#072 - The Best News of Last Week - January 30, 2023
đ§ - This week I'm highlighting some more environmental news
1. âRobin Hoodâ energy strikers give free power to French schools, hospitals, low-income homes
Amid national strikes in the energy sector, some workers in France have found a novel way to protest. On Thursday, "Robin Hood" operations â unauthorised by the government â provided free gas and electricity to schools, universities, and low-income households throughout the country.
Among the facilities provided free energy were public sports facilities, daycare centers, public libraries, some small businesses and homes that had been cut off from power.Â
2. UK scientists discover method to reduce steelmakingâs CO2 emissions by 90%
Researchers from the University of Birmingham have developed an innovative method for existing furnaces that could reduce steelmakingâs CO2 emission by nearly 90%.
The iron and steel industry is a major cause of greenhouse gasses, accounting for 9% of global emissions. Thatâs because of the inherent carbon-intensive nature of steel production in blast furnaces, which currently represent the most-widely used practice.
3. Watch this cargo ship fly a giant kite to save fuel and cut emissions
The 2,700-square-foot parafoil is helping to tow the cargo ship and lessen the workload of the massive diesel engines â reducing the shipâs use of dirty fuel.
4. Scientists discover emperor penguin colony in Antarctica using satellite images
A newly discovered emperor penguin colony has been seen, using satellite images of one the most remote and inaccessible regions of Antarctica.
The colony, home to about 500 birds, makes a total of 66 known emperor penguin colonies around the coastline of Antarctica, half of which were discovered by space satellites. Emperor penguins are the only penguins that breed on sea ice, rather than land, and are located in areas that are very difficult to study because they are remote, inaccessible and can experience temperatures as low as â60C
Kowalski, analysis!
5. Dungeons & Dragons Scraps Plans to Update Its Open Game License
Wizards of the Coast, publisher of Dungeons & Dragons, announced yesterday that it will no longer be pursuing deauthorization of the Open Gaming License 1.0a. The deauthorization of the OGL 1.0a was a huge sticking point for fans and third-party publishers who made a living using a license that was granted nearly two decades ago.
6. Turning problem sea algae into a replacement for plastic
Excessive outbreaks of seaweed and microalgae are clogging up waters from the Caribbean to the Baltic. Now both are being harvested alongside farmed crops to create ingredients for cosmetics and food products.
7. German parliament officially commemorates LGBTQ victims of Nazi regime for first time.
The German parliament for the first time on Friday focused its annual Holocaust memorial commemorations on people persecuted and killed over their sexual or gender identity during World War II. Campaigners in Germany have worked for decades to establish an official ceremony to commemorate the LGBTQ victims persecuted under the Nazi regime.
âTodayâs hour of remembrances focuses on a group of victims which had to fight for a long time to achieve recognition: people who were persecuted by the National Socialists because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity,â Baerbel Bas, president of the Bundestag lower house, said while opening a ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of Auschwitzâs liberation.
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Have a great week ahead :)