Telescope #120

Weekly horizon scan…

“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.” — John Cage

SUSTAINABILITY

• The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has released its 2024 European Common Enforcement Priorities (ECEP) Statement, setting strict guidelines on corporate reporting requirements. This year’s priorities focus heavily on sustainability reporting, specifically under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), with emphasis on materiality assessments, taxonomy compliance, and integration with financial reporting. DETAIL

• The Impact Disclosure Taskforce, a group consisting of some of the world’s largest finance and investment companies, announced today the release of its final voluntary Impact Disclosure Guidance, aimed at helping businesses and governments to measure and report their efforts and progress to advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in order to facilitate the capital flows needed to meet global sustainability ambitions. DETAIL

• The European Commission announced today that it has selected 85 decarbonization technology-focused projects to receive €4.8 billion in grants utilizing funds raised through its EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). DETAIL

• At least 51 people have been killed in flash floods sweeping the eastern Spanish region of Valencia following torrential rain on Tuesday that left roads and towns under water, local authorities said on Wednesday. Rescuers using dinghies worked in the dark to scour the floodwaters, rescuing several people, television pictures from the town of Utiel showed, and emergency services were still working to reach the worst-hit areas. DETAIL

• A majority of company finance leaders globally say that they are concerned about perceived greenwashing risks from sustainability reporting in their industries, and most do not believe that their organizations will hit their major sustainability ambitions, as nearly all report problems with the integrity of their nonfinancial data, according to a new survey released by global professional services firm EY. DETAIL

• Mining giant Rio Tinto announced that it has completed the transition to renewable diesel fuel from conventional diesel for all heavy mining equipment at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah, one of the world’s top producing copper mines. DETAIL

• In the third quarter of 2024, sustainable open-end and exchange-traded funds witnessed a surge in net new money, drawing in an estimated USD 10.4 billion. This represents a significant increase from the USD 6.3 billion inflow recorded in the second quarter, showcasing a growing investor interest in sustainable investment options. DETAIL

• Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos emit your lifetime carbon footprint in 90 minutes… The tech billionaires' private jets and massive yachts produce shocking amounts of carbon emissions, worsening climate change and global pollution. DETAIL

• Yet again, global greenhouse gas emission concentrations have risen to record highs for 2023, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). DETAIL

• Flash flooding in Spain this week caused torrential downpours, creating havoc in eastern Spain and killing at least 158 people, The New York Times reports. Satellite images from the European Space Agency show the extent of the flooding. The images below were taken with the the US' S Landsat-8 satellite on Oct. 8 (left) and Oct. 30 (right), before and after the flood. They will help "support rescue and recovery efforts," the European Space Agency says. DETAIL

HEALTH

• The scientists analyzed suicide mortality data from 740 cities and other locations across 26 countries between the years 1971 to 2019. While there were many regional differences in the rate and timing of suicides, they did find some broadly consistent trends. Namely, suicides were most likely to happen on Monday compared to other days of the work week, with about 15% to 18% of suicides occurring on those days. And across all the studied countries, the likelihood of suicide always increased on New Year’s Day. The risk of suicide on the weekend and during other major national holidays like Christmas was more varied, however, with a higher risk in some countries and a lower risk in others. DETAIL

• Yeni bir çalışma, Alzheimer'la ilişkili proteinlerin özellikle hızlı yayılan bir alt kümesini ortaya çıkarmak için güçlü görüntüleme kullandı. Bu 'süper yayıcılar', zayıflatıcı hastalık ilerledikçe doğal olarak oluşan amiloid beta proteinlerinin anormal kümelerinin neden arttığını açıklamaya yardımcı olabilir. DETAIL

• Scientists are working on new ways of diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, early. Blood biomarker tests are one diagnostic tool under developement. Roche recently presented data at the 17th Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease congress (CTAD) on two new Alzheimer’s disease blood tests currently in development. Both tests reportedly show ‘very good accuracy’ in ruling out Alzheimer’s pathology in those tested for this type of dementia. DETAIL

• Led by neuroscientists Elizabeth Rizor and Viktoriya Babenko of the University of California Santa Barbara, a team of researchers tracked 30 women who menstruate over their cycles, documenting in detail the structural changes that take place in the brain as hormonal profiles fluctuate. The results, published in a peer-reviewed study in July this year, suggest that structural changes in the brain during menstruation may not be limited to those regions associated with the menstrual cycle. DETAIL

DIGITAL / TECHNOLOGY / SCIENCE / ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

• It’s often joked that cats “take the shape of their container,” just like liquids. However, scientists have proven through experiments that cats behave like liquids. According to the research, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal iScience, cats can move and fill a series of openings in a series of environments where the opening becomes smaller and smaller, acting like a liquid. DETAIL

• Researchers observed a queen bee of the species Bombus impatiens surviving underwater for a week after accidentally being placed in a container of water. The team then conducted detailed examinations of a total of 143 insects and found that the survival rates of the bees kept underwater were similar to those not in water. DETAIL

• In a study conducted on 5,604 people from 23 different countries, between the ages of 8 days and 96, the stable isotope technique was used to measure how fast water circulates in people's bodies. The recommendation to drink 2 liters of water a day, which has been considered one of the cornerstones of a healthy life for many years, is being questioned again by scientists. Researchers from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland published a striking study indicating that this recommendation may be too much for most people. DETAIL

• The US has a major problem with education inequality. Children from low-income families are less likely to receive high-quality education, partly because poorer districts struggle to retain experienced teachers. Artificial intelligence could help. A new tool could improve the one-on-one tutoring sometimes used to supplement class instruction in these schools, by letting tutors tap into more experienced teachers’ expertise during virtual sessions. DETAIL

• Google parent company Alphabet’s third-quarter earnings showed that AI investments are starting to positively impact the company’s core businesses. The company’s cloud computing business revenues, which were recorded at $11.4 billion in the third quarter, were up 35% year-on-year. However: Alphabet CFO said the company plans to build on its current cost-cutting efforts to use AI to streamline workflows, manage staff numbers and the company’s physical footprint. DETAIL

• Chinese researchers make military AI using Meta's Llama. Llama 13B has reportedly been adapted for a Chinese military intelligence tool known as ChatBIT. Meta has condemned the use of Llama for military purposes. DETAIL

ENERGY / TRANSPORTATION

• The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Elia Transmission Belgium (ETB) have signed a $704 million (€650 million) green loan agreement for the first phase of the Princess Elisabeth Island project, the world’s first artificial energy island. The landmark project will be built between 2024 and 2027 in the Princess Elisabeth wind zone, approximately 45 kilometres off the Belgian coast. DETAIL

• Schaeffler has opened a new technology centre for materials science and engineering at its headquarters in Herzogenaurach. With the activities based there, the supplier aims to bring innovative solutions in the eMobility, battery and hydrogen sectors to series maturity. DETAIL

• At this month's Japan Mobility Show Bizweek, Toyota Motor Corporation unveiled the latest iteration of its portable hydrogen cartridges. Designed primarily to power fuel cell electric vehicles, the new cartridges are compact enough to be carried by hand or in a backpack, allowing drivers to instantly pop in fuel instead of recharging at a station. DETAIL

CYBERSECURITY

• Colorado accidentally posts voting system passwords online. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold says the incident does not 'pose an immediate security threat to Colorado's elections, nor will it impact how ballots are counted.' DETAIL

HUMANITY / CURIOSITY

• A Russian court has ordered Google to fork over a calculator-breaking sum of money to more than a dozen TV channels whose programming the tech company blocked from appearing on YouTube. “As of Tuesday, the fine totaled 2 undecillion rubles (that’s 2 followed by 36 zeros), which is equivalent to about $20 decillion (2 followed by 34 zeros) U.S. dollars. DETAIL

• From the mountains of Switzerland to the Isle of Mann in the Irish Sea, you can find air 'filled' in cans in dozens of tourist areas around the world. DETAIL