RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Chile holds itself out as a global leader on climate change. Nearly 22% of Chile’s electricity is generated by solar and wind farms, putting it far ahead of both the global average, 10%, and the United States, at 13%. It was one of the first countries to declare a target for renewable energy, in 2008. Yet even as solar farms have spread across the north and center of the long, narrow nation, imported natural gas, a polluting fossil fuel, has been able to sideline the clean electricity they provide thanks to a sweet deal won from the government. Marcelo Mena witnessed that waste of clean power before he took the helm at the new Global Methane Hub, a nonprofit aimed at reducing global methane emissions. He's the former environment minister for Chile. Natural gas is basically methane. ”They’re actually hindering the power that we can deliver from renewable energy,” Mena said of his experience with natural gas in an interview with the Associated Press. “It’s … [Read more...] about How gas interests slowed Chile’s clean energy transition
Historical natural gas prices
A Louisiana teacher seeks to survive inflation, one plasma donation at a time
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 SLIDELL, La. - Tuesdays she asked for the needle in her left arm, and one afternoon in late April, Christina Seal, 41, arrived at the clinic after work. The parking lot was almost full, as usual. She had been giving plasma for nearly six months, and she had a routine locked in place. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two Sam's Club protein shakes and an iron supplement a day to keep herself serviceable. Afterward, vitamin E oil on her skin to prevent needle scars. The routine had helped tame into normalcy what at first had felt so bizarre. "I never thought I would be in a position where I would have to sell my plasma to feed my children," she would say later. This was where inflation had driven Seal. A month earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics had announced that prices had risen 8.5% over the past year, the largest annual jump since December 1981. Fuel, food and housing costs … [Read more...] about A Louisiana teacher seeks to survive inflation, one plasma donation at a time
Developing Team Efficiency in the Post-Pandemic IT Landscape
When Covid-19 struck in 2020, it affected every sphere of our daily lives and worldwide economy in ways most people couldn't have imagined. As the lockdowns forced everyone to work remotely, and most brick-and-mortar businesses went online, thousands of companies were about to face unanticipated changes. On the one hand, the global pandemic profoundly affected every business and team management process. But on the other, the pandemic has been the most significant driver of digitalization for U.S. and European businesses. According to the Flexera 2021 State of Tech Spend Report , one of the top concerns of CIOs in 2022 continues to be digital transformation. A report by McKinsey states that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital technologies by several years. The vast majority of these changes will remain even after the Covid-19 pandemic has passed. During the global pandemic, many consumers transitioned to online services, and companies and … [Read more...] about Developing Team Efficiency in the Post-Pandemic IT Landscape
Somi pays tribute to Miriam Makeba, on album and on stage
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 Miriam Makeba was one of Africa's first global stars. Her debut in Lionel Rogosin's "Come Back, Africa" in 1959 garnered critical acclaim and top honors at the Venice Film Festival and brought worldwide attention to her and her native South Africa. Her eponymous release a year later also allowed Makeba to push African identity to the forefront of world music, from donning natural hairstyles to popularizing Xhosa with her rendition of "Qongqothwane (The Click Song)." Widely known as "Mama Africa," she made music to directly tackle the plight of Black South Africans. As her political activism grew (she made an impassioned speech before the United Nations in 1963), Makeba continued to use her stardom as a platform to call out injustice against Black people everywhere. This, however, came at a considerable price. Not only was she exiled from South Africa until apartheid's dissolution, but a … [Read more...] about Somi pays tribute to Miriam Makeba, on album and on stage