Making A Mountain Out Of A Mountain
November 3, 2021
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“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” — Anne Bradstreet
Heated Exchanges
Extreme weather inaugurated the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Sunday’s torrential rain and 80 mph winds felled trees onto train tracks, causing scores of railway cancellations. Journalists reported trips from London taking three times longer; others couldn’t reach Glasgow at all.
Summit organizers knew over 30,000 delegates and visitors from around the globe registered to attend. But Monday’s opening day had long queues at the Scottish Event Campus, and hours-long waits to get inside the largest of three venues, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center. Once inside, delegates had to go through airport-style security. Pictures on social media showed chaotic scenes with hundreds waiting outside the main gates. One U.N. source described the situation: “Total and utter shambles – ambassadors, as well as visitors were held up in the rain for three hours. People asked to go and get tested and come back in time for a 7 p.m. close – got back at 5:30 to find that they had closed early.” The U.K. hosts blamed security arrangements and accreditation wait times on the U.N., who blamed the weather and the pandemic. Everybody criticized China’s leader for not even attempting to attend.
President Biden and E.U. Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen announced more than 100 countries had joined their Global Methane Pledge that aims to reduce global methane emissions by 30% over 2020 levels. Methane is responsible for a third of current warming from human activities. Biden also announced the U.S. was launching a plan within the plan to reduce methane emissions called the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate; 31 nations and other non-government organizations have signed on. Agriculture plays a significant role in climate-damaging emissions, and farming and food networks are vulnerable to drought and other disasters as Earth’s temperature rises.
Britain’s government aims to make the U.K. “the world’s first net-zero aligned financial center.” As part of the initiative, U.K. financial institutions and publicly-traded companies will be required to publish plans detailing how they’ll reduce their contribution to global warming. Britain’s goal is net-zero emissions by 2050.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson cautioned against getting “caught up in a mood of exaggerated enthusiasm,” but hailed the progress that had been made and said he was “cautiously optimistic.” He cited India’s pledge to make a deep dent in carbon emissions by 2030 and a pledge by over 100 world leaders to stop deforestation. He reminded that China previously committed to reach net-zero emissions by 2060, for carbon emissions to peak by 2030, and for deciding to end financing for coal plants overseas. Johnson then boarded a private plane for the 1.5 hour flight back to London, rather than taking a 4-hour emissions-reducing train ride back. (Yahoo News, BBC, AP News, WaPo)
Kabul Hospital Hit By Explosions
- Afghanistan’s biggest military hospital was rocked by two explosions Tuesday that killed at least 20 people and wounded 30 more. Gunfire followed the blasts at the entrance of Kabul’s Daoud Khan Military hospital, a 400-bed teaching facility near Kabul’s former diplomatic quarter.
- A video was filmed from inside the hospital by a man who posted it on Facebook, saying he was “trapped” inside a room and in hiding. The video showed three armed men inside the hospital’s compound near the entrance of the building after the blasts. A fourth man is shown laying on the floor. A doctor treating incoming patients at the nearby Wazir Akbar Khan civilian hospital said at least 15 wounded people had been admitted to his facility’s emergency ward, several in critical condition.
- The Italian humanitarian NGO “Emergency” tweeted that nine injured people were brought to its hospital in Kabul. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but witnesses said a number of fighters from the Afghan affiliate of ISIS entered the hospital and clashed with security forces. (CNN)
Francing Around The Subject
- In a case of “he said, he said, he said,” Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison and France’s President Emmanuel Macron are going back and forth over who’s telling the truth about the scuttled submarine deal Macron said France had with Australia, that Morrison instead made with the U.S. and the U.K. Morrison made the new deal in September for more modern, more advanced subs after a 5-year old deal for less-high-powered subs Morrison had with Macron faltered.
- Macron seemed genuinely blindsided when Australia’s new deal was announced. Biden told Macron last week he thought the French had been informed long before the September announcement that their $66 billion deal with Australia would be scrapped. An Australian newspaper then cast doubt on Biden’s explanation to Macron. This week Macron accused Morrison of lying to him at a Paris dinner in June about the fate of the contract Morrison wound up canceling. Morrison then strongly implied Macron was lying about being lied to. (WaPo), AP News)
Additional World News
- ‘Nothing else here:’ Why it’s so hard for world to quit coal (AP)
- China is urging families to stock up on food as supply challenges multiply (CNN)
- Ethiopia tried to limit rare UN report on Tigray war abuses (AP)
- Jair Bolsonaro booed and cheered as he is honoured by Italian town (Guardian)
- Israel, Bahrain prime ministers meet in Glasgow (Reuters)
- Banana farmers lose livelihoods as lava devours La Palma (AP)
- At least 5 dead after multi-story building collapses in Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)
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Making A Mountain Out Of A Mountain
- A U.S. Navy submarine was severely damaged October 2 when it ran into an uncharted, underwater “seamount” while submerged in the South China Sea. Two crew members suffered “moderate” injuries and several more sustained minor bumps and bruises. All were treated aboard the vessel and nobody was taken off the sub.
- The Navy confirmed the incident a week after it took place, saying only that the Connecticut, a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, “struck an object while submerged.” Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by four Southeast Asian countries as well as the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
- The accident happened amid high tensions between Beijing and Washington, just weeks after the U.S. and Britain signed a deal to supply nuclear-powered submarines to Australia’s military, and days after China sent a record number of military planes into U.S. ally Taiwan’s air space. On Tuesday, Beijing accused Washington of a “lack of transparency and lack of responsibility,” for failing to provide timely and detailed information on the incident. (CBS News)
An Elect Few
- Former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, appears to have lost his race to his Republican rival, Glenn Youngkin, in Tuesday’s election. With 96% of the vote in, McAuliffe was trailing Youngkin by 3 percentage points. In New Jersey, with 75% of the vote counted, Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, was trailing his Republican challenger, Jack Ciattarelli, by 0.7 %.
- Elsewhere, Boston voters have elected as mayor their first female and first person of color. City Councilor Michelle Wu, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Taiwan, broke a 199-year streak of white, male city leaders. She moved to the city from Chicago, and attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School. (NYT, NPR)
Additional USA News
- Jesse Jackson is hospitalized after he fell and hit his head at Howard University (NPR)
- Manchin warns he may vote against Biden social safety net plan as he criticizes key aspects (CNN)
- Pence says he looked to Madison as he certified 2020 election for Biden (CNN)
- Brad Raffensperger, GOP target of Trump ire in Georgia, warns of potential for more election violence (USA Today)
- University of Florida faces investigation after blocking professors from voting case (NPR)
- New York City vaccine mandate sends 34 NYPD officers on unpaid leave (WaPo, $)
- About 12,000 members of Air Force, Space Force not vaccinated for Covid at deadline (NBC)
Holy Guacamole
- It’s really a tough choice: Guacamole, or the environment? From dips to toast, the humble avocado is getting a bad rap, just for being so thirsty. Avocado farming is extremely water-intensive, with 60 gallons of water required to grow just one avocado, and the international trade of these fruits comes with a significant carbon footprint. Two small avocados have a CO2 footprint of nearly 850 grams. That’s almost twice the amount of two pounds of bananas.
- Avocados produced in Central and South America must travel incredibly long distances to reach consumers in places like the U.S. and Europe. Because of the distances, avocados are picked before they’re ripe and shipped in temperature-controlled containers, which are energy-intensive. Most people associate avocados with Mexico, California, and Florida, but Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley is home to a small but thriving avocado business.
- In 2019, the average national price of a single Hass avocado grown in California rose to $2.10. However, a price check today shows you can get one for $.58 at a Walmart in North Texas. The unfortunate carbon footprint issue has chefs at restaurants across the globe scratching avocados from their menus, and replacing popular dishes like guacamole with alternative dips made from beans and seeds that have smaller carbon footprints. So, who’s up for trying some Beans and Seeds Toast for breakfast? (The Hill, Austin Chronicle)
Additional Reads
- Architect quits ‘as a parent and human being’ to protest billionaire’s mega-dorm (The Hill)
- Nicaragua accused of running internet troll farm (BBC)
- Language ‘speed dating’ attracts Jewish and Palestinian students in Jerusalem (Reuters)
- Texas: QAnon believers back theory that Trump will be reinstated (USA Today)
- Netflix now comes with Android video games for paying subscribers (Ars Technica)
- ‘Harry Potter: Wizards Unite’ is shutting down (TechCrunch)
- Instruments on Hubble in safe mode; NASA trying to understand why (Ars Technica)