================================

students worldwide

 

 

 

10 March, 2014

 

 

 

Geneva, 10 March 2014. Each year in spring, research institutes and universities around the world invite students and their teachers for a day-long programme to experience life at the forefront of basic research. These International Masterclasses give students the opportunity to be particle physicists for a day by analysing real data from CERN1’s Large Hadron Collider, the LHC. This year’s edition will attract more than 10,000 high-school students from 40 countries2, celebrating the 10th edition of the initiative between 12 March and 12 April 2014.

 

 

 

While a Higgs boson has already been discovered by scientists at the LHC, the data hold many other interesting secrets waiting to be found. In the International Masterclasses, high-school students work with real data collected by the experiments at the LHC. The main idea of this annual programme is to let students work as much as possible like real scientists.

 

https://home.cern/news/press-release/cern/10th-edition-international-masterclasses-particle-physics-attract-more

 

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NEW lithium sulphur battery made in Australia doubles energy density

 

https://youtu.be/NFJ3VsFXvSQ?si=M30rmTqbifLAWzT0

 

====================================

Solar power

 

CERN signs long-term solar power agreements

 

Projects can now begin so that 140 GWh/year – about 10% of CERN’s annual electricity consumption during accelerator operation years – will be provided by renewable sources from 2027

 

29 November, 2024- By Kate Kahle

https://home.cern/news/news/engineering/cern-signs-long-term-solar-power-agreements

-----------------------------------------------

Aerosols are microscopic particles suspended in the atmosphere that arise from both natural sources and human activities. They play an important role in Earth’s climate system because they seed clouds and influence their reflectivity and coverage. Most aerosols arise from the spontaneous condensation of molecules that are present in the atmosphere only in minute concentrations. However, the vapours responsible for their formation are not well understood, particularly in the remote upper troposphere.

 

 

 

The CLOUD (Cosmics Leaving Outdoor Droplets) experiment at CERN is designed to investigate the formation and growth of atmospheric aerosol particles in a controlled laboratory environment. CLOUD comprises a 26 m3 ultra-clean chamber and a suite of advanced instruments that continuously analyse its contents. The chamber contains a precisely selected mixture of gases under atmospheric conditions, into which secondary beams of charged pions are fired from CERN’s Proton Synchrotron to mimic the influence of galactic cosmic rays.

 

https://home.cern/news/press-release/physics/cloud-experiment-resolves-puzzle-new-aerosol-particles-upper-troposphere

 

=================================

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                https://www.ft.com/content/7f8a1a4e-e5a9-4f18-9473-9f0c08e3dc76

 

 

 

                In addition, the costs are currently still too high to make lithium-ion batteries economic for longer-term storage of energy, to cover periods when renewable energy is unavailable due to the weather. The batteries also eventually degrade after being charged and discharged thousands of times, although their lifespan is improving. China’s CATL, the world’s largest battery producer, says its energy storage batteries can last for 25 years.

 

https://www.ft.com/content/7f8a1a4e-e5a9-4f18-9473-9f0c08e3dc76

 

===============================

Snow

 

Japan's Mount Fuji has seen its first snowfall after going through the longest period without snow since records began 130 years ago. ------------------------

 

The weather agency’s office in Kofu officially confirmed the presence of snow on Mount Fuji's peak on Thursday. It could not do so on Wednesday due to clouds obstructing the view of the summit.

 

This was the most delayed sighting since 2023 when snow was first seen on the summit on 5 October, according to AFP news agency. The previous record was 26 October - that happened twice, in 1955 and 2016.

 

Located south-west of Tokyo, Mount Fuji stands at 3,776m (12,460 ft). It last erupted just over 300 years ago and is visible from the capital on a clear day.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgw14gqenqo?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

 

 

===================================

 

Election Victory 2024!

 

Priests for Life <FrFrankPavone@priestsforlife.org> Unsubscribe

 

                November 6, 2024

 

James,

 

 

 

Priests for Life National Director Frank Pavone issued the following statement on the morning after the 2024 elections:

 

 

 

“The pro-life movement, and America herself, have been given a reprieve from the onslaught of a Democrat regime that would have tried to erase every protection for unborn children across America, and to take away the very tools we need to protect them. But another term of President Trump will strengthen our freedom of speech, of religion and of protest, and will set free the peaceful prolife prisoners. Moreover, with Republicans reclaiming the US Senate, we can look forward to hundreds of new pro-life judges who will serve in the federal courts for decades to come.

 

 

 

“As for the abortion ballot measures, six of the ten that were voted on will go into effect: AZ, CO, MD, MO, MT, and NY. In Nevada, a second vote in the 2026 elections is required for passage. In FL, SD and NE the pro-life movement defeated the radical pro-abortion amendments, and secured an amendment in NE protecting babies in the second and third trimesters. In the states where these amendments passed, we will immediately begin the work of repealing them.

 

 

 

“Priests for Life worked intensely with all ten states that had these ballot measures, including our home state of Florida. We convened meetings of the state and national pro-life leaders to maximize collaboration.

 

 

 

“Moreover, we are proud of our nationwide voter education and mobilization project, headquartered at ProLifeVote.com. The comeback of Donald J. Trump, the most pro-life President ever, is a moment in history that we are privileged to live through.”

 

 

 

“Now it is crucially important to continue our prayers and outspoken advocacy for President Trump, because his enemies will try to do everything possible to interfere with the next two phases of this transition, namely, the vote of the electors and the certification by Congress. His victory in the popular vote takes away a key tool that the Democrats would have used to undermine this election. So let us all be loud and clear and vigilant in our support over these next three months.”

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Pro-Life Leader Frank Pavone

 

 

 

Pro-Life Leader Frank Pavone

 

National Director, Priests for Life

 

 

 

Priests for Life

 

PO Box 236695

 

Cocoa, FL 32923

 

Phone: 321-500-1000

 

Toll Free: 888-735-3448

 

Email: mail@priestsforlife.org

 

www.EndAbortion.US

 

==================================

Over half of the world’s 117 million lakes freeze during the winter. But as temperatures rise, the average length of ice cover on lakes has fallen by over 30 days in the past century and a half. Thousands of lakes that used to freeze for part of the year no longer have any ice at all, according to a recent review in Science. As winter warms faster than any other season across much of the United States, researchers are grappling with what that means for lakes and the communities and creatures that depend on them. 

 

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/03112024/lake-ice-coverage-research/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

===================================

GREEN: The first half of 2024 marked a high point for Nvidia, the leading U.S. company in the chip industry. The firm tripled its global shipments of semiconductors, underscoring a prevailing truth of our time: the world is hungry for this tiny technology. However, the production of these semiconductors faces a significant challenge: the growing demand for electrical energy required for their manufacture. Experts warn that fulfilling the surging market demand for microprocessors may hinder the green transition. The sophisticated and intricate equipment used to print cutting-edge chips consumes vast amounts of electrical energy, which is essential for advancing technologies such as artificial intelligence and data centers.

 

https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2024-10-30/the-dead-end-of-chips-manufacturing-semiconductors-consumes-as-much-energy-as-entire-countries.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

===============================

 

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SOLAR: The world’s largest solar and battery power plant has 1.9 million panels

 

RiverMersey 8 months ago

 

You say 870Mw is the world's largest solar park? Nope, not even top 10!

 

Visual Capitalist shows that India’s Bhadla Solar Park is the world’s largest solar park as of the time of the dataset. It has the capacity to generate 2,245 megawatts of electricity alone.

 

https://youtu.be/tcFT5kraYpw?si=xI9OtgELdxsNf0OO

 

===================

 

CHARGERS: Tesla has launched the “Oasis” project, claimed to be the largest Supercharger station in the world, with 168 stalls and a solar farm.

 

The station will use solar energy and Megapack storage to lessen grid reliance.

 

https://www.techopedia.com/news/tesla-oasis-project-runs-168-superchargers-on-solar-power-and-megapacks

 

------------------------------------------

 

FOOD: BY Nate Berg

 

In residential buildings, people throw out a lot of garbage, and a huge portion of it is food. An estimated 30% of the garbage of a typical household is food scraps and food that’s gone to waste. When it comes to garbage day, all this food waste—which is mostly water and quite heavy—gets trucked away at great environmental expense.

 

https://www.fastcompany.com/90746995/food-waste-makes-up-30-of-household-garbage-these-massive-machines-turn-it-into-fertilizer

 

-------------------------------------------

 

===================================

SEABEDS: author avatar image

 

By Lucie Heath

 

Environment Correspondent

 

September 19, 2024 6:00 am(Updated 6:01 am)

 

 

 

Hundreds of millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide are being stored in the UK’s seabeds, according to a world-first report that sets out to quantify the role Britain’s coastal waters can play in the fight against climate change.

 

The study, known as the Blue Carbon Mapping Project, found the UK’s seabed habitats have the potential to capture up to 13 million tonnes of organic carbon every year, almost three times the amount sequestered by the UK’s forests.

 

But despite the role it plays as a huge carbon sink, the UK’s seabeds are not protected in the same way as other carbon sequestering habitats, such as forests and peatlands.

 

Bottom trawling and the development of off-shore wind are posing a significant threat to the UK’s “blue carbon” stores, the report conducted by the Scottish Association for Marine Science on behalf of a group of wildlife charities found.

 

https://inews.co.uk/news/uk-secret-weapon-against-climate-change-under-sea-3278801

 

================================

 

ELECTION: American Bridge 21st Century PAC Donors

 

American Bridge 21st Century intends to spend about $140 million on advertising campaigns to support Harris’ candidacy.

 

https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/american-bridge-21st-century/C00492140/donors/2024

 

============================

 

 

 

ESSAY: 2024 Pro-Life Essay Contest

 

Stand True, the youth outreach of Priests for Life, is excited to announce our first annual pro-life essay contest! We invite students to apply their writing skills to galvanize and educate others about the pro-life cause across the country!

 

We will have three age groups with cash prizes for all groups. Essays should be between 500 and 800 words.

 

https://www.standtrue.com/EssayContest/

 

=================================

 

Construction has started on the 13-story Livonia C-3 Senior Residence, aimed at affordable and sustainable housing for low-income seniors. Developed by Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, the building will offer over 140 eco-friendly, all-electric apartments.

 

https://netny.tv/episodes/currents/tonight-at-7-groundbreaking-begins-on-ccbqs-13-story-affordable-housing-for-seniors-in-brownsville/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=325407658&utm_content=325407658&utm_source=hs_email

 

============================

 

. Reveal Your Own Flaws

 

 

 

You would think that, when meeting someone for the first time, you would want to come off as "perfect" as possible. That's not exactly true — in fact, you might want to go out of your way to reveal a flaw, or at least be a little self-deprecating. One study found that people will like you more after you make a mistake — as long as they already think you're a competent person. So, once you've shown that you're smart or competent, you can then feel free to make a mistake or talk about a flaw you have. It's endearing!

 

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/12-unexpected-tricks-to-help-you-make-a-great-first-impression-on-anyone-you-meet?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

 

    A rather long explanation of the background to the conference. No mention of Ireland

 

 

 

    “21 July 1932

 

 

 

    The New York stock market crash in October 1929 marked the start of the Great Depression. Over the next three years, the global economy contracted at an alarming rate. Matters were exacerbated by misguided economic policies in major countries, aimed in part at maintaining the gold standard. In an effort to prop up demand for U.S.-made goods, the United States introduced the infamous Smoot-Hawley tariffs in 1930. Tariffs on tens of thousands of U.S. imports were raised to levels not seen in over one hundred years. In retaliation, Canada and other countries introduced tariffs against American goods to protect their industries. The combination of high tariffs and slumping domestic demand sent international trade into a tail spin. In the three years to mid-1932, Canadian exports fell by roughly 50 per cent, while imports declined by more than 60 per cent. Canadian gross domestic production shrank by 24 per cent in the 1929-32 period. The global economy fared better, but still contracted by more than 10 per cent; unemployment soared everywhere.

 

 

 

    Against this backdrop, the leaders of the United Kingdom, the Dominions, and India met in Ottawa during the summer of 1932 to discuss the disastrous economic situation, and to try to mitigate its effects through closer imperial economic association. The conference had been requested by Canadian Premier R.B. Bennett at the end of the previous Imperial Conference held in London two years earlier. At that conference, Britain had rejected a Canadian proposal for members of the Empire to institute a reciprocal imperial trade preference aimed at boosting intra-Empire trade. Through much of the previous century, Britain had pursued a free-trade policy, confident that its manufactured exports could compete at home and abroad, while importing food and other raw materials from countries like Canada, Russia, and Argentina. But by 1932, the situation had radically changed—the key U.S. market was largely closed to British goods, Britain had been forced off the gold standard, and a protectionist-minded government was now in power. The new National government, which consisted of members of all three major political parties but dominated by the Conservative party, broke with tradition and introduced a general tariff of 10 per cent against non-Empire countries, and threatened to extend them to the Dominions that had already raised their own tariffs against goods from the Mother Country. Now, all members of the Empire had something to gain from successful trade negotiations.

 

 

 

    For Canada, the conference was of vital importance. With Canadian exports to the United States in sharp decline, redirecting trade toward imperial markets was critical for the economy, especially its farmers. To ensure the conference’s success, the Canadian government made meticulous preparations, including the compilation by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics of six volumes of trade and other statistics to provide a common reference base for conference delegates.

 

 

 

    Leaders, their delegations, and wives began to arrive in Ottawa in mid-July. In preparation for the social battles about to be joined, it was reported that some ladies had brought maids as well as 20-30 pieces of luggage filled with gowns, shoes, and hats to wear at the many gala events and garden parties. The Globe reported that “Ottawa will be a gay and delightful centre of social activity for the next six weeks.” The Indian delegation provided an exotic touch when the wife and daughter of Haji Sir Abdullah Haroon, member of the Indian legislature for Karachi and a senior member of the Indian delegation, arrived wearing Indian saris of bright coloured silk, embroidered in gold thread. But it wasn’t to be all fun and games. Underscoring the importance of the conference, British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin arrived with more than half of his cabinet and their wives. Delegations were met at Union Station by Prime Minister Bennett and his sister, Mrs Mildred Harridge, who acted as the Canadian hostess.

 

 

 

    The conference officially got underway on the morning of 21 July 1932 with the arrival of the Governor General, the Earl of Bessborough, in an open landau on Parliament Hill amidst full vice-regal pageantry, including a guard of honour and a marching band. Delegates subsequently convened in the chamber of the House of Commons, Parliament having adjourned for the summer. The Canadian delegates sat on the government benches to the right of the speaker’s throne, next to the Australian and New Zealand delegations. The British team sat to the left of the speaker’s chair. The Governor General started the proceedings with a message of goodwill from the King, followed by his own personal greetings. Bennett was unanimously elected conference’s chairman. There were nine keynote speeches from each of the heads of delegation. Bennett, going first, re-submitted his proposal for a reciprocal imperial trade preference. The British Prime Minister cautiously supported the idea but noted that a trade preference can be achieved by lowering tariffs on intra-Empire trade, or by raising tariffs on non-Empire trade; the British government favoured the former. The conference broke up into committees that afternoon, followed by a gala dinner for 900 guests hosted by the Canadian government at the Château Laurier Hotel.

 

 

 

    Delegates agreed to work every day and evening except for Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays which were devoted to social events. That first weekend, the Governor General hosted the heads of delegations and their wives at a formal dinner at Rideau Hall. Other members of delegations were invited to less formal functions at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club and the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club. On Sunday, churches across Canada and the Empire prayed for the success of the conference. In Ottawa, Dr. Clare Worrell, the Anglican archbishop of Halifax and Primate of Canada led prayers for leaders at St. Mathew’s Church, while His Excellency, Mgr. Andrea Cassulo, the Papal Legate, did likewise at Notre Dame Catholic Basilica.

 

 

 

    Despite resolves to work for the common good and avoid bargaining for parochial gains, delegates haggled like fishwives over the next six weeks. Initial cheers for Canada changed to jeers when news leaked that Canada was the sole hold-out preventing an agreement. However, when negotiations wrapped up on 18 August, all countries had cobbled together a series of bilateral arrangements between each other based on Bennett’s idea of imperial preference. In essence, Britain agreed to keep in place the exemption for Empire products from its general 10 per cent tariff. It also gave in to Dominion demands to impose new tariffs and quotas on the imports of agricultural products from outside the Empire. Canada didn’t give Britain much, agreeing not to raise tariffs further on British goods, and to lower them on 200 items, many of which weren’t even made in Canada.

 

 

 

    The Imperial Conference was a boon for Ottawa businesses which enjoyed a marked pick-up in sales as the hundreds of visitors bought summer clothes, souvenirs, and novelties. Department stores, like Murphy-Gamble and Freiman’s, noted that even the locals were buying. In the long run, however, the trade preferences negotiated at the conference did relatively little for the Canadian economy. Canadian trade continued to be oriented in a north-south pattern with the United States; geography trumped imperial ties. Canadian exports did rise somewhat in the years that followed the conference, but the upturn was more likely due to the recovery in the global economy that anything else. Moreover, later in the 1930s, Canada negotiated lower tariffs with the United States, its most natural trading and investment partner. Britain was the big loser. Going into the conference, it had hoped to lower intra-Empire tariffs while keeping tariffs on foreign countries unchanged—a modest step toward freeing global trade, while at the same time strengthening intra-Empire political and economic ties. Instead, by raising tariffs and instituting quotas on non-Empire agricultural goods, it exacerbated the global retreat from free trade, raised domestic costs, and undermined Britain’s leadership role in the world.”

 

 

 

    todayinottawashistory.wordpress.com/tag/imperial-preference/

 

 

 

=============================================

 

Shroud

 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1173135590645768

 

--------------------------------

 

Francis Kennedy

 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1009597873837325

 

------------------------------------------

 

Hell

 

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1211412210193607

 

 

 

=======================

 

Fr Tony Mullins

 

https://fb.watch/uIi_wDLm3s/

 

============================

 

Best of Cork

 

https://www.corkbeo.ie/all-about/best-of-cork

 

==================

 

 

 

SHOEBOX: Christmas Shoebox Appeal. Since 2010, the Appeal has delivered 2.5 million shoeboxes to children in countries across Eastern Europe and Africa. Shoeboxes should be dropped off at one of hundreds of drop off points nationwide, or at your local DEALZ store by the 10th November. How to take part online https://www.teamhope.ie/christmas-shoebox-appeal/take-part-online/

 

=======================

 

 

 

Every now and then I have days where I just don’t feel like doing a damn thing.

 

 

 

The idea of being productive makes my brain hurt. These little funks can be extremely frustrating, especially when there’s a lot I need to accomplish.

 

 

 

I haven’t quite figured out why I get hit with these bouts of “don’t-want-to-do-anything-itis.”

 

 

 

Maybe it’s burnout. Maybe it’s the vagaries of fluctuating mood. Maybe it’s the stars. It’s a mystery.

 

 

 

While it might be nice to lean into the feeling and take the day off, I typically don’t have that luxury.

 

https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/habits/what-to-do-when-you-don-t-feel-like-doing-anything/?mc_cid=49b74c180e

 

==============================

September 2, 2024

 

 

 

For me, the Season of Creation contains a lot of surprises.

 

 

 

The first: why it's observed in the days closest to autumn (in the northern hemisphere), when this half of the planet is in the process of moving toward dormancy.

 

 

 

But, then, as I thought about it, the southern hemisphere is in the throes of spring at the same time, so we just need to remember that this planet has different cycles of seasons.

 

 

 

Second: the Season of Creation is not necessarily a recent development. As EarthBeat's Brian Roewe wrote in 2020, "Orthodox Christians have been marking the Season of Creation for decades. It started in 1989, when Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I proclaimed Sept. 1 a day of prayer for the environment." That day coincides with the beginning of the Eastern Orthodox liturgical year (like Advent does for Roman Catholics). The World Council of Churches later expanded the idea to span 34 days, concluding on Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi who, as patron saint of ecology, transcends the boundaries of specific religious institutions.

 

https://www.ncronline.org/earthbeat/viewpoints/environment/different-kind-season-full-surprises?utm_source=Global+Sisters+Report&utm_campaign=e93ed49aed-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_08_30_05_21&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_86a1a9af1b-e93ed49aed-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

 

===========================

Mr. Marks was active in civic and philanthropic affairs. In 1913 the City Fusion Party nominated him for Aldermanic President. He defeated his Democratic opponent, Dr. Thomas Darlington, by 129,269 votes to 104,140. While in office he founded the first three open markets in the city, was responsible for forming a new joint trial board for the trial of civil service employes and helped organize welfare work among municipal employes. In 1917 he ran for reelection but was defeated. While in office he started advocating the introduction of daylight saving time in New York State.

 

https://www.jta.org/archive/m-m-marks-once-borough-president-dies?utm_source=JTA_Maropost&utm_campaign=JTA_Life_Stories&utm_medium=email&mpweb=1161-76388-35794

 

==================

 

 

 

GARBAGE Dump

 

By ACI Africa Staff

 

Kampala, 20 August, 2024 / 10:41 pm (ACI Africa).

 

Religious leaders in Uganda have expressed their solidarity and spiritual closeness with victims of the August 9 garbage landslide that left at least 35 people dead.

 

 

 

The 36-acre garbage dump known as Kiteezi is the only one serving the whole of the Ugandan capital city, Kampala, home to an estimated 4 million people, according to an August 12 BBC report.

 

 

 

The high piles of garbage were loosened by heavy rains, sending it tumbling down onto houses that had been constructed near the dump.

 

 

 

On August 18, Ugandan police reported that at least 35 people were confirmed dead, with 28 still missing; rescue teams have continued to search for the missing persons.

 

https://www.aciafrica.org/news/11745/we-stand-with-you-in-these-difficult-times-ugandas-religious-leaders-to-victims-of-garbage-landslide?utm_campaign=ACI%20Africa&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=321029146&utm_content=321029146&utm_source=hs_email

 

===========================

Kenneth Baune

 

Looks like climate change started in 1696. Major drought till 1742 then lots of moisture till 1792 then less moisture again. I wonder where all the fossil fuel vehicles went from 1696. That is what they are claiming causes climate change.

 

---------------------------

 

Matthew Truitt

 

Right now, we are sitting at 400 ppm of CO2 in our atmosphere. Climate change activist are screaming that for the last 80,000 years we were at 350 ppm, and claiming this is unprecedented territory, but what they failed to say is that for the previous 25 million years we were at 1200 ppm. There were no humans then, so what caused our atmosphere to have three times as much CO2 as it does now, And the answer is geology. climate is cyclical. We can’t control it. Take care of your planet, and be a good person, but you can’t change the climate.

 

---------------------

 

Beaver Slivinski

 

I used Redwood reclaimed from an 1850 Oregon mine for making muskie lures. Some of the boards from rafters appeared to have stripes. Upon further examination, the stripes were actually growth rings so close together that you could only see them with a magnifying glass.

 

===================

 

==================================

======================

 

IRELAND 1841, population density.  This map is taken from The Atlas of the Irish Famine, John Crowley, William J. Smyth and Mike Murphy, Cork University Press 2012.  The population density of the populated areas is calculated by excluding mountain, lake and bog.  The result is a density comparable to China, India and Haiti.

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Oo91DNzZmJwsRyNdvt-K5nr_XvlbNTOXKLKsg-K5BsE/edit

 

========================

 

JSTOR Daily isn’t new to the biofuel conversation. Many contributors have written optimistically about the contributions of the biofuel industry to sustainable aviation, bringing back prairie landscapes, and even finding a new use for massive seaweed deposits. Biofuels made from corn, wheat, soy, rapeseed oil, palm oil, woody biomass—even algae—have been positioned as key transitional fuels on the pathway to net zero carbon emissions and to energy sovereignty. While this feels intrinsically environmentally positive, biofuels can also have serious implications for environmental justice and land-use competition, affecting food security, sustainable infrastructure, and land-based carbon sinks.

 

https://daily.jstor.org/biofuels-feeding-the-earth-or-feeding-the-engine/?utm_term=Biofuels%3A%20Feeding%20the%20Earth%20or%20Feeding%20the%20Engine&utm_campaign=jstordaily_08072024&utm_content=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_medium=email

 

=================

 

PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Archaeologists excavating the site of a church in southern Austria have unearthed a marble shrine containing a relic they believe may be tied to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments.

 

The archaeologists, from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, said in a press release that the shrine contained a 1,500-year-old ivory box, adorned with Christian motifs, that was discovered under an altar inside a chapel at the summit of Burgbichl, a small hill, in the municipality of Irschen.

 

Archaeologists from the university have been carrying out excavations in Irschen, part of the Carinthian Drava Valley, since 2016. “We know of around 40 ivory boxes of this kind worldwide and, as far as I know, the last  time one of these was found during excavations was around 100 years ago,” said  lead archaeologist Gerald Grabherr. “The few pyxes [boxes] that exist are either preserved in cathedral treasures or exhibited in museums.”

https://thetablet.org/archaeologists-discover-ancient-relic-believed-to-be-tied-to-moses-and-the-ten-commandments/?utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=314293646&utm_content=314293646&utm_source=hs_email

==================================

MANURE: The US produced 5,823,000 dry metric tons of biosolids—the end product of wastewater treatment plants—in 2018. In terms of its chemistry, the stuff is like your average dirt, albeit with a smell. In an ideal world, biosolids—potent fertilizers high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—would be returned to vegetable and dairy farms to replenish the nutrients we’ve extracted or grow the trees we cut. Scientists call this concept circular ecology, which is key to sustainable living in the 21st century. Yet at the moment, only half of our biosolids come back to farmlands. The other half rots in landfills, releasing greenhouse gases—or, worse, is shoved into incinerators that spit smoke into the air. The reasons for these wasteful approaches span from financial to logistical to the general yuck factor.

 

https://www.popsci.com/environment/human-poop-fertilizer/

 

=======================================

 

FLOWERS: But the truth is, whether purchased or picked, cut flowers don't last forever.

 

Here, gardening expert Sarah Raven has shared some of her simple tricks for keeping them fresh and healthy - meaning you can maximise their life span and enjoy them for longer.

 

How to keep cut flowers alive

 

Sear your stems, more at

 

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-keep-cut-flowers-alive-six-top-tips-for-long-lasting-vases-in-your-home?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

===============================

Jack’s project is entitled ‘Global carbon sinks and remote sensing for monitoring peatland restoration’. The case study focuses on an automated approach for mapping the rehabilitation of carbon sinks using satellite-based data of Irish raised bogs.

 

https://jesuit.ie/news/international-award-for-clongowes-student/

 

=============================

Environmental Project

 

Chris Barron in Rathmore, and Knocknagree Fairfield Committee have already done much to make our church

 

grounds ‘a haven for pollinators and biodiversity’ Kerry Diocesan Youth week encourages us to build on that work,

 

by mapping our church grounds.

 

In the weeks ahead we will seek to expand on what is already done. The avenue up to the Presbytery also offers

 

wonderful opportunities in this regard. We encourage young people to read the information provided below, and

 

forward their contact details to the Parish Office if you would like to become involved in this project. (

 

rathmore@dioceseofkerry.ie )

 

Church Grounds Mapping for Biodiversit

 

You might also like to watch this video from Heritage in Schools to give an idea of what a biodiversity map looks

 

like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kkwadM-MY0

 

With your group, walk the grounds and draw a simple map of the church grounds as they are now. Include the

 

church, the boiler- house etc.

 

Include any area that is covered in concrete/tarmac. Include any existing featuresi.e. flower beds, shrubs, trees,

 

hedges, stream, ponds. nesting sites, seating, carpark, bike stands.

 

• You have to take into account the following elements:

 

• Where is north and south in relation to the site?

 

• Make a note of the path of the sun from east to west

 

• Which direction is your prevailing wind coming from?

 

• Is there a slope and which direction is it facing?

 

• Is the site at the bottom of a hill, or in the shadow of any forestry or mountains?

 

• Is any of the land generally wet, or even liable to flooding?

 

• Using the above information assess, which areas on your map could be used for

 

biodiversity and planting projects? Remember this is only a wish list, so don’t let

 

barriers stop you from adding the elements, (e.g. a pond). Apply all the elements of

 

the site audit and don’t forget to use your imagination to think of any other potential ideas:

 

Herb area…….. Sensory area…….Quiet/meditation area…….Paths between………A living willow structure

 

native……..Compost area for grass cuttings, leaves, small twigs, branches……. Other ideas: e.g. bird/bat boxes, native

 

hedging, apple trees…….. Signage

 

“St. Francis asked that part of the friary garden always be left untouched, so that wildflowers and herbs could grow

 

there, and those who saw them could raise their minds to God, the Creator of such beauty.” – Pope Francis in Laudato

 

Si’, 12

 

Formulated by Kerry Earth Education Project for Sustainable Environmental Projects, Kerry Earth Education Project,

 

Gortbrack Organic Farm www.gortbrackorganicfarm.com

 

 

 

https://www.rathmoreparish.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Parish-Bulletin-21st-April-2024-.pdf

 

========================

Part of the challenge of decarbonizing the grid is spreading out electricity use so that not everyone is using energy at the same time. Currently many electricity grids rely on so-called “peaker plants”—high-emitting power plants that provide electricity when demand surges. With increased demand for AC, more carbon dioxide is emitted from the grid during the summer than at any other time of year.

 

https://time.com/collection/time-co2-futures/6767962/thermal-storage-climate-air-conditioning/

 

========================

 

A pro-Israel media watchdog is taking aim at CBC Kids for being an “unfettered platform for anti-Israel accusations.”

 

 

 

Plus, figures showing the expenditures for MPs were released in late March, showing that NDP leader Jagmeet Singh spends the most of all party leaders, while Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre spends much less than his counterparts.

 

 

 

https://tnc.news/2024/04/16/db-cbc-kids-hamas-crimes/

 

 

 

====================

 

LONDON- Afghanistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, with worsening droughts and flash flooding destroying livelihoods and fuelling hunger.

 

However, the Taliban's seizure of the country in 2021 means it has been excluded from global climate change talks and will not be represented at the COP28 summit starting in Dubai on Thursday.

 

Here's a look at Afghanistan's climate crisis and its wider repercussions:

 

https://www.context.news/climate-risks/heres-why-climate-change-in-afghanistan-has-global-repercussions

 

==================================

 

 

 

=================================

LAWN: I was shocked to learn that my cousins in a suburban community were fined by their homeowners association (HOA) for having clover in their lawn. Doing a little research I discovered this is not unusual; in fact many HOA’s have rules that forbid a wide array of beneficial species including native grasses and wildflowers.

 

https://life-craft.org/reconsider-your-lawn-today/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=catholic_news_pope_francis_revives_traditional_papal_title_patriarch_of_the_west_in_2024_annuario_pontificio&utm_term=2024-04-11

 

====================================

By Chris Baraniuk

 

23rd February 2024

 

From Australia to Ontario, cities are taking up unnecessary stretches of concrete and asphalt, allowing nature to take hold in their place.

 

 

 

 

 

On a hot July day, Katherine Rose picked up a sturdy metal pole and jammed it under the tempting lip of a pre-cut concrete slab. Rose, communications and engagement director at Depave, a non-profit in Portland, Oregon, was sweating in the heat – but she was going to win this fight.

 

 

 

The grubby, rectangular section of urban crust in front of her was about to move. Pushing down on her metal bar, applying it like a lever, she eased the concrete covering up and away. Now sunlight could fall once again on the ground below. A mess of gravel and dirt that was, to Rose, just bursting with potential.

 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240222-depaving-the-cities-replacing-concrete-with-earth-and-plants

 

 

 

 

 

"It feels like you're liberating soil," she says, recalling the summer gathering where she and around 50 volunteers removed roughly 1,670 sq m (18,000 sq ft) of concrete from the grounds of a local church. "It's envisioning and fully realising a dream that I think we all have," says Rose. The dream, that is, of bringing nature back into our midst.

 

 

 

====================================

One make-ahead meal I’ve been enjoying recently is a high-protein breakfast bake. I got the idea from a fella named Johnny Hadac on Instagram who serves up easy, affordable meal prep recipes for people looking to lose weight/eat better.

 

 

 

This breakfast bake takes about 15 minutes to prep. The thing that takes the most time is dicing up your veggies. Bake time is about 35 minutes.

 

 

 

When you’re done, you’ll have six tasty, high-protein, low-carb mini breakfast casseroles that will leave your belly feeling nice and full, but without a ton of calories.

 

https://www.artofmanliness.com/living/food-drink/make-a-week-of-cheap-easy-high-protein-breakfasts-in-less-than-an-hour/?mc_cid=04d1f55989

 

 

 

==================================

 

The press are interested in selling papers and the TV companies want to gain viewers. Threat of world-wide disaster makes a good story, and the statements and actions of politicians together with great increase in scientific publications gave global warming an apparent authority. The media began to proclaim the worst imagined horrors. For example, massive floods were predicted due to melting of polar ice. and one UK TV programme went so far as to assert that the polar bears would die out because their habitat would melt. The public rely on the media to provide them with their information, so they came to believe the global warming scare because they were only given one side of the story. Politicians respond to public concern, so the politicians actions began to gain popular support.

 

 

 

On face value global warming is an environmental issue. Many environmentalists joined the bandwagon. Governments were offering money and the public were concerned at global warming. Any environmental issue which could be linked to global warming was said to be involved in the matter. But the environmentalist interest was aroused by the impact of the issue. Contrary to common belief, environmentalists did not raise awareness of global warming, they responded to it. Simply, environmentalist organisations were part of the general public and decided to use the issue when it became useful to them.

 

 

 

http://john-daly.com/history.htm

 

 

 

-----------------------------------------------

authors later corrected the paper to say tree restoration was only “one of the most effective” solutions, and could suck down at most one-third of the atmospheric carbon, with large uncertainties.)

 

 

 

Crowther, who says his message was misinterpreted, put out a more nuanced paper last month, which shows that preserving existing forests can have a greater climate impact than planting trees. He then brought the results to COP28 to “kill greenwashing” of the kind that his previous study seemed to encourage—that is, using unreliable evidence on the benefits of planting trees as an excuse to keep on emitting carbon.

 

 

 

“Killing greenwashing doesn’t mean stop investing in nature,” he says. “It means doing it right. It means distributing wealth to the Indigenous populations and farmers and communities who are living with biodiversity.”

 

https://www.wired.co.uk/article/stop-planting-trees-thomas-crowther?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

============================

BATTERY: Benoit said that the bill to fix one car battery at his shop might run upwards of $10,000 — more than most consumers are willing to pay. Instead, he said, many choose to sell or donate their old vehicle for scrap and buy a brand new Tesla.

 

 

 

“It’s getting to the point where [the car] is almost like a consumable, like a TV,” Benoit said.

 

 

 

Benoit’s experience heralds a problem that early adopters of EVs, as well as electric micromobility devices like e-bikes and e-scooters, are beginning to face: These vehicles contain big, expensive batteries that will inevitably degrade or stop working over time. Repairing these batteries can have sustainability

 

https://grist.org/transportation/ev-battery-repair-is-dangerous-heres-why-mechanics-want-to-do-it-anyway/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

==============================

 

The Home Energy Saving Kit is available to borrow, free of charge, from selected libraries across Ireland.

 

 

 

Check where your energy is going

 

The kit contains five tools you can use to measure how your home uses energy and where energy might be escaping.

 

https://www.codema.ie/think-energy-home-hub/the-home-energy-saving-kit/

 

-----------------------------------------------

Common Joint Issues in Women

 

 

 

Regardless of your activity level, every woman is prone to joint issues. Some of the most common woes involve the lower extremities. “Knees are probably the most common, followed by hips, ankles and shoulders,” says Antonia F. Chen, M.D., associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School and director of arthroplasty research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Why the knees? Chen blames it on women’s anatomy, namely the angles of the bones from the hips through the knees and down to the ankles.

 

 

 

Of course, there are hereditary issues, like rheumatoid arthritis, that can be difficult to prevent. But even arthritis comes with good news. “Arthritis is manageable and treatable and shouldn’t be feared,” says Sridhar Yalamanchili, PT, MSPT, physical therapist with Atlantic Spine Center in West Orange, New Jersey.

 

https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/7-ways-to-keep-your-joints-healthy/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

 

 

---------------------------------------------

 

 

 

Meet the Old Irish Goats Who Are Helping Mitigate Wildfire Potential

 

 

 

The Goat Surf Club is about more than surfing, but that doesn’t mean the crew can’t dedicate quality time to finding the best surf spots on their trip to Ireland. In episode three of the new series from filmmaker Roo Smith, the three friends battle strong wind and cold waters off the Irish Coast before meeting up with the Old Irish Goat Society. The organization’s endangered goat herd is helping mitigate wildfire potential through conservation grazing in Mulranny, a village in County Mayo.

 

https://www.outsideonline.com/video/meet-the-old-irish-goats-who-are-helping-mitigate-wildfire-potential/

 

===============================

Pocket worthyStories to fuel your mind

 

How to Microwave Eggs 4 Different Ways

 

 

 

You're one minute away from poached perfection.

 

Good Housekeeping

 

 

 

    Gabriella Vigoreaux

 

 

 

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

 

Good Housekeeping

 

More from Good Housekeeping

 

 

 

    How to Get Rid of Milia Safely, According to Dermatologists

 

    I Don’t Need Meditation Apps. I Need Real, Genuine Solitude.

 

    How to Use Habit Stacking to Boost Your Productivity

 

 

 

bowl of eggs

 

Keiko Iwabuchi//Getty Images

 

 

 

Yes, making eggs on the stove is pretty simple, but the microwave can do the trick when you’re without full kitchen, in a rush, or just feeling lazy. When we experimented with four different methods in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, tasters in our blind test actually preferred the poached and hard-boiled eggs done in the microwave over the ones cooked on the stove!

 

 

 

Whether you’re in the mood for scrambled, poached, sunny-side up, or hard-boiled, here’s how to whip eggs any style with a few short zaps.

 

How to Make Scrambled Eggs in the Microwave

 

 

 

Compared to what you’d get from the stovetop, the microwave scramble tastes more like a broken-up omelet. They can soufflé up a bit, so you’ll see a bigger volume too.

 

 

 

    Crack two eggs in a mug. Add a splash of milk if you want them fluffier.

 

    Beat to combine.

 

    Microwave for 2 minutes on high, stopping and stirring in 30-second increments.

 

 

 

How to Make Poached Eggs in the Microwave

 

poached-eggs-royalty-free-image-829599390-1548874552.jpg

 

clubfoto//Getty Images

 

 

 

While the whites won’t fully wrap themselves around the yolk like they would in a pot with the whirlpool method, our tasters preferred this microwave version because of its perfectly cooked texture.

 

 

 

    Fill a bowl or mug with 1/2 cup water and slip in the egg, making sure it’s submerged.

 

    Lightly prick the center of the yolk with the tip of a knife.

 

    Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high 1 minute.

 

 

 

How to Make Sunny-Side Up Eggs in the Microwave

 

 

 

This is the fasted method we tried, with less than a minute of cooking time.

 

 

 

    Spray a microwave plate with cooking spray or lightly grease with butter.

 

    Crack an egg onto the plate and lightly prick the yolk with the tip of a knife.

 

    Microwave on high 45 seconds.

 

 

 

TIP: Your yolk might look runny and undercooked, but cut into it and you’ll probably find that it’s done.

 

How to Boil an Egg in the Microwave

 

hard-boiled-chicken-eggs-on-rustic-wooden-table-royalty-free-image-989213926-1548874648.jpg

 

ToscaWhi//Getty Images

 

 

 

Another win for the microwave: Our tasters truthfully preferred these zapped eggs over traditional hard-boiled ones, praising the “fudgy yellow yolk.” But note that you must use caution with this method. Make sure you reduce the microwave power to 50% when you cook the egg: The first time we tried this method, we used full power, and the egg exploded, which could cause injury.

 

 

 

    Microwave a bowl of water (deep enough to submerge the egg) for 3 minutes until hot.

 

    Lightly prick the bottom of the egg with a safety pin or thumbtack to prevent the egg from exploding.

 

    Place the egg into the bowl of hot water, cover with a plate, and microwave at 50% power for 4 minutes for a hard-boiled egg. Be sure to use 50% power to avoid exploding the egg. (If you like a runnier yolk, experiment with your microwave at 50% power for 2.5 to 3 minutes.)

 

    Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking and to make the egg cool enough to handle before peeling.

 

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-to-microwave-eggs-4-different-ways?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb

 

===================================

 

 

Britain Is Building The World's Largest Tidal Power Project

 

https://youtu.be/R-CCOjwn46Y?si=6thvTHEGK7bI7--h

 

 

 

===================================================================

 

 

 

=====================

 

Film Notes

 

 

 

The Hollywood sign, the film industry’s most celebrated and evocative symbol, was built on the slopes of Mount Lee in 1923, when much of today’s Los Angeles did not yet exist. Not many know that the sign was then conceived as part of a massive marketing campaign to publicise an elegant new real estate development called Hollywoodland, created in the hills north of the Hollywood district by a syndicate of wealthy entrepreneurs, including “Los Angeles Times” publisher Harry Chandler. The grandiose sign, spelling out the name Hollywoodland in large letters, was built with tons of metal sheets, hundreds of telegraph poles, and thousands of light bulbs that were intermittently illuminating it at night. Intended to be dismantled just after 18 months, it soon became too popular to be torn down and remained standing, until in 1949 it lost its final “land” portion, which had by then deteriorated beyond repair. On 27 November 1923, Fox News cameraman Blaine Walker climbed the hills around Mount Lee and filmed “the largest sign in the world” nearing completion. These unique images convey the grand scale and ambition of the project, as well as the labour needed to carry it out, and won’t fail to impress the viewer.

 

 

 

Daniela Currò

 

https://festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/en/film/hollywood-sign-outtakes/

 

===========================

ABOUT US

 

 

 

Place your trust in DP Solutions LTD, we have been established for many years providing a wide range of electrical work all over the world. Due to our determination, hard work and commitment our company is recognised for its success.

 

 

 

We take pride in our reputation as oil and gas specialists based in the UK. We work very hard to maintain our quality of service and strive to keep it where it is. At DP Solutions LTD we can assure you that you will be more than satisfied with our work, professionalism and efficiency.

 

https://dpsolutions.uk/

 

===========================

 

Onshore wind and solar

 

 

 

Whilst large scale offshore wind projects can deliver significant volumes of renewable energy and has a huge role to play in our future energy mix, onshore wind and solar PV also have a parallel role to play in the race to decarbonise. DP Energy is developing both ‘offshore wind scale’ multi hundred MW wind and solar projects onshore in Australia and Canada (including a 450MW wind project in mid Queensland, and a 325MW solar project in Alberta) and smaller distribution scale projects (sub 50MW) across both of these markets. DP Energy believes there is a need for a balance of generation asset sizes at different levels within the electricity network and a balance of technologies. At a smaller scale, DP Energy is actively supporting the proposed Buttevant Solar Farm, a 5MW community led project. Such local renewable projects enable people to engage directly with the technology, and contribute directly to our mutual decarbonisation goal and should be an important part of the renewables mix.

 

https://www.energyireland.ie/dp-energy-leading-ireland-to-a-cleaner-renewable-future/

 

 

 

==============================

 

Tue, 21 Sep, 2021 - 12:09

 

Alan Healy

 

Social share

 

 

 

Cork energy firm DP Energy has completed work on Australia's largest hybrid wind-solar farm with Spanish firm Iberdrola.

 

 

 

The Port Augusta Renewable Energy Park in South Australia saw the installation of its final wind turbine this week.

 

 

 

It comprises 50 wind turbines and 250,000 solar panels to produce 320MW of renewable energy.

 

 

 

Headquartered in Buttevant the company has submitted foreshore site investigation licences for three offshore wind projects around the Irish Coast, off Cork, Clare, and Wexford.

 

 

 

DP Energy is also partnering with Iberdrola for the development of these Irish projects.

 

 

 

DP Energy’s first wind farm project was completed in Tyrone in 1995, and since then the company has delivered energy projects in Ireland, Australia, Canada, and the UK.

 

 

 

The company is led by co-founders Maureen and Simon De Pietro — a mother and son partnership.

 

https://www.irishexaminer.com/business/companies/arid-40702832.html

 

 

 

====================================

 

DP Energy is also expanding another solar farm proposed for Medicine Hat from 200 MW to 300 MW.

 

 

 

Kerr said the Calgary and Medicine Hat projects are unique to the company because they are located within city limits. The company has been involved in wind power generation for 25 years with facilities in the UK and Ireland and one in Ontario.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-solar-energy-dpenergy-1.5403001

 

 

 

 

 

A spokesperson for the Alberta Utilities Commission says DP Energy has not yet filed its application with the regulatory agency.

 

 

 

The agency says approximately 35 solar projects have been approved by the commission for a total of 1,300 MW.  However, the spokesperson points out, approval does not guarantee construction.

 

========================================

 

============================

N22 Macroom & Ballyvourney bypass Sept 23

 

Aindrias Moynihan

 

189 subscribers

 

386 views  Sep 22, 2023

 

DJI drone footage with day and night views of the new N22 Macroom and Ballyvourney bypass. Flying west to east during mid September 2023, this clip covers the western tie in at Sliabh Riabhach, bypassing Ballyvourney village and eastward to the meet the recently opened section at the Tonn Láin junction immediately east of Ballyvourney village.

 

Road signage, sound barriers along with road surfaces suggest the near completed state of construction.

 

This 6-7km section of the new road includes

 

The big cut at Sliabh Riabhach, over 30m deep and nearly 1km long;

 

The largest structure along the entire new road, the 120m bridge over both Abha na Biochaille and a local road;

 

2 pedestrian underpasses including the Beara/Brefni way

 

2 over bridges and multiple underpasses

 

 

 

Leirionn an clip seo an dul chun cinn deanta leis an mbothar nua N22 mórthimpeal Baile Mhuirne. Síneann sé 6-7km soir ón Sliabh Riabhach, mórthimpeal Baile Mhuirne agus Baile Mhic Íre, go dtí an Tonn Láin. Tá an droichead is mó ann.Thar Abha na Biochaille. Tá an gearradh mór tríd cnoc Sliabh Riabhach. Dhá droichead thar an mbóthar agus dhá cosán coise faoin mbóthar, ina measc siúloid Ó Suillabhan Beara.

 

https://youtu.be/r8To0FK-ebA?si=I-Ezh9sh-bJw8UXO

 

=============================

 

Global greenhouse gas emissions at all-time high, study finds

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jun/08/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-at-all-time-high-study-finds

 

===================

 

Carbon emissions of richest 1 percent more than double the emissions of the poorest half of humanity

Published: 21st September 2020

Learn more

Tackling the climate crisis

Climate and Food Crisis in East & West Africa

The fight against hunger must top the EU agenda for a fair and green recovery

Cyclone Harold and Covid-19: Disaster and Inequality in the Pacific

 

 

The richest one percent of the world’s population are responsible for more than twice as much carbon pollution as the 3.1 billion people who made up the poorest half of humanity during a critical 25-year period of unprecedented emissions growth.

 

Oxfam’s new report, ‘Confronting Carbon Inequality,’ is based on research conducted with the Stockholm Environment Institute and is being released as world leaders prepare to meet at the UN General Assembly to discuss global challenges including the climate crisis.

 

The report assesses the consumption emissions of different income groups between 1990 and 2015 – 25 years when humanity doubled the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It found:  

 

    The richest 10 percent accounted for over half (52 percent) of the emissions added to the atmosphere between 1990 and 2015. The richest one percent were responsible for 15 percent of emissions during this time – more than all the citizens of the EU and more than twice that of the poorest half of humanity (7 percent).

    

    During this time, the richest 10 percent blew one third of our remaining global 1.5C carbon budget, compared to just 4 percent for the poorest half of the population. The carbon budget is the amount of carbon dioxide that can be added to the atmosphere without causing global temperatures to rise above 1.5C – the goal set by governments in the Paris Agreement to avoid the very worst impacts of uncontrolled climate change.

    

    Annual emissions grew by 60 percent between 1990 and 2015. The richest 5 percent were responsible for over a third (37 percent) of this growth. The total increase in emissions of the richest one percent was three times more than that of the poorest 50 percent.

 

 

Tim Gore, Head of Climate Policy at Oxfam and author of the report said: “The over-consumption of a wealthy minority is fuelling the climate crisis yet it is poor communities and young people who are paying the price. Such extreme carbon inequality is a direct consequence of our governments decades long pursuit of grossly unequal and carbon intensive economic growth.”

 

Carbon emissions are likely to rapidly rebound as governments ease Covid-related lockdowns. If emissions do not keep falling year on year and carbon inequality is left unchecked the remaining carbon budget for 1.5C will be entirely depleted by 2030. However, carbon inequality is so stark the richest 10 percent would blow the carbon budget by 2033 even if all other emissions were cut to zero.

 

During 2020, and with around 1C of global heating, climate change has fuelled deadly cyclones in India and Bangladesh, huge locust swarms that have devastated crops across Africa and unprecedented heatwaves and wildfires across Australia and the US.  No one is immune but it is the poorest and most marginalized people who are hardest hit. For example, women are at increased risk of violence and abuse in the aftermath of a disaster.

 

‘Confronting Carbon Inequality’ estimates that the per capita emissions of the richest 10 percent will need to be around 10 times lower by 2030 to keep the world on track for just 1.5C of warming – this is equivalent to cutting global annual emissions by a third. Even reducing the per capita emissions of the richest 10 percent to the EU average would cut annual emissions by over a quarter.

 

Governments can tackle both extreme inequality and the climate crisis if they target the excessive emissions of the richest and invest in poor and vulnerable communities. For example, a recent study found that the richest 10 percent of households use almost half (45 percent) of all the energy linked to land transport and three quarters of all energy linked to aviation. Transportation accounts for around a quarter of global emissions today, while SUVs were the second biggest driver of global carbon emissions growth between 2010 and 2018.

https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-richest-1-percent-more-double-emissions-poorest-half-humanity

================================

WATER: Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine having a conference on water quality taking place from November 7-9, this year, at the Clayton Whites Hotel in Wexford town, with attendees drawn from scientists, regulators, and practitioners engaged with water quality and gaseous emissions in agricultural river catchments.

PLANNING: The number of landowners who have lodged appeals with an Bord Pleanála over the inclusion of their land in Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) maps has jumped from six to 600 in the space of just three weeks.

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/big-increase-in-number-of-landowners-lodging-rzlt-appeals/

-----------------------------------

BIRD FOOD: The establishment deadline has been moved to May 31, winter bird food crop time for establishment has been extended under the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme.

GREEN Party Senator Pauline O’Reilly praised the commissioner for stating that Europe and Ireland had previously got it wrong in pushing for a particular form of agriculture, which she said had done a disservice to farmers given the direction of policy today.

   “It is really important to point out that nobody is pointing the finger at farmers. I hear this quite a lot and it boils my blood slightly.

“People are playing politics with farmers’ lives and with the climate. No Green Party member will ever point the finger at a farmer.

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/mcguinness-some-farming-policy-choices-were-not-the-right-ones/

========================

Solar flares are happening a lot more. How you'll know if one's a problem.

"It's the space equivalent of hurricane season."

 

https://mashable.com/article/solar-flares-sun-active-why?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=catholic_news_pope_francis_on_monday_of_the_angel_easter_monday_share_the_good_news_of_christ_s_resurrection_with_others&utm_term=2023-04-10

 

-----------------------------

Referencing Ireland’s target of 51 % reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 – and specifically in relation to agriculture’s target reductions of 25% by 2030, Minister McConalogue said the focus for agriculture is “on reducing nitrogen and methane emissions, while increasing carbon capture and storage”.

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/goal-to-produce-world-class-milk-with-lower-emissions-minister/

 

---

By: Katrina Gulliver- April 27, 2023

 

The meaning of a tanned body has evolved in the West over the course of three centuries. As scholars Phillip Vannini and Aaron M. McCright explain, in the eighteenth century, “tanned skin connoted humble class origins, as most unskilled workers and farmers would be tanned from protracted sun exposure during the workday.”

 

Today, however, we’re bombarded with ads for vacations and swimwear presenting tanned bodies as aspirational: healthy, attractive, and affluent.

 

It was in the twentieth century that meaning of tanned skin flipped. The fashionability of tanning rose with the popularity of outdoor leisure, particularly for women. After the 1920s, browned summer skin symbolized wealth rather than field work: someone with the freedom to play tennis or go to the beach. Tanning became a fashion imperative, especially after Coco Chanel stated, “The 1929 girl must be tanned. A golden tan is the index of chic!”

https://daily.jstor.org/the-meaning-of-tanning/?utm_term=The%20Meaning%20of%20Tanning&utm_campaign=jstordaily_04272023&utm_content=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_medium=email

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'What Percent Of Our Atmosphere Is CO2?': Doug LaMalfa Stumps Entire Panel With Climate Questions

.04% was the figure in my head before this guy even said it - I'm not a Climate 'Scientist' nor a Global Warming alarmism advocate and I guessed this correctly whilst these guys weren't even within 2 decimal places of the correct answer!  Now how does anyone expect them to know the maths to determine how much their policies are going to negatively impact the economy and everyone's lives?  "Oh but don't concern yourself with that - we're saving you all (from a non-existent threat)".

https://youtu.be/bJfrKNR3K2k

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Flying to Ireland to inhale the seaside air as you drive a golf ball into the scenic distance. Crossing the country to reach your enormous yacht, which is ready for your Hudson River pleasure cruise. Hosting a governor’s wife on your very own aircraft. These are only a few of the joys that the richest Americans have experienced in recent years through their private jets. And what made them all the sweeter is that they came with a tax write-off. ------------------------------------------

 

 

two planes netted them a tax deduction of $14 million.

 

Tony Alvarez in 2008 Credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters/Alamy Stock Photo

 

 

 

Last August, their Gulfstream V took off from Westchester County Airport in New York state for Ireland. About an hour later, their Gulfstream IV left for the same destination, a small airport in County Kerry near their club. Both planes can comfortably seat over a dozen passengers, but flight records don’t show who was on board. Over the coming month and a half, the two planes crisscrossed the Atlantic several times.

https://www.propublica.org/article/private-jets-yachts-wealthy-tax-deductions-irs-files?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

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Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial processes contribute largely to the greenhouse effect and climate change. One of these industries is the cement industry, which contributes around 8% of CO2 emissions caused by mankind. Two promising and interesting ways to reduce CO2 emission are the utilization of alternative cementitious materials and carbon capture and utilization through CO2 mineralization. In this study, peat-wood fly ashes from fluidized bed combustion were used as a construction material for mineral carbonation. A self-hardening characteristic of this type of fly ash was utilized, and simultaneous carbonation and hydration reactions were studied. The study showed that fly ashes from the fluidized bed combustion of peat and wood could be used to capture and mineralize CO2 during hydration reactions.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342132985_Direct_carbonation_of_peat-wood_fly_ash_for_carbon_capture_and_utilization_in_construction_application

 

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China’s pollution scourge has its roots in trade agreements set in motion by President Bill Clinton in the early 1990s that allowed U.S. companies to take advantage of cheap labor and lax environmental standards in the world’s most populous nation—where coal energy reigns supreme. Many times the United States helped China finance dirty sources of energy.

 

As much as one-third of China’s carbon load on the atmosphere can be traced to exports of cheap clothes, electronics, machinery and other goods consumed by Americans and Europeans, experts say.

https://insideclimatenews.org/news/06032014/us-trade-deals-90s-set-china-pollution-haven/

 

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A Bold Plan to Beam Solar Energy Down From Space

The European Space Agency is exploring a unique way to dramatically cut carbon emissions by tapping sunlight closer to the source.

https://www.wired.com/story/a-bold-plan-to-beam-solar-energy-down-from-space/?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB

 

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These staggering numbers came at a huge cost.

 

In the last two decades, Indonesia lost nearly 25 million acres of forest, an area larger than the entire country of Ireland. Roughly a third of that deforestation was caused by palm oil, according to a 2022 study. In Borneo, an island split among Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, the palm oil industry caused roughly 40 percent of deforestation between 2000 and 2018, or roughly 6 million acres of forest loss. That’s almost five times the size of Delaware. --------------------------------

“We can now see deforestation in near-real time,” said David Gaveau, a landscape ecologist at TheTreeMap, a research organization, and lead author of the 2022 paper on palm-driven deforestation. “It’s not the Wild West it used to be.”

https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2023/2/2/23568192/palm-oil-deforestation-sustainable?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB