Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002

Daily Archives: September 20, 2021

United in Science 2021

A multi-organization high-level compilation of the latest climate science information – “This report has been compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on behalf of the United Nations Secretary General to bring together the latest climate science related updates from a group of key global partner organizations: WMO, Global Carbon Project (GCP), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Health Organization (WHO), the Met Office (United Kingdom, UK) and the jointly sponsored WMO/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO/International Science Council (ISC) and World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). The content of each chapter is attributable to each respective entity…

This is a critical year for climate action. This report by the United Nations and global scientific partner organizations provides a holistic assessment of the most recent climate science. The result is an alarming appraisal of just how far off course we are. We are still significantly off-schedule to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. This year has seen fossil fuel emissions bounce back, greenhouse gas concentrations continuing to rise and severe human-enhanced weather events that have affected health, lives and livelihoods on every continent. Unless there are immediate, rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, limiting warming to 1.5°C will be impossible, with catastrophic consequences for people and the planet on which we depend.  This report is clear. Time is running out. For the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, known as COP26, to be a turning point, we need all countries to commit to net zero emissions by 2050, backed up by concrete long-term strategies, and enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) which collectively cut global emissions by 45 per cent by 2030, compared to 2010 levels.  We need a breakthrough on protecting people and their livelihoods, with at least half of all public climate finance committed to building resilience and helping people adapt. And we need much greater solidarity, including full delivery of the longstanding climate finance pledge to help developing countries take climate action. There is no alternative if we are to achieve a safer, more sustainable and prosperous future for all…”

Your car knows too much about you. That could be a privacy nightmare.

Mashable: “The car you drive says more about you than you think. Over the last few decades, technology has given drivers remarkable improvements in both safety and convenience — but it has also turned cars into data-gathering machines. What information is collected, and where it ends up, is not always clear to car owners. That’s… Continue Reading

Rent Debt in America: Stabilizing Renters Is Key to Equitable Recovery

National Equity Atlas: “Our rent debt dashboard, produced in partnership with the Right to the City Alliance, equips policymakers and advocates with data on the extent and nature of rent debt in their communities to inform policies to eliminate debt and prevent the looming crisis of mass eviction. Mounting rent debt and the potential for mass… Continue Reading

9 advanced Zoom tricks to use now that you’re an old pro

Fast Company: “You’ve just wrapped up your ten-thousandth Zoom meeting to little fanfare. No balloons dropping from the ceiling. No confetti. No airhorns. No, nothing but the satisfaction of knowing that thanks to a global pandemic and recent advancements in video telephony, you are now officially a Zoom pro. And while we’ve already covered basic… Continue Reading

Rare first-edition copy of US Constitution could fetch $20 million

CNN: “An exceptionally rare first-edition printed copy of the US Constitution is going on sale in New York, with Sotheby’s auction house expecting bids up to $20 million. It is one of just 11 surviving copies — and the last in private hands — from the first printing of the document’s final text, produced for… Continue Reading