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We're in the midst of the hottest five years ever recorded
A new World Meteorological Organisation report prepared for the ongoing UN Climate Action Summit says that the five years between 2014 and 2019 are now the warmest on record (BBC News). Other worrying data assembled and summarised by the report include confirmation of a 1.1 degree Celcius average temperature increase since 1850 and a 0.2 degree increase between 2011 and 2015, an accelerating rise in sea levels – now at 4mm per year – and new highs for carbon dioxide emissions. Political leaders will put forward plans of action in New York today.
WHO says Tanzania is withholding data on likely Ebola cases
The World Health Organization has released a statement accusing Tanzania's government and health authorities of deliberately withholding information on suspected Ebola cases (Gizmodo). The WHO cites “unofficial reports” involving the death of the doctor who'd recently visited Uganda.
Facebook suspends ten of thousands of apps over privacy violations
Facebook has announced that it has suspended tens of thousands of apps as part of its ongoing investigation into user privacy violations by developers (Ars Technica). They were associated with around 400 developers, some of whose apps were banned entirely for violations including inappropriate data sharing and making data available without protecting user identities. The company has also taken legal action against developers it accuses of distributing malware and scraping data.
London banned cars for one day. Why not do it forever?
“London's air pollution is killing us,” mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted earlier this year. More than 9,000 premature deaths are linked to London's dirty air each year – it's a certified health crisis (WIRED). London added an ultra low emissions zone this year to keep dirtier cars out of the centre, and on Sunday, September 22, 2019, the city went car free for the first time. The Car Free Day was primarily a gesture to raise awareness about London’s air quality issues and the city’s focus on sustainable transport, but other cities have taken far more drastic action with tangible benefits.
Untitled Goose Game actually lives up to the viral hype
Geese are inherently amusing: the slappy feet, the flappy wings, the honking (WIRED). But as well as being an aesthetically absurd animal, geese have an intrinsic sense of personality: they’re kind of jerks. Untitled Goose Game revolves around that in a series of engagingly puzzle-like scenarios: steal the groundskeeper’s keys, terrorise a small child, pinch a sandwich. It's out now for Nintendo Switch, and on PC/Mac via the Epic Games Store.
Should your pets be vegan?
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This article was originally published by WIRED UK
