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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
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Jon Weeks

COP28 deal ‘significant step’ towards decarbonisation - Tech & Science Daily podcast

COP28 has finished with an agreed new climate action plan, which states the world will ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels.

The language in the agreement was changed from ‘phase out’ to ‘transition away’ from fossil fuels, and critics say the text is 'severely flawed' and contains 'a litany of loopholes'.

The agreement includes commitments to triple renewable energy capacity globally, substantially reduce non-CO2 emissions, including methane in particular, and speed up the development of zero emissions vehicles and infrastructure like EV chargers.

Sustainability expert Juliet Kinsman tells Tech & Science Daily why this agreement represents a ‘significant step’ towards decarbonisation, but also why action now needs to be taken.

Researchers from Oxford University have found that the batteries in disposable vapes, designed to be thrown away after running out of juice, can actually be recharged and used hundreds of times.

They found that by using a low charge and discharge rate the batteries could last more than 700 cycles, and still retain more than 90% capacity.

Professor Paul Shearing from Oxford University, who led the project, tells Tech & Science Daily why these are the wrong batteries for disposable vapes, and why this type of waste is impacting valuable materials like lithium.

The legendary annual gaming event E3 has been cancelled indefinitely.

The last in-person event was held in Los Angeles in 2019, but organisers the Entertainment Software Association have struggled to revive it.

The expo launched in 1995 and was used for major announcements from gaming giants, including the reveal of Doom 3 in 2002, the Nintendo Wii in 2006, and Keanu Reeves announcing his appearance in Cyberpunk 2077 in 2019.

The UK is ‘unprepared’ to deal with a ransomware attack and could be brought to a standstill unless changes are made, according to a report by Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy.

The committee is calling for the Cabinet Office and the Deputy Prime Minister to oversee ransomware security measures.

In a report, the committee also said there’s been a failure to ‘sufficiently invest in safeguards to prevent a major crisis’, and said ‘it is vital that ransomware becomes a more pressing political priority’.

Also in this episode:

Tesla reveals new Optimus Gen 2 robot, and the King’s coronation among top queries for Amazon’s Alexa in 2023.

Listen above, find us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you stream your podcasts.

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