Trees help prevent soil erosion

A new scientific report finds that human behaviors are driving the extinction of non-human species at a rate so severe that the subsequent disappearance of life will soon be a threat to human health and prosperity. Habitat destruction on land, overfishing in the seas, and overconsumption across much of the globe, among other things, now threaten to extinguish up to a million species in the near future. advertisement advertisement The hundreds of scientists who produced the landmark United Nations assessment say myriad solutions are needed to address and, hopefully reverse, this trend. Underpinning much of the loss is the growing global impact of climate change. One of the major tactics at humanity’s disposal is effectively managing and restoring the world’s forests–preservation and conservation efforts that could, quite literally, change the world. at a Google Earth image of the Rio Coco river, which forms much of the border between Honduras and … [Read more...] about The simple yet elusive key to fighting the climate crisis: More trees

U.S. President Donald Trump says that he’s on a mission to put Americans first, but as an industry that has historically relied upon its ability to attract the best and brightest from around the world, technology leaders are concerned that some of his rhetoric might impose challenges on their international recruiting efforts. advertisement advertisement Though Trump’s executive orders banning immigrants from seven countries were ultimately blocked, the promised reforms to the H-1B visa program for international workers remains to be seen. His overall hostility to immigration may give tech workers from abroad reason to pause before bringing their talents to the U.S. A decrease in immigration could have a big impact on growth in the tech industry. More than half of all American startups that are valued at $1 billion or more were founded or cofounded by immigrants, according to a study by the National Foundation for American Policy, and the combined value of the … [Read more...] about 5 Predictions For How The Trump Era Might Impact Tech Hiring

Damon MaddenThe payments industry is evolving, and so are consumer spending habits and expectations. On one hand POS credit transactions grew by 29.8% y-o-y, while debit card swipes increased by 14.4%, taking market share from cash payments. On the other hand, UPI transactions continued to witness increasing merchant acceptance and crossed 100 million users, allowing the e-payments ecosystem to thrive.In that sense, 2019 has been yet another significant year for the payments industry in India and the pace of evolution here has gone into overdrive. And it is expected to only get faster. This makes it critical for payments companies, banks and other players in the space to anticipate what’s next—now.Close Unfortunately, fraudsters have also been keeping pace with these developments, constantly in search of weaknesses to exploit. The latest RBI report quoted that the banking system in India detected frauds worth Rs 71,500 crore in the financial year 2018-19. related news … [Read more...] about 2020 fraud predictions for the Indian digital payment ecosystem

What do trans women gamers, Jewish journalists, academics of color, and feminist writers have in common? All of them could find themselves targets of coordinated harassment campaigns simply because they have a presence online. advertisement advertisement Take the story of Trista (all names have been changed to protect privacy), a trans woman gamer. When she began streaming her games on Twitch, bands of harassers arrived en masse to jam up her channel with what she called “low effort, hateful memes.” Another woman gamer was called an “eBeggar,” the misogynistic gaming equivalent of “gold diggers.” On 4Chan, where harassers organized their attacks, posters organized “raids” of “SJWs” (or “social justice warriors”) against gamers like Trista, planning to “post many swasticas” [sic] and hurl ableist insults to threaten and belittle them. Or take the story of Keith, a white Jewish man, comedian, … [Read more...] about The trolls are teaming up—and tech platforms aren’t doing enough to stop them

Fast Company is looking for the best products, concepts, companies, policies, and designs that are pursuing innovation for good for its World Changing Ideas Awards, now in their fourth year. We want to honor clean technology, innovative corporate initiatives, brave new designs for cities and buildings, creative works that help drive change, and so much more. The winners and finalists will be featured in the May 2020 issue of Fast Company and online on Fastcompany.com. Among the honorees for 2019 were a new kind of thread made out of trees, glasses that talk to the visually impaired, an automated bankruptcy lawyer, and many more. Like last year, we’ll also be naming a world-changing company of the year. You can read about all of last year’s winners here. We have more than 20 categories this year, including five new categories in impact investing, corporate social responsibility, politics and policy, art and design, and entertainment and media. We’re … [Read more...] about Enter Fast Company’s 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards: Entries close December 13