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A growing proportion of Americans are concerned about the environmentand major US technology companies appear to be able to lead the way in combating climate change.
They are rich and staffed with smart people, and they generally have that promised to do more to reduce carbon emissions that warms the planet.
my colleague Somini Sengupta, who writes about climate change and the technology industry, led me through confusing terms of climate change and how technology companies and all of us can help slow global warming.
Shira: What does it mean when a company commits to leave? “Carbon neutral“or”Carbon negative? “
Somini: A company will continue to produce carbon emissions, but will offset them by measures to absorb emissions from the atmosphere, such as planting forests. Trees are great! They absorb carbon dioxide. At least part of Amazon and Apple’s climate protection plans include reforestation.
But that’s not enough. Climate researchers say global emissions must be halved by 2030 if we can avert the worst effects of warming.
How do technology companies contribute to climate change and how do they help?
First, the industry uses a lot of electricity, including for Data centers. If much of it comes from coal, it creates a ship’s cargo of emissions to warm the planet. This is a relatively easy problem for companies to solve use renewable energythat grows quickly and becomes cheaper.
Amazon, Google and Microsoft also got Attention for the sale of technology to support the oil and gas industry in the production of fossil fuels, which are a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Google promised to stop.
Other areas to be observed: Can Apple, Amazon and Google force the manufacturers of their devices to reduce factory emissions and switch to cleaner energy? And can they reuse and recycle the materials in devices? In general, recycled materials are better for the environment.
Then the question arises to what extent Internet companies like Facebook contribute to the spread Disinformation about climate science.
Is it effective for Companies to go their own way on climate change? What about governments?
As a former technology reporter, this moment reminds me when big US technology companies didn’t want to Regulations for data protection. They changed their privacy policies and promised to do better.
Large technology companies may again set voluntary targets to forestall national laws such as emissions standards. Both Great Britain and the European Union Now their countries must achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This will inevitably affect technology and every other industry.
What can we do as consumers of technology?
We can educate us What is the technology we buy, what are the effects on the climate and how long can a product last?
We can also Think about what we’re buying first of all. Creating shiny new things contributes to global warming. This also applies to shipping, delivery and return. We can help by manufacturing our existing products or devices last longer by replacing the battery or performing a repair or Purchase used.
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Three ways to enjoy creepy technology
Instead of Doomscrolling How about today if you let yourself fall on the sofa to enjoy great entertainment about… um… nightmarish technology?
Margot Harrison, a novelist and editor of the Seven Days newspaper in Vermont, gave us three recommendations for work that deals with malicious technology. Your latest novel “The shineWas released this month. Also look out her latest essay in the New York Times.
“Infinite Detail: A Novel” by Tim Maughan
In this dystopian novel of 2019, the only thing more scary than the ubiquitous presence of the Internet is its sudden disappearance. The story is told in alternating sections with the terms “before” and “after”. In the former, anarchist hackers unravel the net that holds us all; In the latter, they deal with the consequences of success beyond their wildest dreams.
Maughan shows many overly plausible extensions of the control and surveillance technology and suggests that it is impossible to simply stand for or against the machines with which our ways of life are already merged.
“Lining” by M.T. Anderson
This was the book that convinced me that youth literature could be particularly open to researching technological fears, since young people have never known a world offline.
Anderson envisions a future in which everyone has an implant that provides entertainment, social interaction, and micro-oriented advertising. The concept is not new, but Anderson’s narrator has an unforgettable voice: Holden Caulfield with an almost fatal injection of boastful MTV.
The “Dive” episode from “Black Mirror”
No fiction has channeled my personal social media fears as effectively as this one.
In the near future, when people’s status and livelihood depend directly on the reviews others give them, a young woman will make a fatal series of small mistakes that zero her social credit. It’s a nightmare that might convince you to hang up the phone.
Before we go …
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The deterrent against cyber attacks does not work: To combat cyber attacks from China and Russia, the U.S. government has spent years trying to name, shame, and accuse those behind it, and sometimes even counter attacks. But these punishments were not sufficient to prevent continued cyber attacks and disinformation operationssaid David E. Sanger, the Times’ national security correspondent.
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You cannot take this phone out of my hand: Almost every technology company in the world regards India as the emerging gold rush on the Internet, but companies are finding a major barrier: Many millions of Indians are opting for simple cell phones via smartphones. This makes life difficult for Netflix, Facebook and WeChat. Chinese tech publication Abacus is investigating why The basic cell phone in India is far more appealing than the Nokia you had in the early 2000s.
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Our national cake obsession didn’t last long: Five minutes ago, it was impossible to avoid surreal social media videos from Cakes disguised as crocs, cucumbers or human heads. Now the madness dies NBC News reported. Like any fun thing, the weird cake was ruined because the old ones got in. (I’m an age too. I swear it’s okay.)
Hugs to it
Please enjoy very good dog Spike is playing in a meadow. (And if you haven’t already, follow the dog sled and author Blair Braverman on Twitter for many very good dogs.)
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