Important Innovations

  D A ILY INNOVATION BRIEF                By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane SCIENCE MATCHING THE RIGHT WINE WITH THE RIGHT FLOWERS                                                                                           Source:  Stock Scientists, noting that flowers can enhance the flavor of wine, have created the world's first guide that matches wine with flowers to maximize the tasting experience Here's what we know: Recent scientific research by British scientists has found that the right type of flowers on the table can change the perception of the wine The study demonstrated that a harsh wine sipped while looking at delicate flowers was rated by drinkers...

   DAILY INNOVATION BRIEF                                                                                                          By Journalists Edward Kane & Maryanne Kane OPTIMIZING YOUR RUN WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY                                                                                     Source:  Stock Image                     New tech inventions have the pote...

Aggressive Action Against Climate Change Benefits Earth & Economy Source:  Images of Climate Change  New Science A study published in the scientific journal Nature finds that if nations don't adhere to the 2015 Paris Agreement to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius and significantly cut CO2 emissions, the global economy will loose at least $150 Trillion to as much as $792 Trillion by the end of the century.  Co-author of the study Biying Yu of the Beijing Institute of Technology says the general consensus in the global academic community is that climate change may lead to a global catastrophe with huge socio-economic loses.  Unfortunately, most of the 190 nations that signed the Paris Accords are falling far short of their commitments. Calculating A Green Future Yu and her team found that if nations optimally cut their CO2 emissions, net global economic benefits would range from $127 trillion and $616 Trillion by 2100.  The dollar figures are derived...

  New Climate Change Index for Chinese Investors Source:  Shanghai Stock Exchange  Promoting the Environment, Social and Governance Standards MSCI, the New York City based financial services company, has launched Climate Change indexes for China stocks.  The indexes allow investors in China to put their money into companies with lower carbon emissions. The indexes allocate more weighting to less polluting companies, such as the internet giant Tencent and LONGi Green Energy Technology.  MSCI has launched similar Climate Change indexes in the EU, US and Japan.  MSCI is a global provider of equity, fixed income, hedge fund stock market indexes and analysis tools. Megatrend: Investors Focusing on Climate Change MSCI expects global investors to increasingly focus on Climate Change and put their money into companies with strong pro-environment policies and results.  MSCI is in discussions with a number of institutions about creating investment products based...

  Putting Green Bonds Behind Climate Change Fight Source:  Germany Renewable Energy Stock Image Funding Clean Transportation & Renewable Energy Projects For the first time, the government of Germany plans to issue $13 billion in so-called Green Bonds to fund renewable energy and clean transportation projects.  The $13 billion worth of bonds will be issued this year - late Q3 and Q4 2020.  Germany is tapping into the financial markets to increase its commitment to fight climate change.  This is a case of putting money up against specific environmental targets to fight climate change. Germany has a strong green commitment but it is even getting greener. September Launch The first issuance is in September 2020 of a 10 year bond or Bunds that is worth 4 billion euros in value.  The rest will be issued in the fourth quarter of 2020.  By 2023, Germany wants to spend 54 billion euros as part of its climate change agenda.  The agenda includes introduc...

  UK and Legally Binding Environmental Targets Source:  London's Richmond Park  Fighting Climate Change Britain is rolling out legally binding environmental targets to combat climate change.  The targets include cleaner water, reduced air pollution, waste reduction and more biodiversity.  The legally mandated targets are designed to improve the environment and rebuild the economy.  The new legislation, set to be considered by Parliament, will force the current and future British governments to focus on improving the environment. Build Back Green British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to "build back green" as the British economy was cut by 20% in the second quarter of 2020 by COVID-19 lockdowns and shutdowns.  A new watchdog agency "The Office for Environmental Protection" is being established to monitor the UK's progress toward the environmental targets.  The Office will also oversee the government's progress toward its commitment to hav...

Nasty Weather Globally Source:  California 2020 Wildfires  From California to Alaska, Greenland and China There is growing evidence that Climate Change and Global Warming are worsening.  In California, hundreds of wildfires are burning out of control.  They are being spawned by blistering heat and record numbers of lightning strikes.  There were 11,000 lighting strikes in a few days, torching trees, brush and triggering the massive wildfires.  500,000 acres have been burned, communities are threatened, buildings have been destroyed and tens of thousands are evacuating.  The Bay Area had the worst air quality in the world on Wednesday.  California Governor Gavin Newsom commented:  "If you are in denial about Climate Change, come to California." China's Torrential Rains Meanwhile, in China torrential rains and massive flooding have caused the evacuation of a million people and caused billions of dollars in damage.  China's huge Three Gorge...

  532 Gigatons of Ice Lost in 2019 Source:  Polar Bear in Arctic Meltdown  New Study: Worsening Climate Change, Melt Tops Forecasts The signs are undeniable that Climate Change is accelerating and breaking scientific estimates.  A new study has documented that the Greenland ice sheet lost a record amount of mass in 2019.  The loss is so dramatic that scientists are expected to start restating and redefining their worst case scenarios based on the new Greenland findings.  The worst case scenarios are for rising ocean waters and flooding affecting millions of people in coastal locations. New Melt Shatters Records  The rate of the Greenland ice sheet melt, caught by satellites and analyzed by scientists through derived data, is record shattering.  Geoscientist and glaciologist  Ingo Sasgen of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany documented the loss of 532 gigatons of ice, or 66 tons of ice for every person on Earth - in 2019 just in the Green...

Wednesday Series:  Innovation Addressing Pressing Global Needs - Hybrid Electric Planes Cutting CO2 Emissions The signs of climate change are all around us.  Extreme weather, rising sea levels, melting polar icecaps, deadly disease outbreaks, severe environmental stress on animals.  The Union of Concerned Scientists says the cause is too much heat trapping carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere. A major contributor is global aircraft exhaust.  Enter a solution - the dawn of electric powered planes.  The biggest player:  hybrid electric planes Take-Offs Current aircraft spew 500 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year.  Scientists warn if the amount of CO2 isn't cut 80% by 2050, it will be disastrous.  As it stands right now, the amount of CO2 is expected to triple by mid-century.  By contrast, electric planes spew no CO2.  They are clean, green technology and can be cheap to operate.  An ...