Microsoft goes Carbon negative, and this is really positive
By 2050, according to Satya Nadella, Microsoft will have removed all the carbon from the environment that it has emitted since its foundation in 1975. To do so, the company aims to become “carbon negative” by 2030, removing more carbon from the environment than it emits.
“The carbon in our atmosphere has created a blanket of gas that traps heat and is changing the world’s climate. If we don’t curb emissions, and temperatures continue to climb, science tells us that the results will be catastrophic.”
To achieve this massive carbon removal project, Microsoft leveraged a £765M fund for climate innovation to develop the proper technologies and solutions to become carbon negative.
But there’s a difference between being carbon neutral and carbon negative. A carbon-neutral business aims to add no carbon to the atmosphere. To become carbon negative, a company must actively remove more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits.
To help remove the carbon, Microsoft will seed new forests and expand existing ones, put carbon into the ground via soil carbon sequestration, suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, and finally grow crops and capture the CO2 emitted.
A very promising model which will hopefully contribute to reducing the impact of climate change, and one that is sure to be followed by other major tech companies and manufacturers.
UK Huawei deal to go through despite Trump threats
The UK government is on the verge of partnering with Chinese telecoms giant Huawei on a deal to enable a 5G network, despite the US president’s threats to cut off security ties with the country if this were to happen.
Trump has warned the UK that the intelligence arrangement between the two nations will be at risk if the deal goes ahead. However, Johnson is set to allow the Huawei deal to go ahead despite the threats, with European analysts seeing Trump’s warnings as a “bluff”. A UK official has said the UK security services simply don’t believe Trump’s blackmail is justified.
Johnson promised to upgrade Britain’s communications network during his recent election campaign declaring “the British public deserves access to the best possible technology” and has his eye’s on what Huawei can offer.
Nike Vaporfly to be banned from World Athletics
According to speculation, Nike’s Vaporfly trainers are likely to be banned with the World Athletics’s new rules around technologically superior running shoes.
Equipped with super-thick soles that incorporate carbon-fibre plates, the shoes act like springs while remaining incredibly lightweight. Worn by Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei as she broke Paula Radcliffe’s world record marathon time last year, they’re believed to make runners 4% more efficient.
Critics of the shoes state that it does not fall within the regulation of shoes being “available to all”. Accordingly, rules limiting the thickness of midsoles and the use of carbon-fibre plates are expected soon.