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MAKES NO SENSE.
China plans to heap more coal onto its perpetually smoldering and very sizable coal heap in the near future. But never fear, they say, they’ll continue investing in wind and solar. At best, that’s running in place. Realistically, it’s one step forward and ten steps back. Per the Associated Press,
China plans to boost coal production through 2025 to avoid a repeat of last year’s power shortages, an official said Monday, adding to setbacks in efforts to cut climate-changing carbon emissions from the biggest global source. China is a big investor in wind and solar, but jittery Communist Party leaders called for more coal-fired power after economic growth slumped last year and shortages caused blackouts. That prompted warnings that carbon emissions will rise faster through 2030, when the government says they should peak. The ruling party aims for annual coal production to rise to 4.6 billion tons in 2025, a deputy director of the Cabinet’s National Energy Administration, Ren Jingdong, said at a news conference held during a ruling party congress. That would be a 12% increase over last year’s 4.1 billion tons.
The increase in coal production/burning may be a response to jittery Party members worried about a Covid-19 ravaged economy. https://bit.ly/3Ts24A1
TIME TO SAY GOODBYE.
The slow and painful demise of the much-loved Arecibo Observatory radio telescope appears to be nearing its end. Per Nature,
After a world-famous radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico collapsed two years ago, many scientists hoped that the US National Science Foundation (NSF), which runs the facility, would eventually build a new one to replace it. Instead, the agency has announced that it will establish an educational centre for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) at the site. The revised plan might ramp down or dramatically alter the remaining research being done at Arecibo. “It’s heartbreaking,” says Héctor Arce, an astronomer at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, who is from Puerto Rico and has worked on Arecibo advocacy efforts. “To many it seems like yet another unjust way of treating the colonial territory of Puerto Rico.” The NSF says that it is following community recommendations in not planning to rebuild the large telescope and instead establishing the new educational centre. “We are not closing Arecibo,” says Sean Jones, head of the NSF’s directorate of mathematical and physical sciences. “We think this new approach and new centre will be catalytic in many areas.”
Forget the words. Look at the actions. https://go.nature.com/3EOw3hA
LONG AND WINDING ROAD.
For women with breast cancer, the struggles do not end after successfully treating the disease. In many cases, it’s just the beginning. Per Channel News Asia,
After a life-changing diagnosis and treatments, some breast cancer patients who return to work find themselves struggling with post-chemotherapy side effects, body image issues, prejudice and discrimination. This breast cancer awareness month, CNA Women asks: What can we do differently?
It’s a very thought-provoking article. https://bit.ly/3s3H2w2
IF YOU CAN’T BEAT’EM… BUY’EM?
Ye really loves his social media, doesn’t he? After unceremoniously exiled from two of his favorite platforms, he’s decided to buy one of his own. Can you say addicted? Per the AP,
The rapper formerly known as Kanye West is offering to buy right-wing friendly social network Parler shortly after being booted off Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic posts. Parlement Technologies, which owns the platform, and West, legally known as Ye, said the acquisition should be completed in the fourth quarter, but details like price were not revealed. Parlement Technologies said the agreement includes the use of private cloud services via Parlement’s private cloud and data center infrastructure. Ye, was locked out of Twitter and Instagram a week ago over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies. In one post on Twitter, Ye said he would soon go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” according to internet archive records, making an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON.
Maybe it’s time to put down the electronics? https://bit.ly/3CHUmLg
Thanks for reading. Let’s be careful out there.
IMAGE CREDIT: Peter Hutchins.
