Global warming groups

Representative image (Source: AFP) Cities worldwide are warming by 0.5 degrees Celsius on average per decade, 29 per cent faster than in rural areas, according to a study which suggests that climate change and urban expansion are accelerating surface temperatures. Researchers from Nanjing University in China and colleagues noted that planting trees and vegetation in cities — also known as urban greening — is reported to offset about 0.13 degrees Celsius of surface warming per decade in European cities. People who live in cities experience greater heat exposure during heat wave events than the general population due to the urban heat island effect, in which urban land gets hotter than surrounding rural land, they said. Climate change and population growth in cities are projected to increase the surface urban heat island effect, but many current estimates of future human heat exposure assume equal rates of surface temperature increase between urban and rural areas, the … [Read more...] about Cities globally warming nearly 30 per cent faster than rural areas: Study

Reuters You’ll probably hear the term “net-zero emissions” a lot over the coming weeks as government leaders and CEOs, under pressure, talk about how they’ll reduce their countries’ or businesses’ impact on climate change. Amazon, for example, just announced that more than 200 companies have now joined its Climate Pledge, committing to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. But what does net-zero emissions actually mean? “Zero emissions” – without the “net” caveat – means emitting no greenhouse gases. “Net-zero emissions” has more wiggle room. It’s like balancing a checkbook. The country or company cuts most of its emissions through efficiency and clean energy, then offsets the rest by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or eliminating emissions elsewhere. Read More For example, trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air, so they’re often considered “negative emissions.” The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan can claim net-zero emissions because almost … [Read more...] about More companies pledge net-zero’ emissions to fight climate change, but what does that really mean?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin T-Mobile announced this week its intention to achieve net-zero emissions across the company's entire carbon footprint by 2040. As part of its sustainability efforts, T-Mobile—the first U.S. wireless company to set the lofty net-zero goal—also signed The Climate Pledge , a declaration from a community of companies and organizations working towards a more sustainable future by cutting global carbon emissions. Signatories of the Climate Pledge commit to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, which is ten years ahead of the Paris Agreement . “As we know, sustainability is important to our customers and stakeholders,” Mike Sievert, T-Mobile CEO, said in a statement. “We are proud that we are doing our part to create a sustainable future for all—including becoming the first in U.S. wireless to set this bold target. And we hope companies like ours—and the partners and suppliers we work alongside—will join us in setting … [Read more...] about T-Mobile Sets Industry-Leading 2040 Net-Zero Commitment

After the demise of the FTX empire, the latest casualty is crypto lender Genesis Global Capital. (Representative image) The once-burgeoning realm of crypto and decentralised finance keeps imploding, presenting policy makers with a quandary: Should they just let it burn, or step in to address its now-obvious flaws? I’m with the second group. To maintain their credibility, and to derive the greatest benefit from blockchain technology, regulators should intervene and crack down on scams, protect investors and ensure market integrity. The dominoes keep falling after the demise of the FTX empire. The latest casualty, crypto lender Genesis Global Capital, probably won’t be the last. Each failure further undermines trust, reduces activity and revenue, and puts pressure on the rest of the industry. With no lender of last resort to provide emergency support — as the Federal Reserve does for traditional banks — there’s little to stop the rot. Some think that’s just fine. They argue … [Read more...] about Crypto is worth fixing. Regulators should get moving

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. India has seen its foreign exchange reserve grow by $8 billion over the past few days, despite the Adani group calling off its follow-up issue. This proves that the country’s image remains intact on the global front, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. The Union minister was addressing the media in a post-Budget meet in Mumbai on February 4. “FPOs (follow-on public offering) come and go. Foreign investors come and go. These fluctuations happen in every market. Our foreign exchange reserve has gone up by $8 billion in the last two days. This proves that our economy’s image and fundamentals have not been affected,” she said. The Reserve Bank of India’s foreign exchange reserves stood at $576.76 billion in the week ended January 27, latest data released by the central bank showed. Data for the past week has not been updated yet. After publication of the Hindenburg report on January 24, Adani group has lost around $117 billion in … [Read more...] about Forex kitty swells by $8 billion in 2 days: FM shrugs off Adani shock to financial system

Much of the hope for a revival of India’s jute industry rests on bans on single-use plastics that dozens of countries, including India, have enacted in recent years (Representative Image) Sameer Yasir NADIA, India — When shoppers in places like America take a woven reusable bag to the store, they aren’t just saving the planet. They are reviving a storied industry thousands of miles away in India. Jute, a coarse fibre used to make fabrics like burlap, has been cultivated for centuries in the warm and humid climate of the Ganges Delta. Some of India’s jute factories have been in operation for more than a century, and today the country is the world’s largest producer. But in recent decades, the industry has struggled as less expensive synthetic substitutes have flooded the market. Farmers turned to other crops, cheap labour moved elsewhere and mills deteriorated from lack of investment. Now, though, what had been jute’s weakness is its potential strength. As much of the … [Read more...] about That reusable Trader Joe’s bag? It’s rescuing an Indian industry

Hydrogen is the new aspiration in India’s energy landscape that has the potential to wipe out the country’s annual fossil-fuel import bill of a staggering $160 billion, and place Indian entrepreneurship at the forefront of the green industrial revolution that is sweeping the planet. Hydrogen is increasingly being seen as the ideal green fuel that can replace polluting fossil fuels in the world where a strong consensus against fossil fuels has emerged as climate change has caused severe droughts, floods and extreme temperatures. However, hydrogen as a source of genuinely clean energy is still work in progress. The problem is that globally, almost the entire production of hydrogen is based on the use of fossil fuels, which dents its green credentials, even though its use to power fuel-cell based motors is totally emission free. The solution is to use clean electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, but the cost of doing this is currently prohibitive. Hydrogen produced … [Read more...] about Clean Energy | Betting on hydrogen is the right way to go ahead

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 3 said she will be looking at arriving at a global SOP (standard operating procedure) for regulating crypto assets in her upcoming G20 meeting with finance ministers and central bank governors in a much-needed clarity on the way forward for the crypto sector. In a post-budget interview with Network18 Group’s MD Rahul Joshi , Sitharaman said the central bank will be recognised as the authority to issue cryptocurrencies. Sitharaman said, “We will be looking at global SOP to be available and agreed upon for regulating crypto assets while recognising the central bank as the authority for issuing cryptocurrencies.” “The rest of the assets created outside that, are using very useful financial technologies, even those have to be discussed because regulations cannot be done by one country singularly, it has to be a collective action because technology doesn’t brook any borders,” she added talking … [Read more...] about FM Sitharaman: Regulating crypto assets on agenda for upcoming G20 meet

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Software fragments. Not because it degrades over time and somehow crumbles away in terms of its effectiveness, or loses its ability to execute its required level of functionality and provide robust performance in a secure manner. Okay, well that too then, software does have an isotope-like radioactive half-life in that sense as well. It does break down over time unless it is augmented, enhanced and maintained - so in that sense it fragmets and crumbles. But software also fragments at the project level... and this is how we most commonly use the term, especially perhaps in open source circles. This is probably down to the fact that the open model of community-centric software application development is inherently founded in freedom and the ability to ‘skew & fork’ projects in new directions, all in the interest of innovation and user choice. If any group or body is in a position of validated oversight in order to be … [Read more...] about Why Open Source Software ‘Fragments’ – And How To Fix It

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin May 2, 2022 4:41pm ET: Story updated. Last month, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sought public comment on a request from FTX US to modify its derivatives clearing organization (DCO) license to offer a new kind of crypto margin trading to U.S. retail customers. FTX US is requesting the ability to use a new kind of ‘non-intermediated’ model of crypto derivatives trading, meaning there is no intermediary used to hold customer’s funds. As crypto exchanges typically take collateral from the customer directly, the FTX US model would directly custody the margin from retail customers and liquidate positions held by the exchange on a 24-7-365 basis. Under the FTX US model, the customer’s positions will be reviewed for potential margin calls every 30 seconds. Sam Bankman-Fried, the CEO of FTX, recently described this model to Congress as, “...a 24/7 risk engine that is unlike the traditional system where there … [Read more...] about The FTX US Proposal That Shook Congress And The Crypto Derivatives World