Weird

Hundreds Of Companies Call For U.S. To Slash Carbon Emissions

Really Simple Syndication

Tim Cook, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., speaks during an event in 2018. Apple is one of 310 companies calling on the Biden administration to slash carbon emissions.; Credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Eric McDaniel | NPR More than 300 businesses have signed an open letter calling on the Biden administration to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States to at least half of 2005 levels by 2030. That would nearly double a previous target set by former President Barack Obama in 2015, who pledged a 25 to 28% reduction by 2025. The United States is not currently on track to meet either goal. The signatories include some of largest companies in the United States, including Walmart, Apple, McDonald’s and Starbucks. “A bold 2030 target is needed to catalyze a zero-emissions future, spur a robust economic recovery, create millions of well-paying jobs, and allow the U.S. to ‘build back better’ from the pandemic,” the letter said, echoing the president’s economic recovery slogan. A 50% reduction target would put the Biden administration in line with what groups such as the United Nations and National Academies of Science say is necessary to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change. In a March statement calling for the same reductions target, the environmental advocacy group Natural Resources Defense Council said such a plan would “help pull the country out of the pandemic-induced recession by putting millions of Americans to work” and inspire more ambitious international climate action ahead of a major United Nations climate conference this November. Like President Joe Biden’s campaign promise to guide the United States to carbon-neutrality by the middle of the century, a 50% emissions reduction target would require steeper emissions cuts than the country has ever achieved. In 2019, greenhouse gas emissions were approximately 13% below 2005 levels, a decrease of just 1.8% from the previous year. The Biden administration has identified climate action as one of its top four

Science

U.S., China Agree To Cooperate On Climate Crisis With Urgency

Really Simple Syndication

The Associated Press | NPR SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States and China, the world’s two biggest carbon polluters, agreed to cooperate to curb climate change with urgency, just days before President Joe Biden hosts a virtual summit of world leaders to discuss the issue. The agreement was reached by U.S. special envoy for climate John Kerry and his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua during two days of talks in Shanghai last week, according to a joint statement. The two countries “are committed to cooperating with each other and with other countries to tackle the climate crisis, which must be addressed with the seriousness and urgency that it demands,” the statement said. China is the world’s biggest carbon emitter, followed by the United States. The two countries pump out nearly half of the fossil fuel fumes that are warming the planet’s atmosphere. Their cooperation is key to a success of global efforts to curb climate change, but frayed ties over human rights, trade and China’s territorial claims to Taiwan and the South China Sea have been threatening to undermine such efforts. Meeting with reporters in Seoul on Sunday, Kerry said the language in the statement is “strong” and that the two countries agreed on “critical elements on where we have to go.” But the former secretary of state said, “I learned in diplomacy that you don’t put your back on the words, you put on actions. We all need to see what happens.” Noting that China is the world’s biggest coal user, Kerry said he and Chinese officials had a lot of discussions on how to accelerate a global energy transition. “I have never shied away from expressing our views shared by many, many people that it is imperative to reduce coal, everywhere,” he said. Biden has invited 40 world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, to the April 22-23 summit. The U.S. and other countries are expected to announce more ambitious national targets

Weird

Student so scared of DIY he paid tradesman £180 to change batteries

Oliver Jones

Sam blames Covid for his lack of confidence when it comes to DIY (Picture: JustFix) A student has confessed to paying a tradesman £180 just to change the batteries in his carbon monoxide alarm, fearing he might get it wrong. Sam Daley told Metro he does not want to speak to anyone on the phone. He also lacks the confidence to negotiate, even though he studies law part time. Sam, from Nottingham, said: ‘There are skills that have been lost throughout the years, and it’s not just me. This anxiety has forced the 22-year-old hospitality worker to turn to an app for help even for the most mundane tasks like swapping batteries. ‘Especially with Covid-19 hitting us, it has taken two years out of my life, I guess in theory I could’ve used that for learning practical skills but I was a teenager at the time. ‘I have got to the point now when I have got so used to using Amazon and stuff I’m less inclined to figure things out for myself and I outsource that to other people. ‘I could learn how to do it, but it is too easy to go on the apps.’ Sam sourced a tradesman through JustFix – which matches people with tradesmen in their local area – and paid them £180 to put up a shelf and change the batteries. Sam said both he and his girlfriend lack confidence with ringing people up and would rather use an app (Picture: JustFix) He explained that he uses apps like ‘for everything and I have to call someone out for absolutely every job’. ‘I live in a house with my girlfriend and I had to use it to get someone in to put up a shelf,’ he added. ‘I even had to have someone in to replace the battery in a carbon monoxide alarm, which I subsequently found out is an easy thing to do – it’s just screwing things in. ‘I just feel lost with DIY as

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