EV & N – 194 | CCTV – Radioactive Memories: Japan’s Ongoing Nuclear Nightmares and Their Global Ethical Significance

http://ecoethics.net/2014-ENVRE120/20150830-EV&N-194-Link.html
https://www.cctvcambridge.org/node/340833
http://www.cctvcambridge.org/user/ccra

See also:

• Trying to Remember Not to Forget: Japan, Humankind and Our Collective Nuclear Quagmire

Global Climate Change
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MIT alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel gives major gift to solve urgent challenges in world food and water security | MIT News

Professor John Lienhard will lead the new laboratory.

MIT News Office, May 6, 2014, Press Inquiries

MIT has received a major gift from alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel ’78 aimed at ensuring the world’s food and water supply for the 21st century.

The gift establishes the Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab (J-WAFS), named in honor of Mr Jameel’s late father, to spearhead research that will help humankind adapt to a rapidly changing planet and combat world-wide water and food-supply scarcity. In addition, the lab will elevate the Institute’s commitment to address the collective pressure of population growth, urbanization, and climate variability — factors that endanger food and water systems in developing and developed countries alike.

“Ensuring sustainable and affordable access to food and water for all is one of the most pressing challenges facing humanity. Jameel’s generosity will spur action at MIT and around the world to make real progress on acute food and water insecurity as well as energize MIT’s efforts to tackle the broadest questions about how we ensure sustainability,” said MIT President L. Rafael Reif. “This extraordinary commitment is an investment in the health and future of the planet that will benefit people worldwide, and we are extremely grateful.”

Currently, an estimated 1 billion people lack reliable access to water, and 2 billion suffer chronic hunger or malnutrition. World population is projected to grow from about 7 billion today to 9 billion by 2050. “The acute problems already before us will only intensify with rising population,” Jameel said. “It is the mission of this lab to develop solutions on a grand scale. Toward that end, I have challenged the lab to set the goal of reaching half a billion people by 2025.”

…(read more).

See also:

• J-WAFS Home | Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab August 30, 2015
• New program aims to commercialize innovations in food and water | MIT News August 30, 2015

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J-WAFS Home | Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab

J-WAFS works towards environmentally benign, scalable solutions for water and food systems across a range of regional, social, and economic contexts by incubating technologies and fostering innovative regional collaborations.

“We can substantially expand the world’s fresh water supply by developing low-cost, energy-efficient, and environmentally benign methods of desalination and reuse.”

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New program aims to commercialize innovations in food and water | MIT News

“J-WAFS Solutions” will provide seed funding for promising new approaches to water, food supply.

David L. Chandler | MIT News Office, April 30, 2015

Press Inquiries

A new program, launched today by MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab (J-WAFS), will provide initial start-up funding to identify technologies intended to improve food supplies, or meet needs for clean water, and move those technologies into commercialization. The new program, called “J-WAFS Solutions,” is expected to provide funding for about 15 projects over the next five years.

J-WAFS was originally established in 2014 to spearhead research that will help humankind adapt its water and food supplies to a rapidly rising population and to the pressures of climate change, urbanization, and development.

The J-WAFS Solutions program builds on the successful model of MIT’s Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, providing funding for research conducted by MIT students, postdocs, and faculty. The funds are intended to advance these technologies to the point where they are positioned to attract venture funding and establish themselves as new companies.

The program is being sponsored by Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI) via a significant grant over a duration of five years. J-WAFS itself was established through a gift from alumnus Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel ’78; the agreement for J-WAFS Solutions was formally signed on April 23 by his son, Hassan Jameel, and MIT President L. Rafael Reif.

…(read more).

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Neil deGrasse Tyson: Politicians Who Don’t Value Science Could Bring ‘The End Of An Informed Democracy’

“If you gain 10 pounds this month, you don’t say, ‘Repeal gravity!'”

   Ryan Buxton Senior Editor, HuffPost Live

Posted: 08/28/2015 10:16 AM EDT

Science plays a role in nearly every aspect of our lives from the economy, to the environment, to global health. But it seems like these science-related issues are not a top priority for the men and women who are vying to lead the country in the 2016 presidential race.

For instance, the first Republication presidential debate of the year significantly lacked mention of such issues — and that doesn’t sit well with Neil deGrasse Tyson.

The astrophysicist and host of “StarTalk” appeared on HuffPost Live on Thursday to talk with host Josh Zepps about his problem with politicians who don’t value science — or who only value the science that aligns with their political views.

“If you start cherry-picking science, that’s the beginning of the end of an informed democracy,” Tyson said.

He noted that Abraham Lincoln founded the National Academy of Sciences in 1863 to provide the government with “unbiased” scientific advice. Now, however, more and more politicians prefer to pick and choose what science-related issues are worth focusing on.

…(read more).

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