Cambridge, United Kingdom (AFP) June 22, 2023 With research stations shifting to renewable energy and artificial intelligence mapping out fuel-efficient marine routes, the British Antarctic Survey is putting sustainability at the heart of its new 10-year plan. “The main target for our strategy is really focused on climate change because the polar regions are the regions on Earth which are changing most drastically,” BAS director … Continue reading Sustainability at centre of British polar science strategy

Vienna (AFP) June 21, 2023 Several regions of Austria have allowed the controversial killing of wolves after reporting an increase in livestock attacks, sparking debate in the Alpine EU member. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) says the orders to kill the wolves violate European law, which lists them as protected animals. In the southern province of Carinthia, five wolves have been killed so far this … Continue reading Austrian regions allow controversial wolf hunting

Paris (AFP) June 22, 2023 Dozens of global leaders gather in Paris Thursday for a summit aimed at reshaping the global lending system to better help debt-burdened developing countries cope with climate change and other challenges. French President Emmanuel Macron has said the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact is aimed at finding the financial solutions to the interlinked global goals of tackling poverty, … Continue reading Paris climate summit seeks global finance reform

Boston MA (SPX) Jun 16, 2023 MIT engineers have synthesized a superabsorbent material that can soak up a record amount of moisture from the air, even in desert-like conditions. As the material absorbs water vapor, it can swell to make room for more moisture. Even in very dry conditions, with 30 percent relative humidity, the material can pull vapor from the air and hold in … Continue reading This salty gel could harvest water from desert air

Atlanta GA (SPX) Jun 21, 2023 Ten years ago, Samer Naif made an unexpected discovery in Earth’s mantle: a narrow pocket, proposed to be filled with magma, hidden some 60 kilometers beneath the seafloor of the Cocos Plate. Mantle melts are buoyant and typically float toward the surface – think underwater volcanoes that erupt to form strings of islands. But Naif’s imaging instead showed a … Continue reading Scientists unearth 20 million years of ‘hot spot’ magmatism under Cocos plate

Paris (ESA) Jun 20, 2023 With commercial companies playing an increasingly important role in creating a dynamic and innovative space industry, nine New Space satellite data suppliers have joined the Copernicus programme as ‘Contributing Missions’. Today, at the Le Bourget Paris Air Show, ESA and the European Commission further embraced the era of New Space by welcoming these nine companies into the fold and celebratinghttp://dlvr.it/Sr455G Continue reading New Space companies join Copernicus

Oslo (AFP) June 20, 2023 Norway said Tuesday it plans to open parts of its continental shelf to commercial deep-sea mining exploration, a controversial move it hoped would set the standard for good practices. The announcement comes a day after the UN adopted the first international treaty to protect the high seas. Environmentalists are vehemently opposed to seabed mining amid fears it could inflict damage … Continue reading Norway announces plans to allow deep-sea mining exploration

Paris (AFP) June 20, 2023 With eight countries sharing the Amazon, the Inter-American Development Bank wants to play a central role as an “umbrella” organisation coordinating climate-related projects in the vulnerable rainforest. Stepping up the involvement of international financial organisations in the fight against climate change will be at key issue at a summit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursdhttp://dlvr.it/Sr451q Continue reading Latin America bank eyes finance ‘umbrella’ role for Amazon rainforest

Mexico City (AFP) June 21, 2023 Voice actors around the globe are mobilizing against the unregulated use of artificial intelligence (AI) to generate and clone human voices that they fear poses a threat to their livelihoods. “We’re fighting a very big monster,” said Mario Filio, a Mexican artist who has done voiceovers for Hollywood star Will Smith, the Obi-Wan Kenobi character in Star Wars and … Continue reading ‘Don’t steal our voices’: dubbing artists confront AI threat

Urbana IL (SPX) Jun 18, 2023 Bioenergy crops such as miscanthus and switchgrass provide several environmental benefits, but low returns and profit risks are barriers for investment by farmers. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign shows that carbon mitigation payments could increase net returns and reduce income risk, potentially enticing more farmers to grow these crops. “We were interested inhttp://dlvr.it/Sr19py Continue reading Carbon mitigation payments can make bioenergy crops more appealing for farmers