International
Green tech fights for limelight at CES gadget fest
January 7th | By AFP | Glenn Chapman |
At the CES tech megashow in Las Vegas, it is unusual to see an entrepreneur hold up a plant and present it as the latest breakthrough in consumer technology.
But for NeoPlants co-founder Patrick Torbey, the gathering held annually just after the new year should not be thought of as “only about machine technology and electronics.”
“It’s also about natural technology that we can leverage using these really cool engineering techniques,” Torbey told AFP.
NeoPlants, a Paris-based startup, was showing off a bioengineered plant capable of purifying indoor air of toxic pollutants “by doing the work of 30 regular houseplants,” according to its website.
Technology geared towards helping the environment has steadily increased in number at CES since the Sin City expo began fifty years ago.
But observers often doubt the seriousness of the consumer tech industry’s commitment to protect the environment, with all the real excitement focused on smart TVs and robots instead of the more complicated and less profitable project of saving the planet.
“Until it really, really matters for consumers, it’s just going to kind of be this trend that’s over here on the side,” said Ben Arnold, research firm NPD’s consumer electronics analyst.
“As somebody who studies the market, I’m just not seeing yet where (environmental-minded tech) makes a difference in terms of units and dollars,” he added.
Ran Roth, the head of tech company Sensibo, agreed that successful devices were the ones that made financial sense and believed his products did just that.
Roth’s devices use artificial intelligence and sensors to better manage air conditioning, an important concern in the often blistering heat of Israel, where his company is based.
Sensibo’s sensors measure humidity and temperature, and use software that learns a user’s habits, thereby saving energy and money.
Roth said new technology should have a “path to profitability” if it is going to thrive, a recurrent shortcoming of so called green tech that so often fails to be bankable.
“What is good about smart thermostats is that they are readily available and they offer the highest return on investment,” said Roth, who called air conditioning a “human right.”
‘What matters’
But as the climate emergency worsens, industry observers said major tech companies were under more pressure to commit to sustainability goals.
“We have seen the public naming and shaming of organizations who indulged in greenwashing over the past year,” said Abhijit Sunil of Forrester Research.
“So a lot of organizations are kind of careful in what they mention as their sustainability initiatives and they are now as transparent as possible,” he said.
Sunil said that the real advances on the environment were to be seen in the industrial sector, agreeing that the consumer gadget business may be a step behind when it came to doubling down on going green.
Product design, manufacturing and packaging with an eye on a company’s waste and carbon footprint were the low hanging fruits when it came to environment technology, he said.
One such company, ACWA Robotics, won plaudits at CES for a robot dedicated to the detection and prevention of water leaks in underground pipes.
In France, where the startup is located, 20 percent of drinking water is estimated to be lost due to leaky pipes.
Fighting for the environment “is the challenge of a century,” ACWA Robotics engineer Elise Lengrand told AFP.
“I mean sure it’s really cool to make big TVs and stuff, but this is really what matters,” she said.
International
Six killed, including baby, in armed attack near tourist beach in Ecuador
Six people, including a baby girl about two years old, were killed on Sunday in an armed attack near a tourist beach in southwestern Ecuador, police said. The shooting, carried out with rifles, also left three people wounded.
The incident took place in the coastal town of Puerto López, in the province of Manabí, a popular tourist destination known for whale watching. The attack occurred amid a surge of violence over the weekend that left at least nine people dead nationwide, according to local media reports.
“There are six fatalities and three injured,” Colonel William Acurio, the local police commander, told reporters on Sunday. He confirmed that one of the victims was a baby “approximately two years old.”
Authorities have not released further details about the motive behind the attack or whether arrests have been made.
International
Man accused of killing nine in Paramaribo dies by suicide in police custody
The man who killed nine people, including five children, on Saturday night in Paramaribo died by suicide while in custody, Suriname police confirmed in a statement on Monday.
The suspect, identified by the initials D.A., 43, “hanged himself inside a holding cell at the Keizerstraat police station” in the capital, Paramaribo, according to the official report.
Police said the man sustained leg injuries during his arrest and was taken to a hospital before being transferred to the detention facility on Sunday night. Authorities did not provide further details on the circumstances surrounding his death.
International
Winter storm disrupts holiday travel, forcing 1,500 flight cancellations in the U.S.
Airlines canceled around 1,500 flights across the United States during the peak Christmas travel season after warnings of a severe winter storm and forecasts of heavy snowfall in the Midwest and Northeast. An additional 5,900 flights were delayed due to adverse weather conditions.
More than 40 million Americans were under snowstorm warnings or weather advisories one day after Christmas. Meanwhile, another 30 million people faced flood or storm alerts in California, where an atmospheric river triggered intense rainfall.
New York City was bracing for up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) of snow overnight, which would mark its heaviest snowfall in four years. Cold weather was expected to persist through the weekend in the nation’s largest city. According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, airports in the New York area recorded about 850 flight cancellations.
Six killed, including baby, in armed attack near tourist beach in Ecuador
Man accused of killing nine in Paramaribo dies by suicide in police custody
Winter storm disrupts holiday travel, forcing 1,500 flight cancellations in the U.S.
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
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