Change

Change Elon Musk’s ship for Jeff Bezos

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The narrative in Washington is that the race to return to the moon is being lost. While China advances with a firm step to put two astronauts on the lunar surface before 2030, the NASA Artemis program hangs from a thread. That thread is called Starship, and less and less involved trust that it is ready to take Americans to the surface of the moon. There is a plan B. A investigation The veteran space reporter Eric Berger reveals that NASA officials could have a plan B to comply with the White House slogan: return to the moon before China arrives for the first time. Given the distrust of Elon Musk, who said publicly that the moon seemed like a distraction and that his priority was Mars, despite the multimillionaire NASA contract that finances the development of Starship HLS, the solution seems to be the ship of its great rival: Jeff Bezos. All to a letter. To understand where this pressing American need to win the lunar race comes from, you have to go back in time. After the disaster of the Columbia space ferry in 2003, NASA focused on the Constellation program, which ended up deriving in the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft, whose development leads Boeing and Lockheed Martin. In addition to huge cost overruns and delays, these two vehicles have ended up costing NASA the headaches of an inefficient architecture to return to the moon. The Artemis III mission, scheduled with optimism by 2027, plans to launch four astronauts in a SLS rocket, take them to the lunar orbit in the Orion ship and then, to two of them, to the lunar surface in a starship HLS of Spacex. That NASA chose the Spacex Starship as the only option for Artemis III (and then Artemis IV) has ended up being its second big mistake. Even if it was the cheapest candidate and Spacex, he was already testing prototypes in flight, it is not the simplest ship to reach the moon: since he uses cryogenic fuel, which has to evaporate, he needs to refuel in orbit several times before embarking on his lunar trip. The revenge of Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin, the Jeff Bezos aerospace company, denounced NASA at that time for having put all the eggs in the Starship basket. NASA also ended up hiring its Blue Moon ship, but for future Artemis V and VI missions. Now, after years seeing how Musk dominated the sector, Bezos has the opportunity to take revenge. Blue Origin could advance Spacex With a simpler lunar architecture: a modified version of its Aunaging module Blue Moon Mark 1, originally designed for load flights. The company would be adapting it to carry crew, taking advantage of everything learned in the development of its next -generation manned ship, the Blue Mooon Mark 2. It is 1969 again. The MK1 key is its simplicity: it would not require refueling in orbit, only send several MK1 to lower astronauts to the surface and then ascend again to meet with the Orion ship. It is an approach that, according to Blue Origin engineers, is feasible and could be executed before the decade ends. That is, before China reaches the moon. What the United States wins. It is actually the United States that has put this idea of ​​a lunar career against China in the collective imaginary. China has been playing long -term since it started throwing robots into the moon. But now that its date of sending astronauts is approaching, the US urgency is not accidental. The White House She is obsessed with winning Chinato the point of having vetoed Chinese citizens even at meetings for NASA zoom. He has also advanced the Artemis II mission to show that he is still in the game. He is NASA’s acting administrator, Sean Duffy, close to the government, who promotes the narrative: “We are going to win the Chinese on the moon.” At the same time, it’s not just a matter of pride. Settle permanently on the moon It is not just for glory, it is for the control of its resources. The first country to establish a functional base will have the pan by the handle. With Spacex Plan A accumulating doubts, Blue Origin’s proposal is presented as the alternative that NASA needs.

Change Earth’s rotation

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The dams are colossal engineering works that provide numerous benefits to the surrounding cities, such as energy and flood protection. However, They are often accompanied by national and international controversies. And no dam has acquired both renown (and controversial) and the Chinese dam of The three throatsone of the most titanic construction projects on the planet and the largest hydroelectric dam. Its connected reservoir is capable of containing a volume of water so large that the rotation of the Earth has changed, extending the duration of the day by 0.06 microseconds. The three throats. Built along the Yangtze River in the province of Hubei, it was planned in 1919 by the first president of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, as a measure to control the floods of the river and generate energy. But, above all, to become a symbol of China’s power. Although its construction would not begin until December 1994 and would be put into operation in 2009. It has more than 2 kilometers long and 182 meters high. When it is at its maximum point, can contain 42,000 million tons of water. Suffice it to say that 510,000 tons of steel were needed to build it, which would be needed to erect 60 Eiffel towers. What is it for? It has three objectives: flood control, hydroelectric energy production and improve navigation. Keep in mind that the three throats generates today 11 times more energy than the gigantic hoover preythe world’s largest power plant with 22,500 MW. And through 34 huge generators, supports a large part of the Chinese nation. Besides, Helps keep the Yangze River at baythe longest third in the world, during the flood season protecting adjacent cities such as Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai. It has slowed the rotation of the Earth. However, there is a price to pay to store so much water. Once the dam reservoir, the weight of the dough, which is more than 39 billion kilos, It is enough to slightly change the rotation of the earth. As? The inertia of the earth depends on its mass (water) and the distribution of that mass with respect to the axis of rotation. The axis of the Earth It is an imaginary pole that crosses the center of the earth from “up” to “down.” The earth revolves around this pole and performs a complete rotation every day. But as the dough is redistributed on the planet, This change slightly alters rotation. And the greater the distance of a mass (relocation of the water from other areas to the Chinese reservoir) to its axis of rotation, the slower it will turn, therefore It affects the duration of earth days. To understand the phenomenon, it is only necessary to visualize the turn movement of an ice skater: if its mass is uniformly distributed (for example, collecting their arms towards the body), it will turn better and faster after a few laps. If the dough changes, rotation and turn also change. The result. That means that raising 39 billion kilograms of water at 175 meters above sea level increases the inertia of the earth and, therefore, slows its rotation. However, according to NASA, the impact is minimal. His scientists calculated That the change of such mass increases the duration of the day by just 0.06 microseconds and makes the earth just a little more round in the center and flatter in the upper part. It has passed other times. In fact, hundreds of phenomena that alter that movement are produced every year. He tsunami that hit the Southeast Asia in 2004 or the 2010 Chilean earthquake They also affected the rotation of the planet. NASA then confirmed that the 2004 Indonesian earthquake had decreased the duration of the day by 2.68 microseconds. What affects us? Nothing. Although it sounds very shocking, the reality is that we will not notice any change. Miguel Sevilla, deputy director of the Institute of Astronomy and Geodesia, He defended years ago in this information article That these phenomena “have no greater significance, apart from the large material and human damage they cause.” Although they serve to warn us of “the effects they have on people, buildings and in nature.” Other controversies that do matter. In fact, beyond how this Chinese dam affects the rotation of the earth, the project has been plagued with other controversies that do significantly affect the life of humans and ecosystems. One of them is the amount of damage that causes the environment. It is estimated that 70% of China’s fresh water is contaminated and The dam could be worsening the situationsince it is based on old waste and mining operations facilities. Every year 265 million gallons of wastewater are deposited without treating on the Yangtze River. On the other hand, when the project was built, 1.2 million people were forced to relocate In new homes. And currently, the Chinese government is still migrating people out of the area. Image | Commons In Xataka | The demolition of the largest dam complex in the world has begun. Its controversial objective: resurrect a river

A change of players is already discussed, according to Politico

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Europe has looked at the sky urgently. The great new generation hunting project, the FCASlaunched in 2017, advances in a continent that faces increasingly complex security challenges and, nevertheless, enters a delicate phase. Berlin has put on the table that, if there is no agreement before the end of the year, it will study alternatives that change the photo of the program, According to politician. Spain, project partner, observes a moving board that could alter its weight in the program. France, Germany and Spain are the three pillars of the FCAS, each with an industrial partner of reference: Dassault, Airbus and Indra. The ultimate goal is to reach 2040 with a system capable of replacing current fighters and making a interoperability jump in Europe. But between that starting point and the goal is opened a permanent negotiation on who leads, what technology is shared and how the work is distributed. That debate, more political than technical, conditions each progress of the program. From plane to collaborative network. FCAS is committed to a collaborative combat model in which the tripled hunting coexists with drones and remote carriers. Coordination will arrive through a Combat Clouda cloud that ensures safe high -speed communications and that connects with other systems, from satellites to ships or units on land. Airbus is co-leader of the program and leads pillars such as the Remote Carriers and the Combat Cloud, in addition to being the main partner of the NGF demonstrator, while indrating reinforces the Spanish role in areas such as connectivity and technological integration. GCAP, the other great program. In front of the continental commitment of the FCAS, the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP) brings together Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan around a different philosophy. Its manned plane is conceived as a “quarterback”, a coordinator capable of leading formations and orchestrating operations along with drones and other systems. The design is based on five payload pillars: armament, sensors, connectivity, non -kinetic capabilities and computing. According to its promoters, it does not intend to replace the F-35but to complement it and ensure that allied forces have an advanced node in very disputed environments. Italy, the United Kingdom and Japan boost the GCAP, a sixth generation program centered on global interoperability One of the main friction points is how the work is distributed. The expected thing was a balanced scheme between France, Germany and Spain, but in Berlin the information published by specialized means according to which Dassault claimed up to 80% of the load of the load of the load of the load of the load of the NGWS. The French company has denied italthough he insists that he needs more decision margin to avoid delays. Germany defends that the contract must be fulfilled and that the distribution remains equitable, while Spain aligns with that same position. Plan B in Berlin. German frustration translates into discreet movements to explore alternatives. According to the aforementioned media, the Ministry of Defense raised Airbus the possibility of opening the project to Sweden, relying on Saab’s experience with influen’s, or even the United Kingdom, leading the GCAP. Another option is to advance from the hand of Spain if France remains row. The German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, has reported these debates to the Bundestag, the Federal Parliament, where it is already warned that the decision to continue or not with the FCAS cannot be delayed much more. The FCAS seeks a European collaborative combat system with fighters, drones and fully integrated military cloud What is Spain played. The Spanish contribution is channeled through Indrawhich seeks to strengthen its role in critical technologies of the program. In public, Berlin has remarked that he maintains full coincidence with Madrid in the distribution of work and the vision of the project. The tuning was staged last week, on September 28, when Pedro Sánchez and Friedrich Merz appeared together in La Moncloa and The German president referred to FCAS in response to a press question. The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, at a joint conference on September 18 “We share the opinion that the current situation is not satisfactory because we do not advance. The two (Merz and Sánchez) are talking to the French government and we both want as soon as possible that a solution is reached. There is an agreement between France, Germany and Spain on this project. We both know that we need this type of project, but we cannot continue as it is being done now.” Three scenarios on the table. According to the aforementioned medium, the immediate future of the FCAS is played between three paths. The first, reach an agreement with France to unlock governance and move on to the next phase. The second, to open the door to new partners such as Sweden or the United Kingdom, with everything that would imply in terms of integration and overlapping of programs. The third, to advance with a small nucleus in which Germany and Spain assume leadership if Paris remains firm. Each option implies different industrial and political risks. The next few weeks will be decisive. In October A meeting is scheduled of defense ministers of Spain, Germany and France to review the status of the program. All eyes will also be placed in the French representative. If you drive a commitment to Airbus, the FCAS may advance; If not, the alternatives already outlined by Germany will charge more strength. Images | Airbus | La Moncloa In Xataka | Airlines have invested millions in entertainment. Passengers use it to see an plane icon slowly moving

If we want to know how climate change will affect the Pyrenees, you should not look at heat or level. You have to study the caves

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Sometimes we have already talked about the threat that climate change supposes for the Pyrenees, for their ecological balance and for one of the key elements in the economy of the region, skiing. The mountainous regions are vulnerable areas in the face of changes in the weather, but to discover how we do not have to look at their snow, but in their stones. 16,500 years. A new study He has studied The evolution of temperatures in the surroundings of the Pyrenees during the last 16,500 years. The study allows us to establish a correspondence between the evolution of temperatures on this natural border of the Iberian Peninsula and the evolution of the climate in other regions of the world. Almost seven degrees. One of the details emphasized by the study responsible for the study is a sharp change in the temperature of the region registered about 14,600 years: an increase of about 6.7º Celsius (with a margin of error of about 2.8º) in the temperature of the mountainous environment. This increase in temperatures corresponds to a change in the climate of the northern hemisphere that occurred during the same era and has a counterpoint: a decrease of more than six degrees occurred almost two millennia later, about 12,800 years ago, during the event known as Younger Dryastowards the end of the last glacier period. This increase in temperatures corresponds to a change in the climate of the northern hemisphere that occurred during the same era and has a counterpoint: a decrease of more than six degrees that occurred almost two millennia later, about 12,800 years ago, during the event known as Younger Dryas, towards the end of the last glacier period. Analyzing stalagmites. The study was conducted by applying A new technique It allows to extract new climatic data from the incursions of water trapped in stalagmites, the mineral deposits that are formed in numerous tests, similar to the stalactites but whose growth occurs from the bottom up. The analysis was carried out in two caves of Ostolo and Mendukilo, in the north of Navarra. According to The team stands out Responsible for the study, the new analysis allows us to “not only identify the qualitative temperature changes of the last 16,500 years, but also to offer quantitative numbers of these variations with high chronological precision.” The details of the study have been published In an article In the magazine Climate of the past. Learn for the future. The new study is proof that our environment responds “quickly and synchronized” to changes in the global climate and also does so in relatively short time scales. This can help us to prevent the local impacts of future changes in the weather with greater precision, something of unique importance in an environment already vulnerable to these alterations. “Know how the climate in the past It helps us to better understand what can happen in the future in the face of similar disturbances. So that the future predictions of the climatic models are as robust as possible need data from the past to understand how the climate has worked in the face of phenomena such as the thermhaline circulation stop or previous increases in CO2 ”, stood out in a press release Ana Moreno, co -author of the study. In Xataka | The Pyrenees have become a huge weather laboratory: torrential rains have multiplied by four in Spain Image |

The City Council wants to change that

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The Aquifer of the Plana de València is a ‘deposit’ of more than 900 square kilometers capable of storing about 2,800 cubic hectometers of water. Not only is it more capacity than any of the community reservoirs; It is that, indeed, it has more water than them. And there is a good reason for this: it is not used. València’s area with its two and a half million inhabitants They are supplied almost entirely of the surface water of the Júcar-Turia system. Therefore, even in the worst moments of climate crisis, the aquifer has remained in good backs to the needs of the city. Now, the City Council wants to change that. For “the treasure of Valencia”. A few days ago, Maria José Catalá, the mayor of the city, presented an ambitious plan to build four new wells with their own water treatment plants. The idea is to increase the ability to extract and power the water from the aquifer. In fact, according to the project, with this infrastructure you could get about 1,100 liters per second. To dimension these figures, it is best to keep in mind that, right now, the city’s extractive capacity would be in about 300 liters per second. And not even enough. After all, always according to EMIVASA (The Valencian water company), the city needs about 1,500 liters per second of continuous drinking water to ensure the supply. That is, to self -ability from the aquifer, València would need to quintuplicate the maximum that today can be extracted from the subsoil. “I hope it never gets used”said Mayor Catalá and, perhaps without knowing it, put his finger on one of the greatest risks of this type of infrastructure. On the one hand, from the political point of view, it seems irresponsible not to exploit the resources we have within our reach (especially in times of pressing water crisis). But it will be used … On the other, from an ecological point of view, the temptation to resort to the aquifer more than those recommended will always be on the table. Pure Say Law: If we have water available, all incentives will conspire to spend it. And no, it is not mere speculation: it is the historical experience. As They point in the Datadista For years: decades of “emergency measures” in front of drought has only ended up serving to “expand irrigation, increasing the problem of overexploitation and contamination of aquifers and wetlands.” We have shown to have a surprising capacity to find excuses about using them whenever water appeared available. Not only that WWF Spain revealed in 2019 that The four most important aquifers in the country have been sheared for years; the thing is, According to the reports of the Geological and Mining Institute“For decades, salinization of Mediterranean and insular Spanish coastal coastal aquifers have been known.” Despite this, “only in a few cases this situation is well managed.” The big question … It is whether it can be managed well (if marine intrusion can be avoided or if there is even a “rational use” of it) and, therefore, the project is now of the Júcar Hydrographic Conference. After all, this will be just one of the much dilemmas that we will have to Image | Ian Preston In Xataka | Spain has a huge problem with contaminated waters. These researchers believe that the solution is the poplars

So they have decided to change our habits with an app

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Plug -in hybrid cars have an obvious problem: many owners Do not plug them in. This Toyota knows it, and that is why he has decided to act developing an application which warns the owners of loading the vehicle and offering information about the recharge points. As Admits the brandhe has resorted to behavior science to solve this problem. The amazing thing about all this is that the results of their pilot tests show that your strategy works. The background problem. Plug -in hybrid vehicles offer between 20 and 50 kilometers of electric autonomy, sufficient for most urban displacements. However, when also carrying gasoline engine, many conductors mainly use them as conventional hybrids without taking advantage of their electrical capacity. This ends up significantly its efficiency and increases real emissions with respect to what is promised by manufacturers. Differences between the group that received the intervention regarding what did not. Image: Toyota Toyota’s solution. The Toyota Research Institute has created Chargeminder, a prototype application that applies principles of behavior science to modify load habits. Instead of bombing with constant notifications, the app sends intelligent reminders just at the right time and place, when the owner is more likely to plug his vehicle but could be forgotten or distracted. How the strategy works. The application integrates more than a dozen interventions based on scientific research. It includes gamification elements such as loading gusts, progress graphics and positive reinforcement messages. It also offers educational content through questionnaires that teach when it is cheaper and sustainable to load the vehicle. All designed to create a scaffolding between the intentions of the driver and his real actions. The results are promising. Toyota tried Chargeminder in two controlled pilot studies with approximately 100 volunteers in each market. In the United States, plug -in drivers who received the APP warnings increased load by 10% compared to the group that did not receive them. In addition, according to their reports, their satisfaction with the vehicle grew 16 percentage points, reaching 100%. In Japan, where the app was modified to promote load during maximum solar production hours, drivers changed their behavior by 59%, adding almost 30 minutes of cargo with renewable energy. Why is it relevant now. “Technology is not the only way to reduce emissions: people’s decisions also matter,” affirms Dr. Gill Pratt, scientific director of Toyota Motor Corporation. This approach is especially significant for the company when in multiple reports it is revealed that plug -in hybrids contaminate more than publicized, precisely because drivers do not plug them into. The future of Chargeminder. Although the application is not publicly available, Toyota plans to extend its research program with more personalized and dynamic interventions. The brand will prove Chargeminder in more people and scenarios, with the aim that what they learned helps align the load of electric vehicles with its global carbon neutrality strategy. It is possible that, over time, Chargeminder ends up arriving at your trusted application store. Cover image | Toyota In Xataka | Audi was too Audi to sell its electric cars in China. Solution: Copy Chinese manufacturers

We have been discussing the change of time for years and we have managed to be in exactly the same place where we were

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Almost every year for almost 20, Someone has taken To the United States Congress the idea of ​​ending the change of time. In Europe, We have spent hours and hours engaged in the discussion of what to do with him. Many countries, in fact, They have sent it to the history drawer (Others, on the other hand, They have recovered it again). I am still surprising that such a simple thing can unleash such great passions. Passions and, above all, reasons. Because there are hundreds of researchers trying to understand which time policy is better. That is why we talk about it again: because the Internet has filled with holders that ensure that “a study reveals that the change of time contributes to thousands of brain infarctions.” It’s true? What do we really know about the subject? How can the time change affect our health? The body has an internal clock of (approximately) 24 hours that helps regulate our physical and mental functioning. And not, It is not a way of speaking: As is in charge of innumerable physiological processes, the time we eat depends on that clock, to which we sleep, it even determines when we go to the bathroom. Ignore your permanent tick can cause discomfort or even a certain moment, serious diseases. Is What we call circadian rhythm. With this in mind, during this century, scientists have suspected that the hourly change should have some impact on those rhythms and, moreover, on health. The problem is that one thing is to intuit that impact and a different one is to be able to prove it. And what has this last study done? Stanford Medicine researchers They have compared how they affected circadian rhythms and general health in different different time policies (the winter schedule, summer and schedule with biannual change). To do this, based on the local exit and sunset hours, they analyzed the real exposure to the light under each time policy, the circadian impacts and the socio -health characteristics of each American county. It is not easy and has a high statistical component (and, in some segments, speculative), but it is an interesting exercise What have you discovered? In general terms, The team found that “maintaining the standard schedule or summer schedule is definitely better than changing twice a year.” According to their data, the winter schedule “would avoid about 300,000 cases of stroke per year and reduce obesity in 2.6 million people.” The summer schedule, meanwhile, “permanent would achieve approximately two thirds of the same effect.” And why would it happen? “When there is light in the morning, the circadian cycle is accelerated. When there is light in the afternoon, it slows down … explained Jamie ZeitzerProfessor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Standford. “The more light exposure is received at inappropriate times, the weaker the circadian clock is. All these factors that influence the life cycle – for example, the immune system and energy – do not synchronize so well,” He continued. The question we must ask ourselves, according to these researchers, is what time policy helps to better adjust circadian rhythms. And the answer, at least for the US set, is that most people would support a lower circadian mismatch with the winter schedule. Does that mean that winter schedule is better? Actually, no. It is possible that it is the most complete study to date, but (As the researchers themselves recognize) There are many factors that researchers did not take into account and that, by itself, can reduce gain very substantively. But even giving the methodology good and accepting that citizens behave as researchers suppose, we would have to reproduce the analysis in Spain (or our reference countries) to know what the final result would be. After all, The countries that change the time are a minority And it makes sense to think that there are scenarios in which the time change could help reduce that circadian mismatch. One of the problems of countries as large as the US (or realities as diverse as EU) is that making joint decisions is difficult. And then? I’m afraid that we are a little better than before, but almost in the same place: we still have no remotely if it is good or bad, and that we attribute more and more things. Image | Sonja Langford | NCI In Xataka | The “Spanish Ornitorrinco” exists and is on the verge of extinction: the very rare animal that only lives in the Peninsula

change it for curry and rice plates

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Walking through the city of Ambikapur in India, the aroma of the Samous leaves a cafeteria called Garbage Café (Translated: “Basure cafeteria”). The name in itself is striking and has an explanation: here nobody pays with rupees, but with garbage, specifically, with plastic. An unusual restaurant. In a BBC chronicle They have reported the visit To this cafeteria at the beginning of the year. The premises opened in 2019, promoted by the Municipal Ambikapur Corporation (AMC) and financed with its sanitation budget. The motto made it clear: “More The Waste, Better The Taste” (more garbage, better flavor). Today, the restaurant feeds about 20 people every day and has gathered almost 23 tons of plastic in six years, According to municipal data collected by the BBC. The environmental impact is modest in volume, but symbolic: the plastic sent to landfills in Ambikapur was reduced from 5.4 tons per year in 2019 to 2 tons in 2024, according to Ritesh Saini, sanitation coordinator in the city. The backdrop. What happens in this city is relevant because India faces a plastic crisis of global dimensions. According to the Pollution Control Board Central (CPCB)India generates between 3.5 and 4 million tons of plastic waste per year, although other estimates raise the figure to 9 million, depending on the methodologies used. In addition, A THINK TANK CEEW report Summarize the gap: real recycling ranges between 13% and 60%, well below what is necessary. UNEP (UNEP) warns thatwithout structural changes, the global production of plastics could be tripled by 2060, and proposes an approach to “close the tap”: reduce, redesign, reuse and recycle. Besides, A study in Nature On macroplastic emissions, he concluded that in countries of the Global South, such as India, the main factor is unpaid garbage: tons of waste that end in rivers and oceans. Prohibitions against reality. In parallel, the Indian government introduced in 2022 A national prohibition of single -use plastics (bags, straws, cutlery, trays, sticks …) and reinforced the expanded responsibility of the producer (EPR), forcing companies to collect and recycle the containers they put in the market. However, compliance remains irregular, especially among small manufacturers, and much of the effort falls on the informal recycle sector, invisible and exposed to health risks. How does the cafeteria work? The exchange in the Café Garbage is simple, but for those who depend on it it is vital. A plastic kilo is equivalent to a complete dish with rice, vegetable curris, dal, roti bread, salad and pickled; Half a kilo is enough for a breakfast or vada pav breakfast. As the BBC article collectsthe collected material is delivered to the 20 Decentralized Management Centers (SLRM) of the city. There, about 480 women, known as Swachhata Didis (Cleaning sisters), do the door by door and classify the waste into more than 60 categories. This system not only allows most of the materials to be recovered, but also created stable jobs. The final destination is varied. On the one hand, part is granula to make roads or sold to recyclers. On the other hand, organic waste becomes compost. While the non -recyclable fraction is sent to cement companies as an alternative fuel. According to the BBCthis treatment network is one of the keys that have turned Ambikapur into a “zero landfill” city. However, deficiencies persist. While the workers of the centers have gloves and masks, the street collection that carry plastic to the coffee – many vulnerability – do not usually have protection. The Minal Pathak researcher, from the University of Ahmedabad, warns of the risk of handling plastics mixed with organic remains, shear objects or even toxic waste. For people like Rashmi Mondal, a regular user, coffee has meant a relief: “I used to sell the plastic kilo for just 10 rupees (about 12 cents). Now I can feed my family with what I pick up,” explained to the British environment. A model that extends. The formula has not remained in Ambikapur. In Siliguri (West Bengal) It has been offered since 2019 A free meal to those who deliver half a kilo of plastic. That same year, in Mulugu (Telangana), A program was launched which changes a kilo of plastic for another kilo of rice. More recently, in MySuru (Karnataka), the public canteen allow since 2024 Card 500 grams of plastic for a breakfast or a kilo for a complete meal. In Uttar Pradesh, some projects have chosen to deliver compresses to women in exchange for plastic waste. The model also reached the capital. Delhi opened more than 20 coffees in 2020, but most closed shortly after. Those responsible pointed out the lack of waste segregation, low public knowledge and weakness of recycling infrastructure as the main causes, As detailed to the BBC. Beyond the plate. In Ambikapur, a plate of Dal and Rice can start with a bunch of wrappers rescued from the street. For Ram Yadav, A collector interviewed by The Guardian in 2019: “Hot food lasts all day, and it makes me feel that I am on a table like anyone.” It will not solve the plastic or hunger crisis, but it shows that local solutions can add dignity, urban cleaning and collective consciousness. What happens from here – produce less, redesign better, meet the standards and protect those who support the system – will decide whether this experience is a luminous anecdote or the beginning of a broader change. Image | Unspash and Unspash Xataka | The hoteliers promised them happy in a summer of record tourism. Until the ghost reserves arrived

They will change how we consume energy at home

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The gas counters we have at home are about to retire. Appliances that until now needed a technician’s visit to write down consumption – and that in most cases they have already overcome their useful life – will be replaced by intelligent others. The Government has set date: between 2028 and 2032, eight million homes must adapt to this transformation. The measure promises more transparency and control, but also an inevitable increase in the invoice. Let’s go in parts. Because talking about More increases in the invoice It is a headache. The draft of the Order of the Ministry for Ecological Transition Mark a demanding calendar: In 2028 it will have to have been renewed 20% of the devices, in 2030 half and in 2032, eight out of ten. Only 2% can be fought, and with justification. And it is not a thing of a few: the measure will affect almost all homes, anyone who consumes less than 50,000 kWh per year. How will it affect your pocket? The change will not be free. Today a home pays about 58 cents per month for the rent of its gas counter; With the new intelligent the figure will go to 1.10 euros, According to the CNMC. In practice they are between 46 and 52 more cents every month, about six euros a year, According to the ministry draft. It is not the first time that happens. In 2017 the rental already dropped from 1.25 to 0.58 euros, and now rises again. The Government defends that the additional cost is lower than continuing to install analog counters and that, in the medium term, it will be compensated with savings: up to 800 million in 25 years, 586 million retail consumption of gas and 229 million for less CO₂ emissions. A new way of consuming energy at home. Beyond the invoice, the new devices will transform the relationship of homes with energy. The new intelligent counters will allow remote and real -time reading, which will avoid visiting technicians and there will be no more invoices based on estimated consumption. Everything will be digitized, so each consumer can consult their consumption through a website or application, as already happens with electricity. In addition, you will have immediate information will facilitate reducing consumption and better plan the use of energy. Finally, and more importantly, teams will include manipulations and automatic notices detection functions. In the words of Joan Batalla, president of Sedigas, cited by Forbesit is “a decisive step towards the digitalization of the gas system, with direct benefits for consumers in terms of control of their consumption, safety, energy efficiency and service quality.” The pulse between Sedigas and the Government. The employer of the sector, thirsty, He has presented allegations to the ministerial draft. Although he supports the measure, he has put several challenges on the table. First, the cost since they estimate that the substitution will involve 200 million euros that are currently not recognized in the regulatory framework. Second, they ask that the monthly rate not only apply to homes, but to the entire Park of Digital Accountants, also in large consumption. They have also contemplated that a more flexible calendar is necessary, with reviews every three years to adjust to the availability of equipment and the reality of the deployment. Finally, they have requested more forceful measures against equipment manipulation, with deterrent mechanisms and advanced detection systems. The Ministry, however, defends its calendar and has suggested the possibility of sanctions, since the draft mentions “Potential penalties” for users who do not allow the replacement of their accountant. The new star of the house. The accountant who has gone unnoticed in a corner of the kitchen or the portal is about to become a key piece of the energy transition. For homes, it will mean paying a few euros more a year, but also having much more precise control over its consumption. For distributors, a logistics and economic challenge of 200 million. And for the country, the opportunity to modernize the gasist system and move towards a more efficient and sustainable model. As Forbes has summarized“With a balanced regulatory framework, Spain can be placed at the European avant -garde in digitalization of energy consumption.” The challenge will be, now, to distribute who pays that invoice. Image | Unspash Xataka | Emptied Spain has been filled with solar mills and panels, but waste energy for a simple reason: there are no cables

Before the great fire wave in Spain, science already has a culprit of its propagation: climate change

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This 2025 It has been a devastating year for Spain and Portugal Because of the A large amount of forest fires that they have been giving, In many cases intentionallybut that were fueled without control. A new scientific analysis has concluded that the climatic crisis has played a determining role, multiplying by 40 the probability that the extreme weather conditions that fueled the flames would be given. Not just that. The study determines that these phenomena were 30% more intense than they would have been in a world without global warming. And this is important to highlight it: the study does not indicate that climate change causes fires, but they intensify their force of destruction when they make them uncontrollable more likely. Putting figures. The reportprepared by the World Weather Attribution network, put figures to a catastrophe of historical dimensions. On September 1, the fires had calcined about 380,000 hectares in Spain and 260,000 in Portugal. In total, 640,000 hectares, an area four times higher than that of London and represents approximately 1% of the surface of the Iberian Peninsula. In historical terms, for Spain 2025 it will close as the fifth year with the highest burned surface since there are records in 1961. If we are going to European, we can affirm that the worst year since The EFFIS system (European Forest Fire Information System) began registering data in 2006, with more than one million hectares calcined, being two thirds of those corresponding to Spain and Portugal. Impresses researchers. “The size of these fires has been amazing”, affirms Clair Barnes, scientist at Imperial College in London and co -author of the study. “Warmer, dry and flammable conditions are becoming more severe with climate change and are giving rise to fires of an unprecedented intensity.” And it is that the surprise is logical. According to the data they have analyzed, they point out that these extreme risk conditions for the propagation of fire will be given every 15 years with the current climate. This is something that only happened once every 500 years in the preindustrial era. An explosive cocktail. The fuel of these megaincendios was an unprecedented weather situation. The large amount of fires occurred during a heat wave in Spain that was one of the longest ever registered, with a duration of 16 days (from August 3 to 18). But it was not only the longest, but also the most intense, with an upper 4.6 ° C temperature anomaly compared to a pre -industrial climate. The impact of climate change in this extreme heat is even more pronounced. According to the analysis, a ten -day heat wave as intense as the lived is now an event that is expected once every 13 years. Before humans began to heat our environment, such a heat was extremely rare and it was only expected to happen less than once every 2,500 years. It is not just the weather. Although the report points to climate change as the great amplifier, it is not the only factor. Scientists highlight that both in Spain and Portugal, rural depopulation and population aging have left large extensions of forest land without managing, creating a massive accumulation of dry vegetation that acts as a perfect fuel. One of the examples that is put is in the decrease of traditional practices such as extensive grazing has reduced natural control over that vegetation. David García, applied mathematician of the University of Alicante and co -author of the study, points out that the public debate in Spain has focused a lot on the decline of these rural activities. It points to that “much less the effect of climate change has been discussed in these fires, which, as has been demonstrated, has been immense.” To this is added that human ignition, whether accidental or intention, is behind about 90% of fires whose causes are identified. With huge fuel loads and extreme weather conditions, minor human actions can trigger catastrophic results. The science behind. To reach these conclusions, the research team analyzed the weather conditions that the fires propitiate using the daily severity index (DSR), which is a metric derived from the Canada Fire Meteorological Index (FWI). In summary, this index combines long -term rainfall data, temperature, humidity and wind to estimate the probability and severity of a fire. In this way, the scientists compared the meteorological data observed in the current climate (which has been heated from the pre -industrial era) with a counterfactual of how these conditions would be in a climate without that warming. In this way, with the methodology used, the “footprint” of climate change in a specific extreme event can be isolated and quantified. The result. The climatic crisis is taking the ecosystems and response capacity to the limit. For the first time, Spain activated the EU Civil Protection mechanism to request help in the fight against forest fires, and now they are already raised to apply new regulations with the aim of preparing for the future that awaits our country. Images | Ume (x) Matt Palmer In Xataka | The plan to clean the air capturing as a blow of reality has just received: the earth does not have as much space as we believed

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