Latest Stories from Jamie
The continued threat of ‘swatting’ in 2022
Within streaming and gaming ‘swatting’ is largely regarded as the ultimate hoax. Since the infamous 2017 case of Tyler Barris, US states have attempted to stamp out the practice for good – though instances are still occurring in 2022. The gaming community can feel pretty toxic at times. If you’ve played competitive multiplayer games for any significant period of time, you’ll almost certainly have received threatening messages from disgruntled opponents. The levels...
Could olivine rocks help our carbon capture efforts?
As climate scientists search for feasible ways to remove carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, a plentiful type of rock called olivine – and the process of chemical mineralisation – is providing an exciting lead. It’s looking increasingly likely that achieving our net zero goals will depend not only on green industry transitions, but also mobilising carbon capture methods to address our current mess. To date, the most effective means of locking...
Venture capital is alarmingly down for Black owned startups
As investors retreat to safe and familiar options, Black founded startups are seeing dramatic troughs in venture capital funding for 2022. This isn’t surprising, but is definitely concerning. Talk of venture capital (VC) can quickly get convoluted, but we’ll get to the crux of what is happening and what it actually means. According to new data from Crunchbase, a popular VC analytics firm, Black founded startups are seeing a huge...
The refugee camp recycling plastic waste into furniture
The Sahara Desert has become a central dumping ground for plastic waste from surrounding refugee camps. One of which, on the western border of Algeria, is making a dent in the trash by recycling it into furniture and useful items. Like a lot of places around the globe, the Sahara Desert is chock full of plastic waste. You’ll no doubt have seen documentaries and movies showing its majestic sandy dunes stretching...
Apple faces £768m lawsuit for allegedly ‘throttling’ older iPhones
Up to 25 million Britons who owned an older iPhone model in 2017 may be able to claim damages from Apple. A consumer champion claims the tech giant deliberately ruined phone performances to push buyers towards new devices. When it comes to our phone devices, somewhat ironically, we’re the ones under the thumb. Over the last few years, phone usage has become more obsessive than ever. Up to five hours...
These eco-zeppelins could help to clean up the aviation industry
A small Bedford-based tech start-up called Hybrid Air Vehicles has just sold 10 environmentally friendly airships to a Spanish airliner. Could this be the early knockings of a cleaner aviation industry? As you’re no doubt aware by now, the aviation industry is a serious carbon emitter. Reportedly responsible for around 2% of all human-created pollution, the planes that fly us across oceans and all over the globe continue to create...
Hawaiian start-up pioneers world’s first ‘ocean-assisted’ carbon capture plant
While the majority of carbon capture efforts are focused on air pollution, the current version of this ‘ocean-assisted’ tech can capture CO2 at a cost of $475 per ton – which is cheaper than any land project to date. Along a remote stretch of Hawaiian coastline, a geoengineering start-up is pioneering ‘ocean-assisted’ carbon removal – which can both sequester emissions and help to reduce ocean acidification. Now, as you’re no doubt...
The technology addressing the ocean’s carbon acidity problem
Carbon sequestration is largely deemed as a good thing for the climate, but our oceans are becoming more acidic with every metric ton stored. Here’s how technology is helping to balance that. Geoengineers continue searching for ways to sequester more of our atmosphere’s carbon within the ocean, but as with everything in life, there’s both a ying and a yang. It turns out nearly a third of all CO2 emissions we...
Sea ice worryingly falls to record lows in the Antarctic Ocean
Preliminary data from satellites reveals Antarctica’s levels of sea ice have dropped to their lowest level in 40 years, when the first ever measurements were taken. What would hump day be at this point without a depressing dose of climate change news? This week, scientists have discovered that there is now the smallest ice coverage in the Antarctic Ocean since data started being measured in 1979. Using satellite imagery, the US National...
Funding needs for climate disasters rise ‘more than 800%’ in 20 years
As extreme climate weather events become more common and severe, the need for funding is constantly on the rise – specifically, by 800% in the last 20 years. As of today, around just half of the overall economic cost has been met. Right now, diplomats from the economically richest nations are convening in Germany to discuss global policy on ‘loss and damage.’ Climate change has driven a fivefold increase in...
