Important Innovations

  New Initiatives at UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow                                        Source:  COP26 & Stock Images VC Money Pouring into Climate-Tech Startups At the United Nation's Climate Conference COP 26 in Glasgow, world leaders have renewed their vow to accelerate the fight against Climate Change in a concerted and united fashion.  The remedies include cutting greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, implementing a $19 billion plan to end deforestation by 2030 and investing in innovative, new technologies to fight Climate Change.  Fortunately, VC money has already started pouring into the climate-tech innovation sector. Climate Cash Investments in climate-tech startups during the first 3 quarters of 2021 are already 30% higher than in all of 2020.  It amounts to $32 billion.  While that $32 billion is only 6% of all VC...

  Shocking Sign of Climate Change's Destructive Force                                          Source:  Coral Reef Images World's Largest Coral Health Study A shocking milestone has been set in the unrelenting damage caused by Climate Change.  A UN supported global network has found that 14% of the world's coral reefs have been totally destroyed by the warming of the oceans. The study adds that a continuation of the warming will extend and accelerate the destruction.  The group that carried out what is being called "the world's biggest report on the health of coral" is GCRMN or the Global Coral Reefs Monitoring Network. They say the bleaching of the reefs by the warm ocean waters is unprecedented and largely irreversible.  In less than a decade, 11,700 kilometers of coral have been wiped out.  That is 2.5 times the size of the Grand C...

Trump Administration Writing the Rules Source:  NASA Artemis Accords The Trump Administration is drafting a legal blueprint for mining of valuable minerals on the Moon and safety  zones to protect lunar bases. This is part of a new US sponsored international agreement called the Artemis Accords.  The Accords would bypass the United Nations.  It's an attempt to rally allies behind NASA's plan to put humans and space  stations on the Moon in 2024 in the Artemis Mission. "Planet Snatching" The Russians for one are not pleased with the Trump Administration's initiative.  The Artemis Accords have  been called "planet snatching" by the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos.  Yesterday, the Kremlin toned down the rhetoric but said the proposed legal blueprint would need to be thoroughly analyzed to see if it complies with international law. Moon's Strategic Value The Moon has tremendous strategic valu...

New China Regulations: Facial Recognition Reaches Mobile Phones Source:  Facial ID Scanning Stock Image May Prevent Fraud in Cyberspace But Does it Increase Citizen Surveillance? This is a new use of facial recognition technology that the world is watching.  China put new regulations into effect on Sunday that require Chinese telecom operators to scan the faces of people registering for new mobile phone services in China.  The consumer or business could be buying a new SIM card or any new mobile phone services.  The purchaser has no choice but to have their face scanned.  The Chinese government says it's combating cyber-fraud and protecting its citizens from being hacked.  This is facial recognition at the cutting edge of use, controversy and possibly usefulness. Once your face is scanned on your mobile phone, anyplace you use it, such as in your home and stores, could be tracked. Controversial This could be viewed as a legitimate and ongoing pus...

Europe's Record Smashing Heat Threatens Greenland Ice Sheet Source:  NASA - Greenland Ice Sheet World's Second Largest Ice Sheet Melting Europe has been sweltering under a heat wave that has smashed temperature records.  The heat wave is now travelling toward Greenland.  The United Nations is warning that the world's second largest ice sheet is in the cross-hairs of extremely hot air and threatened. Smashing Ice The UN is warning that the hot air headed to Greenland is "absolutely incredible".  It's been moving up from North Africa this summer to Europe.  Temperatures in parts of Europe have hit record highs and surpassed them by 2, 3, 4 degrees Celsius, which is incredible.  That mass of hot air is now travelling northward to Greenland. Global Climate System The US is warning of high temperatures in Greenland and increased melting of the ice sheet.  They think it could result in record low ice levels, at or below levels set in 2012....

Global Meeting on Ocean Biodiversity - Species at Risk Leatherback Turtle Leatherback turtles are living fossils.  They date back 100 million years.  The species live for decades and weigh up to 2 tons.  But they are critically endangered.  97% of them have been wiped out in the Pacific Ocean over the past 30 years.  The biggest problem is long, drag fishing lines trailing miles from fishing boats.  The lines are loaded with hooks and tens of thousands of leatherbacks get caught up in the lines every year.  Many other ocean species and habitats are also unprotected and endangered by plastic pollution, climate change, fishing, tourism and other causes. Demand for Global Action A landmark meeting will be held in NYC in September by the United Nations.  The purpose is to protect biodiversity in the oceans before the species are wiped out.  It will be followed by more meetings.  The hope is these sessions will result in a tre...