The most effective way to combat climate change

The US is on the cusp of getting its third covid-19 vaccine

Sponsored by Darktrace The Download Your daily dose of what's up in emerging technology New ideas needed 02.25.21 Good morning! Today: we asked 10 experts the single biggest thing that would help to combat climate change, and the US is about to get its third covid-19 vaccine. Don't forget to get friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. We asked 10 experts to name the most effective way to combat climate change   Despite decades of warnings and increasingly devastating disasters, we’ve still made little progress in slowing climate change.  Clean energy alternatives have secured just a fraction of the marketplace today, with renewables generating around 10% of global electricity and electric vehicles accounting for about 3% of new sales.  Meanwhile, greenhouse-gas emissions have continued to climb year after year, aside from the occasional recession or pandemic. Given the lack of momentum, how do we make faster, more significant progress? We asked 10 experts across a variety of disciplines, including climate scientists, economists, physicists, and policy experts, a single question: “If you could invent, invest in, or implement one thing that you believe would do the most to reduce the risks of climate change, what would it be and why?”  Answers from Bill Gates, a Nobel Laureate, and many others, ranged from geothermal energy to fossil fuel extraction fees to better leadership. Read what the experts had to say. —James Temple This story is from the latest issue of MIT Technology Review, which is all about progress. Read the full magazine, and subscribe if you don't already.  The US is on the cusp of getting its third covid-19 vaccine The news: US regulators have concluded that Johnson & Johnson's single-shot covid-19 vaccine is safe, clearing the way for it to be imminently authorized in the US. It will be the third covid-19 vaccine to be authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration, after Pfizer and Moderna's were given the green light back in December.  But: Vaccines are likely to need to be adapted to combat some of the new covid-19 variants, in particular the one sequenced in South Africa. Moderna has become the first vaccine maker to produce a shot targeted at that variant, and is set to start testing it in a clinical trial in the US shortly, the FT reports. The reason why it can adapt its vaccines so quickly is because they are based on messenger RNA technology, a technique that provides sets of instructions to direct cells in the body to make proteins that prompt a strong immune response. Why it matters: A couple of troubling new variants have been found in the US, including one circulating in New York which seems to be more resistant to vaccines, and another in California, the New York Times reports. Although there is rightly optimism about the rollout of vaccination programs (in rich countries at least), these variants are a reminder that vigilance is still required. As long as the virus is allowed to spread unchecked, variants can and will emerge. 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.)   + Walk down a faraway street and listen to the local radio.   + How to get the most out of your clothes.   + The history of the humble sheet pan. (NYT $)   + Baby goat!   + A cheerful bit of violin played by Uncle Simon.   + I can't be the only person to relate to this sheep who hasn't had a haircut for a very long time. Sponsor Message Cyber Security is Now a Machine Fight New technological innovations are helping drive stealthier, faster and more effective cyber-attacks, which blend into background activity. Autonomous Cyber AI learns ‘normal’ for your organization and stops advanced threats in their tracks.  Learn more > The must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 Australia has passed its law requiring Facebook and Google to pay for news Now, let's see if the European Union follows suit. (The Verge)   + How the pandemic weakened Facebook's content moderation abilities. (Quartz)   + Facebook has promised to spend $1 billion on news over the next three years. (WSJ $)  2 How Myanmar's generals cut the country off from the internet Quite literally—with wire cutters. (NYT $)   + Facebook has banned Myanmar's military. (WP $)  3 The US Air Force has admitted the F-35 program has failed It's collapsed under the weight of growing costs and complexity. (Forbes)   4 People's pandemic bubbles are starting to burst 💥 Vaccines surely play at least some role. (The Cut)   + Children are being left with “long covid”. (New Scientist)  5 Inside the weird new world of virtual art Welcome to 2021, when you constantly suspect you might be the butt of someone's joke. (Artnet)   6 Belief in QAnon is proving stubbornly persistent It is more of a cult than a conspiracy theory. (Vox)   7 The GameStop share price went up by 100% yesterday The fun never stops. (Bloomberg $)   8 Why we cheat in video games The incentives to do it far outweigh the costs. (The Guardian)   + Dating in Super Mario 3D World. (Wired $)   + Are video games a healthy way for us to cope with stress? (Wired $)   9 How two teenagers discovered four exoplanets 🔭 Amazing. (CNN)   10 Chess is having a moment on Twitch ♟️ And it’s not only because of The Queen’s Gambit. (Protocol) Don't settle for half the story.  MIT Technology Review delivers insights on today's technologies and their impact upon our collective future through a trustworthy lens you won't find anywhere else. Get unlimited access when you subscribe today. Quote of the day "We shouldn’t want things to go back to normal. We should want them to be better than they were before." —Rory Selinger, a 14-year-old high school student in New York State, writes in OneZero that in-person learning isn’t the best model for every child. Top image credit: Getty Please send sheet pans 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 The age of implementation Join us virtually | March 23–25, 2021 Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142

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