to taking 2,035 cars off the road or planting 160,000 trees.
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/304092/20240429/china-launches-worlds-largest-electric-container-ship.htm

BenjaminHCCarr, 8 days ago to conspiracy

The #AstraZeneca #vaccine saved millions of lives – it should not be demonised
As the AZ #Covid jab is withdrawn, fear-mongering about its very rare side effects will only fuel vaccine scepticism. https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/healthcare/public-health/2024/05/astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-jab-withdrawn-scepticism-coronavirus-pandemic

There is no #conspiracy as to why it’s being withdrawn- it’s just outdated now and we have better, newer vaccines that are more effective for the current versions and strains in circulation.

BenjaminHCCarr, 9 days ago to random

Survey finds that 60 firms are responsible for half of world’s #plastic #pollution
Study confirms #Altria, #PhilipMorris International, #Danone, #Nestlé, #PepsiCo and #CocaCola are worst offenders https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/24/survey-finds-that-60-firms-are-responsible-for-half-of-worlds-plastic-pollution

BenjaminHCCarr, 9 days ago to Plants

Forget the #paleodiet fad – study shows #cavemen dined on #plants
Our #huntergatherer ancestors ate more #vegetables than meat.
Analysis of bones and teeth found in a cave in Morocco that was inhabited about 15,000 years ago revealed the #StoneAge #diet “unequivocally” had a plant-based aspect. Acorns, pine nuts and wild pulses made up a “significant” part of #paleo diet of the prehistoric community.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/29/paleo-diet-is-wrong-caveman-diet-more-vegetables-than-meat/

BenjaminHCCarr, 11 days ago to GPS

#SolarStorm Knocks Out #Farmers' #Tractor #GPS Systems During Peak Planting Season
The accuracy of some critical GPS navigation systems used in modern #farming have been "extremely compromised," a #JohnDeere dealership told customers Saturday. https://www.404media.co/solar-storm-knocks-out-tractor-gps-systems-during-peak-planting-season/ #aurora #sun #CME

BenjaminHCCarr, 10 days ago to TeslaMotors

The Last-Mile #EV #DeliveryTruck Dream Is Hitting a Snag
#UPS and #FedEx are finding it harder to electrify their fleets than expected.
Current prices for EV step vans could be why UPS and FedEx have managed to rollout merely 1,000 EVs each. When you contrast the number of #electricvans to those of UPS's global fleet of 150,000, the EVs make up a minuscule percentage of #vehicles currently in service.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/the-last-mile-ev-delivery-truck-dream-is-hitting-a-snag #electricvehicles

BenjaminHCCarr, 12 days ago to random

#Nestle #baby foods loaded with unhealthy #sugars—but only in poorer countries
In high-income countries, Nestlé brand #babyfoods have no added sugars them, in line with recommendations from major health organizations around the world and consumer pressure. But in low- and middle-income countries, Nestlé adds #sugar to those same baby products, sometimes at high levels, which could lead children to prefer sugary diets and unhealthy eating habits https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/04/nestle-baby-foods-loaded-with-unhealthy-sugars-but-only-in-poorer-countries/
Hook them young...

BenjaminHCCarr, 10 days ago to climate

Hawaii’s #MaunaLoa Observatory captured ominous signals about planet’s health
"Atmospheric levels of planet-warming #carbondioxide aren't just on their way to yet another record high this year," reports WashPost.
"They're rising faster than ever, according to the latest in a 66-year-long series of observations."
This year "is more than 50% above preindustrial levels and the highest in at least 4.3 million years" - #NOAA
https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/hawaii-s-mauna-loa-observatory-just-captured-ominous-signals-about-the-planet-s-health/ar-BB1maraM #climatechange #climatecrisis #KeelingCurve #CO2

BenjaminHCCarr, 11 days ago to microsoft

Grist reports on "an internal, employee-led effort to raise ethical concerns about #Microsoft's work helping #oil and #gas producers boost their profits by providing them with cloud computing resources and AI software tools." There's been some disappointments — but also some successes, with an internal #sustainability group growing 10,000 employees
Inside the worker-led effort to get the world's most valuable company to stop helping the #fossilfuel industry drill. https://grist.org/accountability/microsoft-employees-spent-years-fighting-the-tech-giants-oil-ties-now-theyre-speaking-out/

BenjaminHCCarr, 14 days ago to ocean

The deep #ocean #photographer that captured a 'living fossil'
The youngest known #fossil #coelacanth is 66 million years old, leading to the assumption that these animals were long extinct. Then, in 1938, a #fish with iridescent blue-green scales and four limb-like fins, was caught in a trawl net off the coast of South Africa. This #coelacanth was dubbed a #livingfossil
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240507-the-deep-ocean-photographer-that-captured-a-living-fossil

BenjaminHCCarr, 14 days ago to random

No one has seen the data behind #Tyson’s “climate friendly beef”
Tyson—one of “big four” #meatpackers—applied to #USDA, seeking a “climate friendly” label for its Brazen Beef. #BrazenBeef claims a “10% #greenhousegas reduction.”
“There are lots of misleading claims on food, but it’s hard to imagine a claim that’s more misleading than ‘climate friendly’ beef,” said #EWG
Millions of taxpayer dollars flow to #livestock companies raising "low carbon" #beef. https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/no-one-has-seen-the-data-behind-tysons-climate-friendly-beef-claim/

BenjaminHCCarr, 14 days ago to climate

#ClimateChange: World's #oceans suffer from record-breaking year of heat
50 days have smashed existing highs for the time of year by the largest margin in the satellite era. Planet-warming gases are mostly to blame, but the natural weather event #ElNinno has also helped warm the seas. Recent months have brought no respite, with the sea surface (#SST) reaching a new global average daily high of 21.09C in Feb and March this year, according to Copernicus data.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68921215 #climatecrisis

BenjaminHCCarr, 15 days ago to random

#Cicadas rising: A visual guide to #2024’s rare dual appearance
The cicadas are coming. This year is unique, because there are two #broods that are arriving at the same time in the midwestern and southeastern #UnitedStates. Usually it’s just one at a time. CNN has a visual guide for where the cicadas will be and why they’re here now. Basically, one brood emerges every 13 years and the other every 17, and there’s overlap.
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2024/04/us/periodical-cicada-2024-visual-guide-scn-dg/

BenjaminHCCarr, 17 days ago to China

#FBI says #China's hackers preparing to attack #US infrastructure
Chinese government-linked hackers have burrowed into US #criticalinfrastructure and are waiting "for just the right moment to deal a devastating blow," FBI Director Christopher Wray said. An ongoing Chinese hacking campaign known as #VoltTyphoon has successfully gained access to numerous #American companies in telecommunications, energy, water and other critical sectors, with 23 pipeline operators targeted
https://www.reuters.com/technology/cybersecurity/fbi-says-chinese-hackers-preparing-attack-us-infrastructure-2024-04-18/

BenjaminHCCarr, 17 days ago to climate

#ClimateCrisis: average world #incomes to diminish by nearly a fifth by 2050
Cost of environmental damage will be six times higher than price of limiting #globalheating to 2C, study finds
Average incomes will fall by almost a fifth within the next 26 years as a result of #climatechange, according to a study that predicts the costs of damage will be six times higher than the price of limiting global heating to 2C.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/17/climate-crisis-average-world-incomes-to-drop-by-nearly-a-fifth-by-2050

BenjaminHCCarr, 18 days ago to ai

#BigTech’s great #AI power grab
#Alphabet, #Amazon and #Microsoft are on the hunt for new energy sources
The deep-pocketed giants have already been the biggest force behind green “power-purchase agreements”, which helped kickstart America’s #renewables boom by persuading utilities and other investors to build wind and #solar farms. They are now getting in on the green-energy action more directly.
https://www.economist.com/business/2024/05/05/big-techs-great-ai-power-grab
https://archive.ph/nEgCh