The world is choking in plastic trash, and the UN wants to do something to fix it. A weeklong meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) on Plastic Pollution in Punta del Este, Uruguay, ended last Friday (Dec. 2). It was a first, formal step towards a legally binding international Read more…
The newly elected government in Pacific island nation of Vanuatu encountered a serious problem from the very first day of its term on Nov. 6 — no one could use their government email accounts. But then the situation got worse. Much worse. Officials could not use any government computer services, Read more…
The United Nations’ biodiversity chief says global talks under way in Montreal are the “last chance” to reverse the destruction of the natural world. “Biodiversity is the foundation of life. Without it, there is no life,” Elizabeth Maruma Mrema told BBC Radio 4’s Inside Science programme. But she is worried Read more…
Elena Shao reports via the New York Times: Worldwide, growth in renewable power capacity is set to double by 2027, adding as much renewable power in the next five years as it did in the past two decades, the International Energy Agency said Tuesday. Renewables are posed to overtake coal Read more…
Two studies published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications found a link between several types of bacteria in the gut and depressive symptoms. The first study, titled “Gut microbiome-wide association study of depressive symptoms,” reports: Here we investigate the relation of fecal microbiome diversity and composition with depressive symptoms in Read more…
Canada’s biggest pension fund, CPP Investments, has ended its nearly year-long effort of studying investment opportunities in the volatile crypto market, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The reasons behind CPPI’s abandonment of crypto research were not immediately clear. CPPI declined to comment but said it has Read more…
Facing higher prices for natural gas, Germans are now embracing climate-friendly heat pumps, reports the New York Times. “So much so that heat pumps are often sold out, and the wait for a qualified installer can last months.” The German government is among the fans. “This is the technology of Read more…