Gloomy youth pull US and western Europe down global happiness ranking
London, UK Reuters Rising unhappiness among younger people has caused the United States and some large western European countries to fall down a global wellbeing index, while Nordic nations retain their grip on the top spots. The annual World Happiness Report, launched in 2012 to support the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, is based on […]
Global carbon dioxide removal totals two billion tonnes per year – report
London, UKReuters About two billion tonnes of carbon dioxide are being removed from the atmosphere every year, according to a report published on Thursday, but nearly all of it is accomplished through forests, despite growing investments in new technologies. The independent report, led by the University of Oxford, is the first to assess how much […]
Essay: Life expectancy improves in some countries after big drops in 2020 – but US and others see further falls
University of Oxford scholars JENNIFER BEAM DOWD, JOSÉ MANUEL ABURTO and RIDHI KASHYAP look – in an article first published on The Conversation – at what the latest data on life expectancy shows…
StrangeSights: AI robot addresses UK parliamentary inquiry; scandal at Alaska’s Fat Bear Week; and, the world’s largest Tetris game…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Omicron poses “very high” risk but data on severity limited
Geneva, Switzerland/Frankfurt, GermanyReuters The Omicron coronavirus variant, reported in more than 60 countries, poses a “very high” global risk, with some evidence that it evades vaccine protection but clinical data on its severity is limited, the World Health Organization says. Considerable uncertainties surround Omicron, first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong, whose […]
Africa’s leap to clean energy seen needing policy change, investment
Johannesburg, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation Renewable energy is expected to account for less than 10 per cent of Africa’s electricity generation by 2030, showing massive investment is needed to unlock the continent’s wind and solar power potential, researchers said on Monday. Drastic policy change and investment will also be needed if the notion of Africa […]
Better African heatwave data could save lives, shield economies, report says
Johannesburg, South AfricaThomson Reuters Foundation Heatwaves over the last century in sub-Saharan Africa have not been properly recorded, undermining early warning systems to save lives and prevent economic losses caused by soaring temperatures, a University of Oxford report said last week. Researchers found the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), the world’s biggest database of extreme weather […]
Air conditioning for all? Hotter world faces risk of “cooling poverty”
Oxford, EnglandThomson Reuters Foundation As climate change brings more frequent and extreme heatwaves around the world, demand for air conditioners is soaring, with 10 new units sold every second on average – but the poor may be left to swelter, said a University of Oxford researcher. By 2050, energy use for cooling is projected to […]