The residents of Nagla Tulai, an agricultural village in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, have endured hot summers all the time, but the recent heat has tested their strength. This May, temperatures hit 49°C (120°F), the highest India has ever recorded in 122 years. Since then, local news reports say more than 50 people have died from the record heat.
In late April, when daytime temperatures cross 45°C (113°F), most residents of Nagla Tulai seek submission in the winds blowing outdoors. It is one of the few villages in India that has not been electrified. That means no fans, no coolers and no air conditioners for its 150 odd households.
The men in the village were forced to work no more than two hours a day to avoid the harshest sun. As the temperature rises each year, they worry that they will have no choice but to leave Nagla Tulai to find work in the cities; jobs that won’t pay them enough to bring their families with them.
We need to reduce carbon — not just emissions
News: UN Climate Department warned that the world would need to remove billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, in addition to cutting emissions rapidly, to pull the planet back from increasingly dangerous levels of warming. Researchers and startups are working on a variety of methods, including building factories that suck up greenhouse gases and using minerals to lock in carbon.
Complex plan: Decarbonization has become a sensational topic – there are genuine concerns that the growing focus on reducing greenhouse gas levels could encourage governments and businesses to delay or even avoid the most obvious and direct way to tackle climate change: prevent emissions from entering the atmosphere in the first place.
A complicated solution: Experts warn that unfortunately, after decades of delay, there are now few paths to achieving climate change goals that don’t require cutting emissions today and building build the ability to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide in the future. Read full story.
By Zeke Hausfather, climate research lead at Stripe Climate, and contributing author of IPCC’s Friday Assessment Report, and Jane Flegal, policy and market development lead at Stripe Climate.
Things to read
I scoured the internet to find you today’s most interesting/important/scary/fascinating stories about tech.
1 Large Hadron Collider will be back up and running today
CERN scientists are hoping to uncover more insights into how the universe works. (NPR)
+ It has been 10 years since the Higgs boson was discovered. (Economist $)
2 An updated covid vaccine will be available in the fall
The point is, we need them now. (NYT $)
+ The risk of reinfection is forcing medical professionals to rethink booster shots. (FT $)
3 AI can help fix discrimination against Black homebuyers
By assessing how a $25,000 compensation grant can strengthen housing deposits. (New Scientist)
4 It’s time to end the stigma about menstrual blood
Some scientists and doctors shy away from studying it, even though it can provide us with valuable insight into women’s health. (Undark)
+ What if you could diagnose an illness with tampons? (MIT Technology Review)
5 NASA probes are on their way to the moon
Going to the moon in November, of course.Gizmodo)
+ The agency is also working on a detailed map of Mars. (Input)
6 Rising inflation means we can’t afford to upgrade our computers
This, along with the crypto crash, does not bode well for semiconductor manufacturers. (WSJ $)
7 conservative radio stations are selling misinformation
Experts are repeating the same false statements accusing Democrats of rigging the 2020 Presidential election.NYT $)
8 hit TV shows make subtitles really hard
A clumsy translation can mistranslate key moments for an unintentional audience. (Cnet)
+ Online subtitles are better shorthand to benefit everyone. (MIT Technology Review)
9 The Internet Really Wants A Magnetic Car
Unfortunately, physics disagrees. (Wired $)
10 Woolly mammoth mummies discovered in Yukon
She may have co-existed with the ancestors of today’s First Peoples. (Gizmodo)
+ Researchers are divided on how a dinosaur with wings could fly. (Ars Technica)
Big story
