Solutions

When an infected person touches a surface, like a door handle, there's a risk they leave viruses stuck there that can live on for two to three days.  Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

npr.org - by Allison Aubrey - March 14, 2020

How long can the new coronavirus live on a surface, like say, a door handle, after someone infected touches it with dirty fingers? A study out this week finds that the virus can survive on hard surfaces such as plastic and stainless steel for up to 72 hours and on cardboard for up to 24 hours . . .

 . . . And given that wipes are hard to come by at many stores at the moment, you can instead buy an EPA-registered disinfecting spray, such as one on this list from the Center for Biocide Chemistries, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and by Dr. David Warren, an infectious disease specialist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Or make a bleach-based spray yourself. You can make a DIY cleaning spray by mixing 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water, according to the CDC.

A dog looks out of a house flooded by Hurricane Maria, in Catano town, Juana Matos, Puerto Rico, on September 21, 2017.  Hector Retamal | AFP | Getty Images

CLICK HERE - REPORT - Climate risk and response: Physical hazards and socioeconomic impacts - January 2020

cnbc.com - by Pippa Stevens - January 16, 2020

KEY POINTS

McKinsey said trillions of dollars in economic activity and hundreds of millions lives are at risk from a changing climate.

“Much as thinking about information systems and cyber-risks has become integrated into corporate and public-sector decision making, climate change and its resulting risks will also need to feature as a major factor in decisions,” McKinsey Global Institute director Jonathan Woetzel said.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink warned this week that the intensifying climate crisis will bring about a fundamental reshaping of finance, with a significant reallocation of capital set to take place “sooner than most anticipate.”

Solar Impulse, the first solar-powered plane to circumnavigate the globe.

qz.com - by Bertrand Piccard - August 26, 2019

 . . . qualitative growth. It means you create jobs, you make money, and you make a profit for everyone by replacing the outdated and polluting systems that destroy the planet with clean, modern, and efficient systems that protect the environment . . .

 . . . The Solar Impulse Foundation was launched, with the challenge to identify 1,000 solutions that can protect the environment in a profitable way . . . 

 . . . Nearly 2,000 companies have joined up and are starting to pitch solutions.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - REPORT - IPCC - Climate Change and Land

CLICK HERE - IPCC - Climate Change and Land

nytimes.com - by Christopher Flavelle - August 8, 2019

The world’s land and water resources are being exploited at “unprecedented rates,” a new United Nations report warns, which combined with climate change is putting dire pressure on the ability of humanity to feed itself.

The report, prepared by more than 100 experts from 52 countries and released in summary form in Geneva on Thursday, found that the window to address the threat is closing rapidly. A half-billion people already live in places turning into desert, and soil is being lost between 10 and 100 times faster than it is forming, according to the report.

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