LIVE
Home Blog Page 2022

Just In: Greece Fires Under Control As Reconstruction Begins

Angel Gimalo
-
0
Just In: Greece Fires Under Control As Reconstruction Begins

Fires burning for over a week that caused Greece’s worst ecological disaster in decades were finally placed under control Friday, the fire department said.

“As of yesterday, there is no major active front, just scattered pockets,” a fire department spokesman told AFP.

Rain and falling temperatures helped the fire-dousing effort, but crews remain on alert for possible flare-ups in hard-to-access ravines on the island of Evia and in the region of Arcadia in the Peloponnese, the spokesman said.

But with high winds forecast for the weekend, the bulk of a huge multinational force that assisted Greek firefighters this week remains in place, civil protection spokesman Spyros Georgiou said.

“They are helping to monitor the perimeters of burned areas in Evia and Arcadia, which are many kilometres (miles) long,” he said.

“Many of them are actually requesting to remain,” Georgiou said.

Hundreds of homes and many businesses have been destroyed in Evia, Arcadia and the outskirts of Athens in the prolonged fire wave that struck Greece from late July and intensified last week, during the worst heatwave in decades.

Greece is just one of a number of countries in the Mediterranean region that have been hit by a savage fire season.

Heatwaves have become more likely due to climate change, scientists say.

Heatwaves have become more likely due to climate change, scientists say. As global temperatures rise over time, heatwaves are predicted to become more frequent and intense, and their impacts more widespread.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday described the infernos as Greece’s “greatest ecological disaster in decades”.

He pledged hundreds of millions of euros in reconstruction, reforestation and flood prevention works.

“(Recovery funds) will begin to be disbursed in a few days… and they will be greater than ever before, to all those affected,” the prime minister told a news conference Thursday.

The government has come under withering criticism from locals in stricken areas whose income from agricultural products and tourism has been wiped out.

There have been growing calls for the resignation of top public safety officials who as recently as June had insisted that the country was well-prepared.

Mitsotakis on Thursday said the country had battled some 600 blazes in a week, some of them “mega fires”.

But he admitted: “It seemed that this particular phenomenon exceeded our capabilities and the preparations put in place.”

Sweden Building Europe’s First Orbital Launch Site For Satellites

Angel Gimalo
-
0
Sweden Building Europe’s First Orbital Launch Site For Satellites

Over the past year, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has made it known that he dreams of incorporating a new city near the company’s Boca Chica, Texas, launch site into a city called Starbase.

While the idea of creating a space-age haven just miles from where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf of Mexico is an as-of-yet unrealized vision, a similar spaceport halfway around the world—and in the polar opposite climate—might just serve as some inspiration as the commercial space race heats up.

Near Kiruna, Sweden, north of the Arctic Circle, Esrange Space Center is taking shape thanks to revitalization efforts overseen by the publicly-owned Swedish Space Corporation.

With companies in the U.S. and Europe hoping to significantly increase the number of commercial satellites launched into space this decade, the Arctic space research center first handed over to Sweden by the European Space Agency in 1972 has taken on a renewed sense of purpose.

WOODS AND A BUILDING

Taking off from above the Arctic Circle has its advantages, as launching into polar orbit over the North and South poles gives satellites a more comprehensive view of Earth, while requiring less energy for a satellite to actually get into space. 

Although Americans likely picture Florida or Texas as the place to launch rockets, taking off from above the Arctic Circle has its advantages. Launching into polar orbit over the North and South poles gives satellites a more comprehensive view of Earth, while requiring less energy for a satellite to actually get into space.

That’s not to mention the 2,000-square-mile landing zone a relatively remote location like Esrange has to offer—especially critical given the facility’s plans to test Europe’s first reusable rocket by the end of 2022.

Beyond its natural attributes, the area around Kiruna already has an infrastructural head start when it comes to space travel.

The Swedes have used the site for a variety of space research projects over the years, and the country’s top scientific minds are already familiar with the area thanks to the Swedish Institute of Space Physics.

The space engineering Ph.D. program at Lulea University of Technology and a specialized Space High School program in Kirun also attract the next generation of (literal) rocket scientists to the area. That’s on top of the hotel, church, and visitor’s center, all of which can expect to see more activity in the near future.

OUTSIDE THE ESRANGE SPACE CENTER OFFICES

There should be no shortage of interested parties on hand as Esrange ramps up its efforts to become Europe’s preeminent launching pad for orbital rockets.

German rocketry startups (one of which, ISAR Aerospace Technologies, secured $100 million in funding from an ex-SpaceX VP) are already on site testing out engines, and more are sure to follow once the launchpads that will carry orbital rockets beyond Earth’s atmosphere are completed.

Though the effort is certainly ambitious (and has elicited occasional concerns from locals who appreciate the area’s vast wilderness), the Swedish Space Corporation believes Esrange is vital not just for the Scandinavian country’s ambitions but for the continent as a whole.

“Europe really needs to build infrastructure to get to space,” Swedish Space Corporation senior VP Stefan Gustafsson told the Times. “We can provide a proper space base.” Whether or not that ends up being the case should be clearer by the end of 2022. But if Sweden’s plan to launch commercial satellites into orbit ends up paying dividends, don’t be surprised if spaceports are the next major infrastructural frontier.

UK College Sector Demands More Funding To Cope With Demand Amid High GCSE Grades

Precious Obazee
-
0
UK College Sector Demands More Funding To Cope With Demand Amid High GCSE Grades

Education leaders in the UK say the Government must provide extra funding to help sixth forms cope with a surge in demand for places after record numbers of students were awarded top GCSE grades.

The proportion of GCSE UK entries awarded the top grades – at least a 7 or an A – reached an all-time high (28.9%) this year after results were determined by teachers amid cancelled exams.

Some 77.1% of UK entries achieved at least a 4 or a C – another record high, compared to 76.3% in 2020 and 67.3% in 2019.

Deputy chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, James Kewin, called on ministers to boost funding for sixth forms so they can expand, as well as support students who may need additional help when they start their post-16 qualifications in the autumn after Covid-19 disruption.

He told the PA news agency that the growing popularity of many sixth forms and colleges coupled with the demographic increase in 16 to 18-year-olds has meant that many institutions are already at or near full capacity.

Kewin criticised the Government for not providing more catch-up support to sixth form students who have been affected by months of missed learning.

He said many students that have received their GCSE results this week will need additional support when they enter the sixth form.

General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Geoff Barton, said it is unclear at this stage what impact this week’s GCSE results will have on applications for school sixth forms and sixth form colleges.

U.S. Data: July, Hottest Month Ever Recorded On Earth

Angel Gimalo
-
0
U.S. Data: July, Hottest Month Ever Recorded On Earth

July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, according to data released by the US.

The US National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) says the combined land and ocean-surface temperature around the world was 1.67 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average of 15.8 C.

The US National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA) findings come after the EU’s climate monitoring programme said last month was the second hottest in Europe on record and the third hottest ever globally.

According to NOAA, the combined land and ocean-surface temperature around the world was 1.67 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average of 15.8 C.

This temperature breaks by 0.02 degrees the previous record set in 2016 and then matched in 2019 and 2020.

“July is typically the world’s warmest month of the year, but July 2021 outdid itself as the hottest July and month ever recorded. This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”

Exxonmobil, Shell, BP Other Oil Companies To Pay Negative Tax On Fossil Fuel Extraction

Angel Gimalo
-
1
Exxonmobil, Shell, BP Other Oil Companies To Pay Negative Tax On Fossil Fuel Extraction

Some of the world’s biggest oil companies are currently paying negative tax on their fossil fuel extraction and production operations in the North Sea.

Official data published by the UK government-backed Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative shows that in the tax year 2019-20, ExxonMobil received £117m in total from HMRC, Shell got £110m, and BP received £39m.

A third of all significant energy companies operating in the North Sea paid negative tax last year.

This is possible in large part because of a UK tax policy that was brought in just a few months after the Paris climate accord was agreed in 2015.

The policy allows oil and gas companies to claim back public money in order to help with decommissioning rigs and infrastructure as the UK progresses towards its net-zero carbon emissions targets.

Since the Paris agreement, Exxon has received net tax repayments of £360m on its North Sea operations, BP £490m, and Shell £400m, rounded to the nearest 10 million.

Axe Dating Back 1.3 Million Years Unearthed In Morocco

Angel Gimalo
-
0
Axe Dating Back 1.3 Million Years Unearthed In Morocco

Archaeologists in Morocco have announced the discovery of North Africa’s oldest Stone Age hand-axe manufacturing site, dating back 1.3 million years.

This “major discovery … contributes to enriching the debate on the emergence of the Acheulian in Africa”, said Abderrahim Mohib, co-director of the Franco-Moroccan Prehistory of Casablanca programme.

Before the find, the presence in Morocco of the Acheulian stone tool industry was thought to date back 700,000 years.

New finds at the Thomas Quarry I site, first made famous in 1969 when a human half mandible was discovered in a cave, mean the Acheulian there is almost twice as old.

The 17-strong team behind the discovery comprised Moroccan, French and Italian researchers, and their finding is based on the study of stone tools extracted from the site.

Moroccan archaeologist Abdelouahed Ben Ncer called the news a “chronological rebound”.

He said the beginning of the Acheulian in Morocco is now close to the South and East African start dates of 1.6 million and 1.8 million years ago respectively.

Earlier humans had made do with more primitive pebble tools, known as Oldowan after their East African type site.

TETFund Expends N2.5 Trillion On Tertiary Institutions in 10 Years

Precious Obazee
-
0
TETFund Expends N2.5 Trillion On Tertiary Institutions in 10 Years

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has injected more than N2.5 trillion in the development of infrastructure and staff development in public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria in the last 10 years.

Chairman, Board of Trustees of TETFund, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, who stated this on Thursday, at the 3rd edition of Tax Payers Forum with the theme: TETFUND Intervention: Catalyst for Transforming Tertiary Education in Nigeria” in Lagos, also disclosed that the agency is targeting more than N500 billion education tax collections by 2023.

He also promised to ensure that intervention to the beneficiary institutions would be increased by 50 per cent next year and 100 per cent in two years.

Ibrahim-Imam, disclosed that for this year alone, TETFund budgeted the sum of N300 billion to over 226 higher institutions across the country in 2021.

He noted that the agency had budgeted N120 billion to education in 2020, adding that this was increased to N300 billion in 2021, while tasking the Federal Inland Revenue Service on increasing the education tax collection to N500 billion in the next two years.

According to him, more than N30 billion was set aside for academic staff training in the various institutions across the country.

Original Technique Seamlessly Converts Ammonia To Green Hydrogen

Angel Gimalo
-
0
Original Technique Seamlessly Converts Ammonia To Green Hydrogen

A research team, led by Professor Guntae Kim in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has announced a breakthrough in technology that efficiently converts liquid ammonia into hydrogen.

A research team, led by Professor Guntae Kim in the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering at UNIST has announced a breakthrough in technology that efficiently converts liquid ammonia into hydrogen. Their findings have also attracted significant attention from academic research communities owing to its new analysis protocol, capable of finding optimal process environments.

In this study, the research team succeeded in producing green hydrogen (H2) in large quantities with a purity of nearly 100 percent by decomposing liquid ammonia (NH3) into electricity. Besides, according to the research team, such method consumed three times less power than hydrogen made using electrolysis of water.

Ammonia has emerged as an attractive potential hydrogen carrier due to its extremely high energy density, and ease of storage and handling.

Moreover, the electrolysis of ammonia to produce nitrogen and hydrogen only requires an external voltage of 0.06 V theoretically, which is much lower than the energy needed for water electrolysis (1.23 V), noted the research team.

In this study, the research team propose a well-established procedure using in operando gas chromatography that enables us to reliably compare and evaluate the new catalyst for ammonia oxidation.

According to the research team, with the protocol, they could distinguish in detail the competitive oxidation reaction between the ammonia oxidation and oxygen evolution reactions with real-time monitoring.

Nigeria Ready For COP26 United Nations Conference On Climate Change

Angel Gimalo
-
0
Nigeria Ready For COP26 United Nations Conference On Climate Change

Nigeria’s Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, has assured Nigerians of the country’s readiness to participate in the forthcoming COP26 United Nations (UN) conference on climate change.

Jedy-Agba disclosed this at the Nigeria Energy Forum (NEF) 2021 virtual conference with the theme: “Powering a Sustainable Industrial Revolution.”

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is scheduled to hold in the city of Glasgow, Scotland from Oct.13 to Nov.12.

Jedy-Agba said that over 25 million Nigerians who were facing energy challenges had resulted to using solar home systems and mini-grids.

The minister said that Nigeria would seek to align its position along an energy transition that was equitable, inclusive and just.

He reiterated that “a just energy transition for Nigeria will feature both clean energy technologies and natural gas, with the aim of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.”

Jedy-Agba also said Nigeria had developed an energy transition plan on pathways for achieving universal access by 2030 and net-zero targets by 2050.

He said that the country required investments of over $400 billion between now and 2050 to achieve the set targets.

Dr Daniel Adeuyi, the Chairman of NEF 2021 virtual e-conference, said that a sustainable industrial revolution based on modern energy technologies would accelerate the pace of socio-economic recovery globally post COVID-19.

Adeuyi outlined the scope and benefits being made available to participants at the conference; these include four world-class workshops on energy and a line-up of panelists of enviable pedigree.

He enjoined all stakeholders to contribute their strategic insights toward achieving sustainable industrialisation, power recovery and goal of a successful transition to net-zero emissions by 2050.

The high level plenary session on COP 26 was chaired by Adekunle Makinde (NEF Co-Chair) and Mr Ahmed Zakari, Special Adviser to the President on Infrastructure.

World Elephant Day: Groups Partner To Boost Conservation

Angel Gimalo
-
0
World Elephant Day: Groups Partner To Boost Conservation

World Elephant Day is celebrated on August 12 every year.

On this year’s commemoration, the Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) Foundation and the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) have announced their partnership.

The CBCGDF is said to play a prominent role amongst Chinese environmental organisations and is involved in advocacy, environmental education, and scientific research.

The EPI Foundation is the secretariat of the EPI, an alliance of 21 African countries, committed to ending the ivory trade and reducing human-elephant conflict.

The EPI Foundation is already partnered with more than 30 environmental NGOs, with CBCGDF becoming the first from China.

John Scanlon, CEO of the EPI Foundation, said: “I have known CBCGDF for many years now, and admire their tireless efforts to help protect wildlife. We have recently been in contact with CBCGDF about the herd of 15 elephants that have been wandering across Yunnan Province in southern China, a migration that has captured the imagination of so many people in China and across the globe.

“The EPI Foundation, with its African expertise on how to mitigate and prevent conflict between people and elephants, was pleased to share its experiences and pass on technical advice and support to CBCGDF, and we look forward to further advancing our close co-operation.”

Dr. Zhou Jinfeng, the Secretary-General for CBCGDF, said: “The elephant migration across Yunnan Province – which will soon be hosting the UN Conference on Biodiversity – was an important moment in Chinese wildlife conservation. It raised awareness of elephant conservation with Chinese people from right across the country.

“Sadly, both Asian and African elephants are threatened by poaching, disappearing habitat and human elephant conflict. We have much to learn from one another and we want to work with the EPI Foundation to help protect elephants in China, and across Asia and Africa.”

1...2,0212,0222,023...2,557Page 2,022 of 2,557
Kingschat

© 2025 LN247. All Rights Reserved