The pandemic taught us how not to deal with climate change

Vaccines are the latest battleground for doctors on social media 

The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology Welcome to 2021 01.04.21 Good morning, and Happy New Year! Welcome to 2021. We’re back in business and ready to bring you all of the most important stories in emerging technology over the past few days. Today: the impact of the pandemic on our battle against climate change, and how doctors are battling vaccine misinformation on social media. If you enjoy The Download, why not do your friends a favor and get them to sign up here to get it every day. The pandemic taught us how not to deal with climate change   There’s a case to be made that 2020, for all the sacrifices it demanded and tragedies it inflicted, could at least mark a turning point on climate change, writes our senior energy editor James Temple. It's now possible that global oil demand and greenhouse gas emissions may have already peaked in 2019, since the pandemic could slow economic growth for years, accelerate the demise of coal, and bring about long-lasting declines in energy demand through things like continued remote working. On top of that, a growing number of major companies and nations, including China, have committed to zero emissions by around midcentury. The election of Joe Biden will put a president in the White House who has committed to take bold action on climate change. Clean technologies like solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicles are getting cheaper and gaining ground in the marketplace. But finally reaching a turning point, decades after scientists began warning us of the dangers, matters less than how rapidly and consistently we cut emissions on the other side of it. And that’s where some of the darker signs in 2020 have James worried. We need to transform the economy, not shut it down. And that transformation is happening far too slowly. Political polarization in the US is a threat. And the general public at large still doesn’t fully recognize that we’re on the cusp of failing in very tragic ways. Read the full story. Vaccines are the latest battleground for doctors on social media Fuelling a trend: The idea of doctors who have influence on social media wasn’t created by the pandemic, but it certainly helped them find an audience, as people scrambled to understand the scary new virus spreading across the world, and then as the medical world sought to combat the rampant misinformation about that virus. Now, doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals across the internet are documenting and discussing their own experiences taking the vaccine.  The benefit: Personal stories can be effective in helping people who are on the fence about a vaccine feel more confident that it is safe. While there are anti-vaccine activists, there are many others who, for one reason or another, are hesitant about taking the vaccine but do not have a settled view. However: Sharing these stories is not without risk. Anti-vaccine activists online have a long history of inciting mob harassment against their targets, including medical professionals and others who promote the safety of vaccines. They also sometimes decontextualize authentic stories to promote a false narrative. Read the full story. —Abby Ohlheiser These were the biggest technology failures of 2020    This was a year we needed technology to save us. A pandemic raced over the land, there were wildfires, uneasy political divisions, and we gasped in the miasma of social media. In 2020, the ways in which technology can help or hurt never seemed clearer.  In the success column we have covid-19 vaccines. But this article is not about successes. Instead, this is our annual list of the worst technology flops and failures. Our tally for 2020 includes billion-dollar digital business plans that faceplanted, covid tests that bombed, and the unforeseen consequences of wrapping the planet in cheap satellites. Read the full list.  BUT: On the flipside, not everything was bad. There were some small silver linings too.  PLUS: Check out our art team’s choices of MIT Technology Review’s best illustrations of 2020 and our best photography of 2020.  We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Let’s all just stop putting so much pressure on 2021, okay?   + Maybe it’s too early to book, but we can at least dream about holidays. Get these 21 places in Europe on your list.   + We’ve watched ALL THE TV so let’s start getting excited for this year’s video game releases.   + We demanded a lot from the internet in 2020, and it really delivered, at least where memes are concerned.    + If you fancy trying out a new workout, there are plenty to pick from.    + What’s in and what’s out this year. (WP $) The top ten must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 The US has confirmed cases of the new coronavirus variant  It seems to be no more likely to sicken or kill people, but it is far more transmissible. (WP $)   + The new variant is worrying, but it is not surprising. (The Economist $)   + A quirk of covid-19 tests means they can pick up the new variant. (The Verge)   + Why the vaccination program in the US is falling behind schedule. (Axios)   + Frustration is building over the slow pace. (STAT)   + New York is investigating whether some clinics have enabled vaccine queue-jumping. (NYT $)  2 Where Year Two of the pandemic will take us What will the US learn, and what will it forget? (The Atlantic)   + No to parties, yes to masks. Why 2021 might not be that different. (Wired $)  3 The fallout from the Russian SolarWinds hack continues There are a lot of questions about how the US’s cyber defences failed so spectacularly. (NYT $)   + Why a massive hack like this was inevitable. (BIG)   + It’s pretty much a worst case scenario. (NBC)   + Ransomware is headed down a dire path. (Wired $)  4 Google workers have launched a union But will the company recognize it? (Vice)   5 The man who bet against QAnon  Yes, literally. (The Atlantic)   6 Current spacesuits won’t cut it on the moon. So NASA made new ones. The criteria? More mobility, less dust, improved gloves, and a better fit. (TR)   7 It’s 2021. Where’s my driverless car? 🚗 We’re 90% of the way there. Trouble is, that last 10% is proving incredibly tricky. (The Observer)   + Your car might be snitching on you to the police. (NBC)  8 Bitcoin is STILL going bonkers 📈 Over $34,000 now. Totally sustainable. (BBC)   9 The plague year The mistakes and the struggles behind America’s coronavirus tragedy. (NB this piece is long.) (New Yorker $)   10 Could AI help us speak to animals? 🐕‍🦺 I for one would be intrigued yet deeply fearful to learn what my cat is saying to me. (New Scientist $) Last chance to save on your subscription to MIT Technology Review. Get 2 additional months FREE when you subscribe today. Make 2021 the year you keep up with the pace of tech innovations and their impact on the way you live and work. Subscribe now and save.  Quote of the day “If you become too famous, that is not a good strategy.” —Federico Varese, an expert on organised crime at the University of Oxford, tells the Financial Times that mafia bosses have to tread carefully as they become social media influencers. Top image credit: MARIO TAMA | GETTY IMAGES Second image credit: MS TECH | GETTY, UNSPLASH Please send your dream holidays to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up for free Intelligent computing Join us virtually | February 10-11, 2021 Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142

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