No private vehicles allowed in Carbon starting Mar. 22
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Beginning this March 22, authorities and police in Cebu City will temporarily prohibit private vehicles from entering Carbon Public Market, the city’s largest public wet market. The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), Market Operations Division, (MOD), Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), and the Prevention Order Restoration Beautification Enhancement (PROBE) team announced […] The post No private vehicles allowed in Carbon starting Mar. 22 appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set Wednesday to host a climate meeting marred at its outset by the absence of speakers from the world's top two emitters, China and the United States. Despite increasing extreme weather events and record-shattering global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and fossil fuel companies reap handsome profits. Guterres has thus billed the "Climate Ambition Summit" as a "no nonsense" forum where leaders or cabinet ministers will announce specific actions that deliver on their commitments under the Paris Agreement. The bar for making the podium was set high, with the UN chief making clear that only leaders who had made concrete plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions would be allowed to speak. After receiving more than 100 applications to take part, the UN finally released a list on Tuesday night of 41 speakers which did not include China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan or India. "Tomorrow, I will welcome credible first movers and doers to our Climate Ambition Summit," Guterres said Tuesday. Several major leaders didn't bother making the trip to New York for this year's UN General Assembly, including President Xi Jinping of China and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from the United Kingdom, who said he was too busy. US President Joe Biden, who addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, sent his climate envoy John Kerry to the meeting -- though Kerry won't be permitted to speak. "There's no doubt that the absence of so many leaders from the world's biggest economies and emitters will clearly have an impact on the outcomes of the summit," Alden Meyer of climate think tank E3G said. He blamed competing issues -- from the Ukraine conflict to US-China tensions and rising economic uncertainty. "But I think it's also the opposition in many of these countries from the fossil fuel industry and other powerful interests to the kind of transformational changes that are needed," said Meyer. Catherine Abreu, executive director of nonprofit Destination Zero, said it was "perhaps a good-news story that we see Biden not being given a speaking slot at the summit" because the United States is continuing to expand fossil fuel projects even as it makes historic investments in renewables. "I think about this as being a correction from past summits, where leaders have been given the opportunity to take credit for climate leadership on the global stage, while they continue to pursue plans to develop fossil fuels, and continue driving the climate crisis back at home," she added. While the United States won't take the rostrum, California will be represented by Governor Gavin Newsom. From Britain, London Mayor Sadiq Khan will also attend. Growing anger The event is the biggest climate summit in New York since 2019, when Greta Thunberg stunned the world with her "How Dare You" speech before the UN. Anger is building among climate activists, particularly younger people, who turned out in thousands last weekend for the "March to End Fossil Fuels" in New York. Observers are eager however to see what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen say both on their own goals and on financing commitments for the developing world. The failure of advanced economies, responsible for the majority of historic emissions, to honor their promises to the worst affected lower-income nations has long been a sore point in climate talks. There are some bright spots, including the announcement that Colombia and Panama are joining a grouping called the Powering Past Coal Alliance -- particularly notable as Colombia is the world's sixth biggest coal exporter. Wednesday's summit comes weeks ahead of the COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, where goals include tripling renewable energy by 2030, and ending by 2050 the generation of fossil fuel energy that isn't "abated" by carbon capture technology. The post UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Climate change supercharged this summer’s record heat: study
Record-shattering temperatures that impacted billions of people in the northern hemisphere this summer were given a massive boost by human-caused climate change, an analysis showed Thursday. The new paper by the nonprofit Climate Central group examined the period from June to August 2023, finding that greenhouse gas emissions pumped into the atmosphere since the start of the industrial era made the heat waves that baked Asia, Africa, Europe and North America far more likely. Nearly half of the global population -- more than 3.8 billion people -- were exposed to 30 or more days of extreme heat worsened by climate change, while at least 1.5 billion people lived through such temperatures every day over those three months. "Virtually no one on Earth escaped the influence of global warming during the past three months," said Andrew Pershing, Climate Central's vice president for science. "In every country we could analyze, including the southern hemisphere where this is the coolest time of year, we saw temperatures that would be difficult -- and in some cases nearly impossible -- without human-caused climate change. Carbon pollution is clearly responsible for this season's record-setting heat." The analysis relied on peer-reviewed methods to determine the likelihood of daily temperatures in each country of the world with and without today's levels of carbon pollution. A similar approach has allowed scientists to identify the climate influence, or "fingerprint," of extreme weather events, including recently the fire prone weather conditions that led to this year's wildfires in Quebec. Climate Central has developed a Climate Shift Index (CSI) that ranges from -5 to 5, with positive levels indicating temperatures that are becoming more likely due to climate change. A CSI of level 0 means climate change had no detectable influence, while level 3 indicates it made the odds of recording a specific temperature in a given time and place three times greater. According to the team's calculations, 48 percent of the world experienced 30 days during June-August with a CSI level of 3 or higher, while 1.5 billion people had such heat over the whole summer. "There really is this divide between the countries that have been the most responsible for climate change for the pollution that is driving the heat that we're experiencing right now," said Pershing. The world's least-developed nations and small island states, he said, are experiencing heat that is three to four times more climate-supercharged than G20 countries with the largest economies. Global exposure meanwhile peaked on August 16, 2023, when 4.2 billion people worldwide experienced climate-caused extreme heat. "A big part of what we're trying to do with this analysis, is to really come up with ways to try to localize that climate, that experience that individuals are having with climate change," said Pershing. The post Climate change supercharged this summer’s record heat: study appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Davao City transport modernization
It’s fast becoming a reality — the Davao City Transport Modernization Project. A pet project of then Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte, it was part of the many plans she envisioned for the southern metropolis when she was elected to office in 2010. She started with studies and the gathering of data and the evaluation of the project’s impact on the transport sector, safety, and the local economy. There were apprehensions and protests from the “multi-cab” operators and drivers but these did not elicit public sympathy given the fact that their public utility vehicles were the last things one would consider safe and comfortable modes of transportation. Multi-cabs are mostly smuggled in through the Davao City Customs port. These are mini-utility trucks salvaged from the car “cemeteries” in Japan. They come in chop-chopped, loaded in cargo container vans, and pass through Customs with the apparent connivance of the head office. Upon landing, the cut-up vehicles are welded back together and converted to left-hand drive by outfits that are licensed by the Department of Trade and Industry. Surprisingly, the Land Transportation Office registers these vehicles fashioned into public utility jeeps. Everyone is on the ballgame. Davao City has a few Sarao-made PUJs. Because multi-cabs are a lot cheaper, these veritable rolling coffins dominate Davao City roads. Last week, during the visit of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to Davao City to formally open the first segment of the city’s grand coastal boulevard, he and VP Sara witnessed the signing of a $1-billion loan agreement between the Philippine government and the Asian Development Bank represented by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno and ADB Country Director Pavit Ramachandran, respectively. The dollar-denominated loan will finance the DTMP which will be the largest and the Philippines’ first road-based public transport project in the country. The amount will cover, among other things, the cost of 1,100 modern electric buses which under the DTMP concept will be operated by the private sector under performance-based contracts. Diokno was quoted as saying that “the DTMP will be a model for other cities’ public transit projects.” Take a bow, VP Sara. This was the second pioneering project she launched during her term as mayor of Davao. The first was the relocation of aerial power and communications cables underground which is a work in progress. The main streets of the city have been cleared of unsightly tangles of cables and in the process, the roads and pedestrian walkways are being improved to make them safe for senior citizens to walk on. As many as there are modern buses, there will be drivers to be hired permanently and they will come from the ranks of the displaced multi-cab drivers. They will be trained before they are allowed to drive the modern buses. Others will be employed in other jobs related to the DTMP. The transport project was in its gestation period after it was given the green light by the Department of Transportation during the past Duterte administration but the Covid pandemic caught up with it and it was placed in the freezer. Now PBBM has seen to it that the project will be accomplished with a set timeline by 2024. That will be three claps for President Bongbong, but seen beaming beside him was the proud VP Inday Sara, the brains behind the DTMP. A road network of about 700 kilometers linking 29 routes within Davao City and the adjoining Panabo City in Davao del Norte will worm through commercial districts and residential communities. There will be 1,000 bus stops along the route. It is expected that traffic in the downtown areas will be decongested with the fielding of the brand new, comfortable, and safe buses which can take in more passengers than the present rickety multi-cabs. A plus factor of the DTMP project is the radical elimination of carbon emissions and the smuggling of multi-cab carcasses from Japan through the Davao Customs port in container vans given the “code green” by the BoC head office. The post Davao City transport modernization appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nobel-winning lithium battery inventor John Goodenough dies at 100
John Goodenough, who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing the lithium-ion battery that revolutionized modern life, has died at the age of 100, the University of Texas announced. Goodenough died on Sunday, said the university, where he worked as an engineering professor. The US scientist's contributions to the development of lithium-ion batteries paved the way for smartphones and a fossil fuel-free society. "John's legacy as a brilliant scientist is immeasurable -- his discoveries improved the lives of billions of people around the world," Jay Hartzell, president of the University of Texas at Austin, said in the statement. "He was a leader at the cutting edge of scientific research throughout the many decades of his career." In 1986, at the age of 64, Goodenough joined the University of Texas where he served as a faculty member in the Cockrell School of Engineering for 37 years. "The world has lost an incredible mind and generous spirit. He will be truly missed among the scientific and engineering community, but he leaves a lasting legacy that will inspire generations of future innovators and researchers," said Sharon Wood, provost of the University of Texas. Goodenough became the oldest person to win a Nobel Prize when at the age of 97 he shared the 2019 chemistry award with Britain's Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino of Japan for the invention of the lithium-ion battery. Seeking an alternative source of power during the oil crisis of the 1970s, Whittingham discovered a way to harness the potential energy in lithium, a metal so light it floats on water. However, the battery he constructed was too unstable to be used. Goodenough built on Whittingham's prototype, substituting a different metal compound and doubling the potential energy of the battery to four volts. This paved the way for far more powerful and durable batteries in the future. In 1985, Yoshino instead used a carbon-based material that stores lithium ions, finally rendering the battery commercially viable. The culmination of the trio's research resulted in the most powerful, lightweight and rechargeable battery ever seen. 'A rechargeable world' "They created a rechargeable world," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awarded the accolade, said at the time. "Lithium batteries have revolutionized our lives since they first entered the market in 1991," and were "of the greatest benefit to humankind". Their work considerably boosted human mobility, and allowed millions in developing countries to access information and services online with just a mobile phone. Lithium-ion batteries have also reduced the reliance on planet-warming fossil fuels, especially in electric cars. On receiving news of his Nobel, Goodenough expressed pride in the worldwide impact of his work. "I'm extremely happy that my discovery has been able to help communication through the world," he said. "We need to build relationships, not wars. I am happy if people use this for good, not evil." Born in 1922 in Germany, Goodenough grew up in the United States and earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Yale University. After serving as a meteorologist in the US Army during World War II, Goodenough earned a master's degree and a PhD in physics at the University of Chicago in 1952, according to the University of Texas statement. From 1952, he worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lincoln Laboratory for 24 years and laid the groundwork for the development of computer random-access memory (RAM). Goodenough was head of the inorganic chemistry laboratory at Oxford University when he made his lithium-ion battery discovery. In 1986, he joined the University of Texas where he was known for his "quick wit and infectious laugh." He was still coming into work well into his 90s, the university said. Goodenough and his wife Irene were married for 70 years, until her death in 2016. The post Nobel-winning lithium battery inventor John Goodenough dies at 100 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nuke an imperative
An economic breakout is possible for the Philippines amid the momentum that has been built up over the past two years post-pandemic. From a 5.6-percent growth in 2021, the economy surged to a 7.6 percent expansion last year, indicating that the economy may be catapulted to even higher growth by the end of the year. Strong growth is being achieved against the backdrop of a global economy being weighed down by high prices and the recurring threat of widespread recession. Asian economies are being relied on to provide the fuel that will jumpstart global commerce and the Philippines is expected to set the pace of development. While the prospects have never been better for the local economy, the consequence would be higher electricity demand that would be far more than what had been previously expected. The upsurge in electricity demand would require ramping up supply quickly and efficiently, which will be hobbled in turn by international commitments to cut down on carbon emissions precluding fossil fuel use. Multiple problems beset the move towards renewable energy, including cost, unpredictability, and lack of policy support. A limiting factor to growth is the lack of investments that unfortunately are being turned off by the cost of electricity in the Philippines, which is among the highest in the world. The shift to nuclear power becomes imperative as this technology’s development may address the country’s problems on price, adequacy of supply, and meeting environmental covenants. Resolving the power inefficiencies requires huge investments in infrastructure and alternative energy sources, experts said in a forum sponsored by the state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies. Even though a policy for a nuclear program was put in place during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte under Executive Order 164, being awaited by investors is the updating of laws and the ratification of international legal instruments before they plunge into nuclear energy projects. The government may not be allowed to operate a nuclear facility nor revive the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant under the provisions of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA which limits the government to engaging in power generation only for missionary purposes. Thus, putting the government back in the power generation business needs amending the law. Experts at the forum said the country must address the energy problems squarely as a five-hour power outage inflicts about P556 million in economic losses. Successful economies like Singapore will find unacceptable the level of reliability of electricity in the country. The past few years saw the country logging power interruptions at an average of 10 days a year compared to Singapore’s one hour in 10 years. As a rule of thumb, the experts said that to reduce the level of brownouts to one day a year, the required capacity addition must be at least 1.164 gigawatts to serve 250 hours a year. Economic momentum depends on how quickly the problems are addressed, which makes nuclear technology imperative. A classic dilemma is how generating companies or gencos cannot recover the cost from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market as a result of a secondary price cap at P6,245 per kilowatt-hour. Power producers are thus forced to agree to the market price even if they are operating at a loss, which will not be necessary for a nuclear facility that is not vulnerable to international price fluctuations. Giving nuclear power a shot at being a contributor to the energy mix, thus, will ease business apprehension on supply and pricing that should open up the investment tap for the country. The post Nuke an imperative appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
No private vehicles in Carbon market area rule takes effect
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Despite the information dissemination prior to the start of the implementation of the no private vehicles allowed in Carbon Market area, there were still private vehicles who attempted to enter. Police Lieutenant Colonel Clark Arriola, Cebu City Police Office traffic group head, said that these motorists were immediately flagged by the […] The post No private vehicles in Carbon market area rule takes effect appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
No private vehicles allowed in Carbon starting Mar. 22
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Beginning this March 22, authorities and police in Cebu City will temporarily prohibit private vehicles from entering Carbon Public Market, the city’s largest public wet market. The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), Market Operations Division, (MOD), Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), and the Prevention Order Restoration Beautification Enhancement (PROBE) team announced […] The post No private vehicles allowed in Carbon starting Mar. 22 appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
CCPO to deploy more traffic police with the return of Guadalupe-Carbon jeepneys
DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental — The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) will be deploying additional traffic police after the city allowed the return of public utility jeepneys (PUJs) in some routes this Friday. Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of CCPO, said that they immediately directed their traffic police to prepare and […] The post CCPO to deploy more traffic police with the return of Guadalupe-Carbon jeepneys appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Cooperation, not competition
SPEAKING OUT Ignacio R. Bunye The Ayala Group is widely recognized in the Philippines and in Asia as a pioneer in ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) with its formal adoption of the Ayala Sustainability Framework. In a recent webcast conversation with ATR Asset Management’s Julian Tarrobago, Jr., Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala (JAZA), Chairman and CEO of Ayala, explained the genesis of this corporate philosophy. In a nutshell, this is about using the economic engine and for-profit discipline of enterprises to address social issues – not as a philanthropy but as an integral part of doing business. This is a new philosophy designed to foster an environment where there is inclusive growth. This is achieved by engaging disenfranchised sectors and going beyond just the financials. This is reflected in how Ayala purposively evolved over the years and how it has operated during the crisis. This explains how and why Ayala Land continues to make urban centers more livable and more friendly, why Ayala Land projects aim to become carbon-neutral a few years down the road, why AC Energy continues to improve its mix of energy sources, consistently increasing reliance on renewables, why Ayala has ventured into health and into education, and why BPI has dramatically upsized its microfinance. This explains why during the crisis, Ayala’s first concern was to ensure both the physical and financial well-being of its stakeholders. This includes Ayala’s employees and those of the various eco-systems (read that as 250,000 SMEs) which support Ayala. This meant P10 billion, to date, of foregone revenue, to help in their recovery and fostering sustainable growth beyond the crisis. Finally, JAZA explains why “this is a time for us to learn to cooperate rather than be at odds with each other. Our modern capitalist system is massively integrated in a way that it wasn’t in the past. And because we have an integrated system, we are tied to each other in ways that we either all succeed together, or not. If one component of that system is allowed to fail, then you start to break up what makes modern capitalism so strong. The supply chain, the integration, the way we work off each other, each person providing their own component of the system. If we don’t help each other, particularly in the public-private sector to reenergize and restart that great engine, then we will fail. Perhaps, this is a period in time where cooperation is being demanded more from all of us both in the private sector alone and in the private-public interaction, to see how we can all work together to address the many pain points that we will face as a nation if we are to get out of this pandemic.” Change your passwords often Even prior to the pandemic, incidents of unauthorized ATM withdrawals by third parties have been reported on the rise. It is perhaps opportune to issue this reminder. Essentially, it is about keeping our User IDs and passwords safe. One normally reads this reminder on our bank’s website. This is what the bank usually tells us. The bank will never ask you to provide your User IDs or Passwords through e-mail or SMS so don’t fall for unsolicited messages that your account has been temporarily disconnected and that you have to change your password. Never click on links from suspicious e-mails and SMS. Hackers can gain access to your account, plant malware, and steal your identity. Monitor your accounts regularly and immediately report any discrepancies. If I may just add, don’t ask anybody to withdraw money from the ATM for you. For added protection, you may want to use Code Red, an RFID and NFC Anti-Scanning Card. It is a smart card that provides protection from identity theft by manipulating the radio signals using E-field technology. Simply put it inside your wallet and it will make your personal data invisible to electronic thieves and hackers. (Thanks BPI EVP Mon Jocson for this last tip.) Note: You may wish to share the foregoing article via Facebook, Twitter and/or Linked-In......»»
Survey shows Cha-cha still unpopular with Filipinos — Senate leaders
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said that the findings of the survey by private pollster Pulse Asia, which was released on Wednesday, show that Charter change is an "unpopular move.".....»»
Oplan Harabas yields 3 drivers positive for drugs
FOLLOWING the surprise drug test conducted by the Land Transportation Office (LTO)-Davao and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on public utility vehicles (PUVs) last March 26, 2024, two taxi drivers in Davao City were found to be positive for drugs......»»
54 buses to offset LRT-1 shutdown for Cavite extension, Holy Week
The Department of Transportation will be deploying passenger buses starting Wednesday to offset the shutdown of LRT-1 operations during the Holy Week and in preparation for the opening of five new stations this year......»»
PSAC welcomes Blinken’s bid to deepen bilateral ties
Private sector leaders have extended their full support to President Marcos as he deepened ties with the United States during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s diplomatic visit to the country last March 19......»»
13 killed in vehicles collision in southern Philippines
MANILA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen people were killed after a passenger van and a dump truck collided on a highway in Cotabato province in the southern Philippines on Monday, police and local media said. Police said the van, with about 15 passengers aboard, was negotiating a sloping curve when it was hit by the speeding dump truck in the opposite lane. The accident happened after 12 noon local time. In.....»»
Baltimore bridge collapses after cargo ship rams it
A major bridge in the US city of Baltimore almost entirely collapsed Tuesday after being struck by a cargo ship, sending multiple vehicles and up to 20 people plunging into the harbor below. Dramatic footage shows a container ship hitting a footing of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, sending the steel-built structure into the Patapsco.....»»
Fishers lose Laguna lake share to private developers
The share of small fisherfolk in the 9,200-hectare Laguna de Bay has been lowered to 53 percent after the Laguna Lake Development Authority increased private operators’ allocation to 47 percent......»»
Billboards as lawful election propaganda eyed
Static or LED billboards should be allowed as lawful election propaganda, according to Sen. Imee Marcos......»»
13 killed in vehicles collision in southern Philippines
MANILA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen people were killed after a passenger van and a dump truck collided on a highway in Cotabato province in the southern Philippines on Monday, police and local media said. Police said the van, with about 15 passengers aboard, was negotiating a sloping curve when it was hit by the speeding dump truck in the opposite lane. The accident happened after 12 noon local time. In.....»»
SC allows UN expert to act as friend of the court in Maria Ressa s cyber libel plea
Irene Khan, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression and opinion, has been allowed by the Supreme Court (SC) to sit as an "amicus curiae" to the court in the appeal for the cyber libel case of Rappler.com chief executive officer Maria Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos......»»
Medical privacy
People want to keep their state of health private......»»