YOUR WEEKLY NEWS UPDATE
- In a study of 107 global businesses working in carbon-intensive sectors. More than 70% of the companies studied fail to include their climate impact in their financial statements. Plans for net zero targets and limiting climate risks were also omitted. 8 out of 10 audits of these firms also showed no evidence of assessing climate risk. The research looked for effects of material climate-related matters already required to be included in the financial statements and assessed by auditors.
- Two million Nigerians are living within 4km of a gas flare in Nigeria’s oil-rich south. Climate change has had a devastating impact on Nigeria. Fertile lands are turning into deserts in the north, while flash floods have become more common in the south. The country’s oil industry is making things worse as the practice of flaring – the burning of natural gas that is released when oil is extracted from the ground – is common despite its illegality. The practice is a major source of greenhouse gases and a contributor to climate change.
- A start-up consortium has been given £380,000 to develop the sub to deliver parcels without a captain or crew. Call it blue seas thinking – the submarine will follow shipping routes but 50 metres below the surface. It will be able to deliver goods in shallow waters where container ships can’t operate. Then it will dive beneath the waves to weather storms on the open ocean. The firm awarded the grant, Oceanways, has flagged Belfast to Glasgow as a possible route for the submarine.
- What counts as a green job? The simplest answer is that it directly contributes to tackling climate change, although many think it should also cover roles that indirectly support that ambition. Either way, the UK government wants to create more of them, going from 410,000 now to two million of these jobs by 2030, as part of its plans for an economy with zero fossil fuel emissions. It’s not a plan without risks, but some areas will provide opportunities to many.
- Microsoft has announced users can now delete all passwords from their accounts and instead login using an authentication app or other solution. The technology giant made non-password accounts available for business users of its products in March. That system is now being made available to all Microsoft or Windows users. If non-password login is enabled, users re-logging in to a Microsoft account will be asked to give their fingerprint, or other secure unlock, on their mobile phone.
- Scientists are using Iceland as a test for deploying drone technology that they hope may one day feature on missions exploring Mars. The project equips drones with a range of devices from laser scanning Lidar which can help inform the thickness and volume of lava, to thermal imaging cameras and drills capable of taking core samples. The characteristics of Iceland’s environment are very similar to Mars making it an ideal place for different types of drone tech, planetary volcanologist Christopher Hamilton says.
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