Links for Friday, December 15
This week's collection is worthy of Ripley's 'Believe It Or Not'
A rather large and diverse set of links for today, from non-invasive brain wave tech your bosses can use (yes, you read that right); to more on Kamala Harris (our post here); the COP 28 debacle (our post here); the state of the state in Dubai (image above); the uni presidents’ problems; and more. Plus a musical treat, of course.
Enjoy.
Links
• Ready for Brain Transparency? (Davos Forum)
The video inside this tweet is stunning. Please watch before dismissing.
The whole thing is here:
The founding idea of factories, back when cottage industries were consolidated even without automation, was simple control. Corporations want control. Here comes the next tool.
File under “You don’t have to think so loud. I can already hear you.”
• “The fossil fuel industry has captured this process” (Al Gore on COP 28)
I recently wrote about the corruption at COP 28 here:
In the following video, Al Gore takes on COP 28. I’ve cued the video below to start at his comments on COP and the IPCC. To watch it in full, click this link or just restart the video.
File under “Anything can be perverted. Let’s pervert this.”
• Big Meat Delegates Triple at COP28 (DeSmog Blog via Naked Capitalism)
Lobbyists from industrial agriculture companies and trade groups have turned out in record numbers at COP28, which this year has a strong focus on tackling emissions from the food sector.
Attendees are present from some of the world’s largest agribusiness firms – such as meatpacker JBS, fertiliser giant Nutrien, food giant Nestlé and pesticide firm Bayer – and powerful industry trade groups.
Meat and dairy interests are especially well represented with 120 delegates in Dubai, triple the number that attended COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. …
In addition, the analysis reveals that over 100 delegates have travelled to Dubai as part of country delegations, which grants privileged access to diplomatic negotiations. This number is up from just 10 in 2022.The findings of the UN’s climate science body the IPCC show that the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement cannot be met without climate action on food.
File under “Big Meat, a name to conjure with.”
• Dubai’s Costly Water World (NY Times)
For a desert city, Dubai appears like a water wonderland. Visitors can scuba dive in the world’s deepest pool or ski inside a megamall where penguins play in freshly made snow. A fountain — billed as the world’s largest — sprays more than 22,000 gallons of water into the air, synchronized to music from surrounding speakers.
But to maintain its opulence, the city relies on fresh water it doesn’t have. So it turns to the sea, using energy-intensive desalination technologies to help hydrate a rapidly growing metropolis.
All of this comes at a cost. Experts say Dubai’s reliance on desalination is damaging the Persian Gulf, producing a brackish waste known as brine, which, along with chemicals used during desalination processing, increases salinity in the gulf. It also raises coastal water temperatures and harms biodiversity, fisheries and coastal communities.
A look at that fountain.
And the world’s deepest swimming pool, 200 feet top to bottom.
Video here.
File under “Why not flaunt it? It’s not like anyone can stop us.”