US court rules AI-generated art cannot be copyrighted


Andrew Williams
Tue, 22 August 2023 

A Recent Entrance to Paradise, generated by the DABUS AI (Stephen Thaler)

A US court has ruled AI-generated art cannot be copyrighted, in a case related to one currently heading through the UK Supreme Court.

The case was brought by 73-year-old computer scientist Stephen Thaler, on behalf of his DABUS AI system.

Thaler claims his DABUS AI is sentient and capable of acts of invention.

“Sometimes, I set a system free to imagine new intellectual property,” Thaler said in a YouTuber interview with MediaNama.

In the filing, Thaler referred to his DABUS AI as a “creativity machine,” citing an image generated by the tool, albeit one rather basic by the standards of the latest AI image-generation software.

The court rejected the claim, stating “human authorship is an essential part of a valid copyright claim”.

However, unlike other recent AI copyright cases where the aim is to establish precedent that will make it easier to commercialise partly AI-generated works, Thaler wants to establish his AI as the sole, valid author.

The crux here is Thaler claims the image of a rail track, dubbed A Recent Entrance to Paradise, was “autonomously generated by an AI” and “lack[ed] traditional human authorship”.

This is not the first of Thaler’s cases regarding his DABUS AI.
Can AI art be copyrighted in the UK?

In March 2023, the UK Supreme Court heard arguments in a case in which Thaler claims DABUS created two inventions, including food containers, based on a fractal design, that can be locked together for easy stacking.

Thaler first submitted patent applications in the UK in 2018. These were rejected, as was his court of appeal application for the patents, in 2021.

The UK Supreme Court is yet to announce a ruling in the case.

Thaler has previously suggested AI-generated content can be checked for originality by manually looking through patent filings, or by using Google reverse image search for artworks.

The US Copyright Office released a statement in March 2023, in an attempt to clarify its position on AI-generated works.

It cited both a previous rejection of Thaler’s A Recent Entrance to Paradise image and an unrelated graphic novel where the imagery was generated by prompts written by a person.

“In the Office’s view, it is well-established that copyright can protect only material that is the product of human creativity,” the statement reads.

This is not the end of the debate, though, as the borders are blurred in generative AI tools that can take a human-made work as a base and modify it to create a new artwork.

The US Copyright Office states, though, that “copyright will only protect the human-authored aspects of the work”.

‘The office is for socializing’: how work from home has revolutionized work

Lauren Aratani
Tue, 22 August 2023 



The work from home backlash is in full swing. In what seemed like an oxymoron brought to life, the video conferencing company Zoom has asked employees to return to the office. Amazon is reportedly tracking employees to make sure they are at their desks.

The two companies are just the latest to sour on work from home (WFH), but does this mean the impending end of WFH as we know it?

Related: Britain has felt the shift to home working more than most countries

Not according to Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford economics professor and a longtime researcher of working from home. For workers who can do at least part of their job from home, WFH is here to stay and is being reinforced by some major changes in the work landscape.

For one, the workplace has been redefined by the pandemic. Nearly half of all employees in the US are working from home for at least some of the work week. Frontline workers, including those who work in retail, food services, cleaning, security or other jobs that are difficult to do remotely, are all working in person. But for the most part, everyone who can work from home is doing so at least some of the time.

This is a huge shift. In a working paper released last month, Bloom and his co-authors found that before the pandemic, people were working about 5% of their workdays from home. Now, it’s at least 25% of work days.

“That is massive because it was doubling about every 15 years before the pandemic. So effectively, you have 40 years of growth in the space of about two years,” Bloom said. “Almost half a century’s growth of working from home.”

The pandemic coincided with the widespread adoption of two technologies – cloud storage and video conferencing platforms – that make working from home much easier. Given how much work can be done from home with these technologies, “going to the office five days a week before the pandemic, that was clearly a mistake”, he said.

“We could have shifted to what we were doing in 2020 in 2015. We probably couldn’t have done it in 2010,” he added.

For many Americans who work desk jobs, returning to the office five days a week will stay a thing of the past. Most companies still only require employees to come in two or three days a week, typically Tuesday through Thursday, with Monday and Fridays being common WFH days. Such hybrid policies work well for both employers and workers. It does not affect productivity, and it keeps employees happy, helping companies with recruitment and retention. Flexibility to work from home has the same value as an 8% pay increase for workers, according to Bloom’s research.

There are still some people who want to work either fully in person or fully remote (about 20% and 30%, respectively, of people Bloom has surveyed), but a hybrid policy seems to be the best compromise, a largely “win-win” situation for employer and employee. So it makes sense to Bloom that Zoom and other tech companies that once declared indefinite WFH are bringing employees back to the office, at least part-time. Especially when they have huge, expensive offices they do not want sitting empty. Still, many of these employees have pushed back about going into the office at all.

With lots of background noise and awkward water cooler talk, many workers are still getting used to working in an office after years of WFH. This too is likely to reinforce the workplace shift. The function of an office is different under a hybrid WFH policy – said Bloom – as the office is no longer a quiet place for employees to work.

“The future of the office is you go in for only two or three days a week, and when you’re in, it’s about meetings, trainings, presentations, lunches, events and connecting,” Bloom said. “The office is for socializing. At home is for one-on-one Zooms and analyzing and thinking.”

“If you are working for hours quietly in the office, or trying to, you’re in the office too much,” he said, adding that it might make sense for people who have issues with self-discipline when working from home – but for others, the office is not the best place to be for head-down work.

As hybrid work becomes the norm, Bloom expects people will factor in how many days they have to be in the office when picking a place to work. Younger workers without kids may want more days in the office, while those with kids who live further out in the suburbs may want less. “By 2025, one of the huge choices when you sign up for a company will be what their work from home policies are, and you’re choosing to fit what you like,” he said.

And as technology improves – better laptop cameras and software – Bloom expects WFH will continue to grow, though at a slower pace than it has over the last few years. Much of the transition will come from currently in-person jobs that will turn remote, like drive-through employees and office secretaries.

An early advocate for working from home – he gave a Ted talk making the case for it in 2015 – Bloom recalls the days when people were skeptical about the practice.

“I have been working on work from home [research] for 20 years, and it was so hard to get anyone interested in it. Their eyelids would start to sag down when I talked about it. Pre-pandemic, I tried to organize a remote work conference – there weren’t even enough papers, I gave up,” Bloom said. “And then suddenly the pandemic happened, and amazingly, this thing has worked even better than I hoped for.”

BMO, Wells Fargo and USAA are latest banks to report layoffs

Kevin Wack
Mon, August 21, 2023 

BMO recently informed California officials about plans for 248 layoffs; USAA told Texas officials in July of plans for 235 layoffs; and Wells Fargo notified Florida officials in July and August of its intention to lay off 105 workers in Orlando.

 Credit: Tada Images - stock.adobe.com, Michael Nagle/Bloomberg, © 2017 Bloomberg Finance LP

BMO Financial Group, Wells Fargo and USAA have reported hundreds of layoffs to state officials in recent weeks as the U.S. banking industry continues to downsize.

The job cuts come as banking executives express caution about the industry's growth prospects in the second half of the year, and as some banks divest certain parts of their businesses.

Between April 2021 and July 2023, total employment in credit intermediation jobs, which include loan officers and tellers at depository institutions, fell by 45,000 to 2.67 million, according to census data.

BMO, which has a large presence in California through its acquisition of Bank of the West earlier this year, recently informed Golden State officials about plans for 248 layoffs. All of the jobs affected are listed as being based in the Bay Area, though the numbers may include remote workers.

Read more:
Banking, credit union, fintech industry layoffs: 2023

On Monday, BMO did not provide details about the types of jobs being cut or the specific reasons for the layoffs.

"We are working closely with affected employees to provide support and to ensure they are treated with fairness and respect," BMO spokesperson Scott Doll said in an email.

Doll reiterated the Canadian bank's commitment in 2021 to retain all front-line Bank of the West employees, as well as its statement at the time that it was not planning to close any Bank of the West branches in connection with the acquisition.

The conversion of Bank of the West accounts to BMO systems is scheduled for Labor Day weekend. The Canadian bank has bolstered its marketing efforts in California this year as it seeks to build brand awareness in the nation's most populous state.

Wells Fargo, meanwhile, informed Florida officials in July and August of its plans for 105 layoffs in Orlando. The bank did not provide details about the types of jobs being cut or the reasons for the layoffs.

"We regularly review and adjust staffing levels to align with market conditions and the needs of our businesses," the company said in an email. "We work very hard to identify opportunities for employees in other parts of the company so we can retain as many employees as possible. Where it's not possible, we provide assistance, such as severance and career counseling."

USAA, which offers banking, insurance and investment products, informed Texas officials in July of plans for 235 layoffs. The company listed the jobs as being based in San Antonio, where USAA has its headquarters.

USAA's banking unit was mostly spared from the latest job cuts, though centralized corporate functions such as information technology did see layoffs, according to a source familiar with the situation. Earlier this year, USAA also laid off 130 workers in its banking unit's real estate lending operation.

"USAA continues to hire across the company, including the bank, in line with changing business needs," a company spokesperson said in an email.

Also this week, the investment bank Morgan Stanley had plans to terminate certain New York City-based employees. In a notice filed with New York state, Morgan Stanley said it was "rightsizing due to external market conditions."

Those layoffs were part of a larger plan by Morgan Stanley — reported in May by CNBC — to eliminate some 3,000 positions. During the second quarter, the company recorded $308 million in severance costs in connection with that plan.

PRECARITY

Rapid delivery firm Getir to axe 2,500 jobs in cost-cutting drive

Henry Saker-Clark, PA Deputy Business Editor
Tue, 22 August 2023 


Rapid grocery delivery firm Getir is to cut about 2,500 jobs globally as part of a major restructuring.

The company will axe more than a tenth of its 23,000 workforce in a bid to “significantly increase operational efficiency”.

It is unclear how many jobs across its UK operation will be impacted by the cuts.

The group stressed it will continue to operate across Turkey, its home market, as well as the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and the US.

Getir had already exited markets in Italy, Spain, France and Portugal in recent months.

It comes after reports by Sky last month that the company was racing to secure further funding amid questions over the financial future of its UK business.

The company also launched an auction to sell a raft of its scooters, crash helmets and food delivery boxes in London last month due to the closure of a delivery hub.

The whole instant delivery platform sector has come under pressure after pandemic restrictions eased back and more shoppers returned to physical supermarkets.

A spokesman for the company said: “Regrettably, Getir intends to reduce its team and, with a heavy heart, part ways with approximately 2,500 talented employees across its markets.

“Decisions like these are never taken lightly.

“However, Getir is determined to do right by all employees affected by the process in line with its values and in full compliance with local laws.

“Getir is very grateful to all colleagues for their hard work, dedication and significant contributions to the business.”

Rapid grocer Getir to cut 2,500 jobs in five countries including UK

Sarah Butler

THE GUARDIAN
Tue, 22 August 2023

Photograph: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters

The fast-track grocery service Getir is to cut about 2,500 jobs across five countries including the UK in the latest sign of waning demand in the delivery market.

The company said the job cuts, which make up more than 10% of its 23,000-member workforce, would include couriers, pickers and office employees in the UK, US, Germany, the Netherlands and its home market, Turkey.

Getir has already exited Spain, Italy and Portugal as demand for rapid deliveries of groceries in less than 20 minutes has subsided amid the cost of living crisis while costs have rien.

Fast-track specialists including Getir and Gopuff are also coming under pressure from bigger rivals Deliveroo, Uber Eats and JustEat, which have expanded into grocery delivery alongside takeaways. In the UK, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado also operate their own rapid delivery services – Whoosh, Chop Chop and Zoom.

The market has rapidly contracted since the reopening of hospitality businesses, offices and high streets after the pandemic lockdowns, prompting consolidation among a plethora of private equity-fuelled operators that sprung up to take advantage of demand for home deliveries.

Investors poured more than $14bn (£10.5bn) into the market globally over 2020 and 2021, according to analysts at PitchBook, but interest has rapidly retreated.

Last year, the value of on-demand delivery investment globally by venture capital investors dived by more than 60% to £3.8bn according to PitchBook and is on track for another fall this year.

Getir, which was founded in Turkey in 2015, bought up rival Gorillas in a $1.2bn deal in December 2022 after snapping up the UK’s Weezy a year earlier. Smaller rival Jiffy ceased deliveries last year while the US operator Gopuff bought the UK’s Fancy and Dija in 2021.

Amid rapid cost cutting, the Zapp and Gopuff now work with Deliveroo in the UK for deliveries in some areas and Getir has teamed up with JustEat.

Navina Rajan, PitchBook’s senior European private capital analyst, said: “Over the last two years we’ve seen a notable shift in both funding and the structure of the on-demand delivery market.

“Tighter financing conditions and a move towards profitability from a growth-at-all-costs mindset have been the key drivers for consolidation in the space and pressure on companies to demonstrate a path to profitability.”

Getir is thought to be attempting to raise $500m in a funding round led by existing investor Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, in order to continue operating.

Getir said it was reducing the size of its team with “a heavy heart” to “increase operational efficiency”.

“Decisions like these are never taken lightly. However, Getir is determined to do right by all employees affected by the process in line with its values and in full compliance with local laws. Getir is very grateful to all colleagues for their hard work, dedication, and significant contributions to the business.”

The company said it “remains fully committed to the future of the industry it pioneered eight years ago and will continue to lead it in the future”.

Italy's glacier temperatures rise above 0C amid Europe's new Nero heatwave

As Italy faces its third heatwave of the summer, the country's Alpine glaciers are struggling to regain ice amid unusually warm nights.


James Hockaday
Tue, 22 August 2023 

The Italian Alps tower over the village of Oulx during winter. (Alamy)

The glaciers in the Italian Alps are melting with increasing speed as another Europe heatwave keeps temperatures above 0C – even during the night.

The Nero heatwave is expected to bring highs of 40C to some of Italy's cities and it is also having a major impact on the country's mountain ranges.

Nero is the third heatwave to hit Europe this summer, with soaring temperatures causing deadly wildfires in several countries including Italy, Greece and Spain.

As the hot spell continues, unusually high evening temperatures mean Italy's glaciers don't have enough time to regain ice overnight so the long-term pattern of decline is quickly accelerating, according to Francesco Pasi, of Italy’s National Research Council (CNR).

He told Yahoo News UK how at the Capanna Margherita – the highest mountain hut in Europe, sitting at 4,554 metres – temperatures reached 8.9C on Tuesday, one of the highest ever recorded at the site.

Pasi said that overnight, temperatures were mainly around 1.4C, while the previous night they only dipped below zero for a few hours.

Read more: Is another factor beyond global warming leading to this summer's record temperatures?

A leading scientist has warned that glaciers in the Alps are melting at an increasing rate. (Alamy)

"During the night, the glaciers are not going below zero and that's casing the very rapid and strong melting of the glaciers," the meteorologist said.

"We know it's already an established trend, the glaciers have been losing their mass for many years. But there’s no question about it, it's increasing and accelerating.

"The temperature in Switzerland and France is also being affected, so it's all over the Alps. It's really a big problem for all over the region."

Read more: Once in 7.5 million year event in Antarctica could have 'major impact' on global weather

"The glaciers are really delicate, it's a balance between the temperature and precipitation," he said, adding that it is hard to predict the full-term impact of this balance being tipped.

Communities are already feeling the impact, with a March report by environmental group Legambiente claiming that 249 Italian ski resorts had closed in recent years due to rising temperatures.

Meanwhile, many species that are crucial to the ecosystem in the Alpine region are at risk due to the rapid rate at which glaciers are melting, according to a study published in May in Nature, Ecology and Evolution.

Capanna Margherita – the highest mountain hut in Europe – is experiencing record high temperatures. (Getty Images)

Recently a Swiss weather balloon designed to measure the "zero-degree line" (the altitude at which the temperature falls to zero) had to climb to an unprecedented height of 5,328 metres.

The MeteoSuisse meteorology service said the balloon, launched from Payerne, measured the zero-degree point – a key meteorological marker – at 5,298 metres overnight, beating last year's record of 5,184 metres.

This is the highest freezing level data ever recorded in the Alps since radio soundings began in the mountain range about 70 years ago, Renato Colucci of the CNR told Yahoo News.

"I have to stress the effect of such a huge heatwave, because one single heatwave, however powerful, has little effect on the environment if before and after the climate is normal," he said.

"The problem is that we are facing, year-after-year, a trend where summers are increasingly long and hot, and this has an important effect on ecosystems and the cryosphere in the Alps."

Read more: Climate change is making debt more expensive, new study finds

This week, Switzerland is expected to endure temperatures of 37C at lower altitudes, compared to 40C in France, as Nero brings an anticyclone of very hot air from the Sahara desert to Europe.

While Pasi pointed out that some years are cooler than others, there has been a consistent trend of dwindling ice over the past 10 to 20 years.

He called for greater measures to protect the ecosystem as he warned all Alpine glaciers below 3,500 metres were expected to vanish by 2050 – meaning most of those in Italy. A study by Aberystwyth University estimated that 92% of all other glaciers will be gone before 2100.

"When you look at how the glaciers were 50 years ago and look at them after the year 2000, you can see it’s really changing and we have to look at them in a different way," Pasi added.

What happens when glaciers melt?

While there is still some uncertainty about the full volume of glaciers and ice caps on Earth, if all of them were to melt, global sea levels would rise by around 70 metres – enough to flood every coastal city on the planet, the United States Geological Survey says.

Presently, 10% of land area on Earth is covered with glacial ice, including glaciers, ice caps and the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica, the National Snow and Ice Data Center has measured.

If enough meltwater flows into the ocean, then the Earth's rotation will change, according to Nasa.

The space agency said that if the ice sheet on Greenland were to completely melt and flow into the ocean, global see levels would rise by about seven metres and the Earth would rotate more slowly, with the length of the day increasing by about two milliseconds.

Read more: Ancient climate change was driven by volcanoes, researchers say

As melting glaciers add to rising sea levels, they increase coastal erosion and elevate storm surges as warming air and ocean temperatures create more frequent and intense coastal storms, such as hurricanes and typhoons, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

It adds that the glacial melt currently happening in the Antarctic and Greenland is changing the circulation of the Atlantic Ocean and has been linked to collapse of fisheries in the Gulf of Maine and more destructive storms and hurricanes around the planet.

As ocean currents and weather patterns are disrupted worldwide, flooding will become more frequent, fisheries will be affected as different types of fish seek new waters, while other species face losing their food sources and habitats.

Death toll rises as Europe suffers blistering third heatwave

Nick Squires
Tue, August 22, 2023 

A farmer rushes to evacuate his horse during a wildfire near Athens

 - KOSTAS TSIRONIS/Shutterstock

Wildfires prompted holiday resorts and campsites to be evacuated as Europe was hit by a third summer heatwave.

Spain, Italy, southern France, Greece and the Balkans roasted in temperatures of up to 40C as the southern half of the continent endured yet another period of extreme heat.

In the French Alps, authorities urged climbers to delay scaling Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest peak, because high temperatures had created dangerous conditions, including a greater risk of rockfall and new crevices opening on its glaciers.

Grape-pickers in wine-producing regions of southern France were urged to start work early.

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire - ALEXANDROS AVRAMIDIS/REUTERS

Meanwhile, the bodies of 18 migrants crossing from Turkey to Greece were discovered in forests burning near the border.


In Italy, wildfires broke out on the holiday island of Elba, off the coast of Tuscany, forcing the evacuation of around 700 people.

In Rome, where the mercury hit 37C, tourists tried to cool themselves down in fountains, while visitors to Florence and Venice also endured sweltering temperatures.

Italian meteorologists said the heat would last for the rest of the week, with thunderstorms at the weekend expected to bring some respite.

Much of Spain was on alert for extremely high temperatures. The hottest place in the country on Tuesday was El Granado in Andalucia in the south-west of the country, where the mercury reached 45C.

Córdoba, the historic city celebrated for its Moorish, Jewish and Christian heritage, experienced a high of 44.5C.

Even the normally cool north of Spain was hit by extreme heat, with parts of the Basque region sweltering in 42C.

Weather conditions will remain extreme in the coming days, according to an official - Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP via Getty Images

On the island of Tenerife in the Canaries, authorities struggled to stabilise a huge wildfire that has ravaged forests for a week.

The fire has burned through 15,000 hectares, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.

In France, the weather service widened its red alert heat warning to include 15 more departments, up from an initial four on Monday.

The newly added departments encompassed large parts of Provence and some areas in the southwest, where temperatures were expected to reach 39C.

Soaring temperatures are affecting large parts of France and were expected to peak at 42C in the wine-growing Rhone Valley.

“The heatwave is expected to peak between Tuesday and Thursday, depending on the regions,” Meteo France said.

Firefighters and volunteers operate during a wildfire in northern Greece - DIMITRIS ALEXOUDIS/Shutterstock

Jerome Volle, a wine producer in Ardeche and the vice-president of French farmers’ union FNSEA, said the grape harvest had begun in his region and one way to beat the heat was to “start picking the grapes at 3.30am and to stop at 11am”.

A woman who was hiking in the Gorges du Tarn, a canyon in southern France, was taken by helicopter to hospital after suffering from heat stroke and dehydration.

Wildfires continued to burn across Greece and 18 charred bodies were found in a remote village in the north-east of the country.

Firefighters were investigating whether the bodies, found near a shack south of the village of Avantas, were migrants. The surrounding Evros region is a popular route for migrants from the Middle East and Asia crossing from Turkey.

“Given that there have been no reports of disappearances or missing residents from the surrounding areas, the possibility that these are people who entered the country illegally is being investigated,” the fire brigade said.

In the Greek port town of Alexandroupolis, not far from Avantas, wildfires forced the evacuation of dozens of hospital patients, including newborn babies. A ferry was turned into a makeshift hospital after 65 patients were evacuated from the University Hospital.

Locals in Avanta put out a fire - Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP via Getty Images

Elderly patients lay on mattresses strewn across the cafeteria floor, paramedics attended to others on stretchers and a woman held a man resting on a sofa, an IV drip attached to his hand.

“I’ve been working for 27 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Nikos Gioktsidis, a nurse. “Stretchers everywhere, patients here, IV drips there ... it was like a war, like a bomb had exploded.”

The latest heatwave, which scientists link to the effects of global warming, comes after July was the hottest month on record.

Dimitris Vartzopoulos, the deputy health minister, said smoke and ash in the air around the hospital were the main reasons behind the decision to evacuate the facility.

Coast guard patrol boats and private vessels evacuated an additional 40 people by sea from beaches near Alexandroupolis.

With firefighting forces stretched to the limit, Greece appealed for help from the EU’s civil protection mechanism.

An aerial view of the destruction over Avantas - Dimitris Alexoudis/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Five water-dropping planes from Croatia, Germany and Sweden, as well as a helicopter and a team of around 60 firefighters from the Czech Republic, flew to Greece on Tuesday.

On Monday, Romania sent more than 50 firefighters and Cyprus dispatched two aircraft.

Greece’s deadliest wildfire killed 104 people in 2018, at a seaside resort near Athens that residents had not been warned to evacuate. Authorities have since erred on the side of caution, issuing swift mass evacuation orders whenever inhabited areas are threatened.

Last month, a wildfire on the island of Rhodes forced the evacuation of around 20,000 tourists and locals.

According to the Italian Society of Environmental Geology, more than 1,100 fires in Europe this summer have consumed about 1,100 square miles, well above an average of 724 fires a year recorded from 2006-2022. The fires have destroyed forested areas capable of absorbing 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide a year.

“When we add the fires in Canada, the United States, Africa, Asia and Australia to those in Europe, it seems that the situation is getting worse every year,” said Antonello Fiore, the society’s president.

UK risks falling behind without green investment, says think tank

Angela Barnes
·Reporter
Tue, 22 August 2023 

A new report warns the UK risks falling behind other countries in the race to achieve a net zero economy due to a lack of green investment. Photo: Getty

The UK risks falling behind other countries in the race to achieve a net zero economy without strategic public investment in green manufacturing technologies, a new report by think tank IPPR has warned.

The report, titled Growing green: A proposal for a National Investment Fund, highlights how the US has marked the first anniversary of its Inflation Reduction Act, which is aimed at boosting domestic investment in clean energy technologies and infrastructure and creating green jobs, while the EU has implemented its own Green Deal Industrial Plan.

“The cost of inaction on people’s livelihoods will be too high, while there are huge opportunities to be captured by the government co-investing with private companies,” said Simone Gasperin, IPPR associate fellow.

IPPR is calling for a National Investment Fund (NIF) to provide finance for investment projects in green manufacturing in the UK.

The NIF would provide equity finance to firms, supplying funding in return for becoming a part-owner of the business and sharing in its success and future profits, according to IPPR.

The think tank suggests that initial funding would be provided by the Treasury, and further supported by tax revenues from North Sea gas and oil, or by levies which IPPR said should be imposed on share dividends and buybacks.

“The National Investment Fund is a policy proposal for our time. The UK needs to finance and coordinate strategic industrial policy projects that will deliver a net zero transition through economic prosperity and inclusion,” said Gasperin.
Global energy investment leaders

According to a 2022 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the highest clean energy investment levels in 2021 were seen in China ($380bn), followed by the European Union ($260bn), and the US ($215bn).

The annual average growth rate in clean energy investment in the five years after the signature of the Paris Agreement in 2015 was just over 2%.

“Since 2020 the rate has risen to 12%, well short of what is required to hit international climate goals, but nonetheless an important step in the right direction,” the IEA said.

More than 80% of EV sales were concentrated in China and Europe with more than 90% of global spending on public EV recharging infrastructure being in China, Europe and the US, the IEA noted.

Shell and BP among firms accused of greenwashing over renewable energy

Rebecca Speare-Cole, 

PA sustainability reporter
Tue, 22 August 2023 

Shell and BP are among 12 oil firms who have been accused of greenwashing over the amount of renewable and low-carbon energy they produce.

Research commissioned by Greenpeace analysed the annual reports of the British fossil fuel giants for 2022, alongside 10 other European companies.

The report compared the amount of renewable electricity generated by the companies (wind, solar, geothermal and hydro) with the amount of energy they provide through their own oil and gas production.

Shell and BP generated just 0.02% and 0.17% of energy from renewable sources in 2022 respectively, the analysis claimed.

Meanwhile, the companies’ investment in green energy was a fraction of that in fossil fuels over the year, it found.

For BP, 97% went towards fossil fuels while the company reduced investments in renewable products compared to 2021, while 91% of Shell’s investment went towards fossil fuels, it said.

Greenpeace accused the oil majors of greenwashing, saying the firms featured offshore wind and solar energy extensively in their annual reports and marketing.

The group’s research said BP was an example of firms that had “endless repetitions of the same vague sustainability goals” in their reporting.

By way of example, it added that the BP has been advertising its renewables ambitions for years but its reports from 2022 do not give a number for the amount of wind and solar power they have generated in the year.

BP also counts its investments in convenience stores at petrol stations as “low carbon” and uses an even broader approach for its transition growth capital expenditure, the research added.

For Shell, the analysis found the firm’s reporting showed a “clear misrepresentation” of numbers on its “renewable capacity” for the 2022 financial year, reporting it as 6.4 gigawatts.

However, a footnote said this includes plants that are still under construction or committed for sale and Shell’s actual 2.2 gigawatts capacity at the end of 2022 was published elsewhere in its reporting.

Shell also counts anything that produces even a fraction less emissions than conventional oil or gas as “low carbon”, the research added.

It comes as both oil majors have faced criticism this year for rowing back on their green targets.

Kuba Gogolewski, finance campaigner at Greenpeace central and eastern Europe, said: “As the world endures unprecedented heatwaves, deadly floods and escalating storms, big oil clings to its destructive business model and continues to fuel the climate crisis.

“Their already inadequate decarbonisation plans are an empty shell; instead of providing desperately-needed clean energy, they feed us greenwashing garbage.

“Big oil’s unwillingness to implement real change is a crime against the climate and future generations.”

The Greenpeace report also said all 12 companies, on average, still derive 99.7% of energy from fossil fuel sources.

The analysis suggested that green energy accounts for an average of just 7.3% (£5.61 billion) of investment while 92.7% (£69.58 billion) continued to fund fossil fuel activities and, in some cases, expansion.

Greenpeace has accused the companies of undermining climate action through greenwashing jargon, promoting carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon offsetting, misleading diagrams of their focus and activities, and publishing only partial data.

The report said that while the 12 companies have publicly committed to reaching “net zero” by 2050, none have developed a coherent strategy to get there, with the vast majority planning to maintain or even increase their oil and gas production until at least 2030.

The environmental group is urging European governments to tax the profits of fossil fuel companies to pay for the low-energy transition.

It is also calling for stricter regulation to prevent fossil-fuelled climate destruction and to enforce investment in green infrastructure.

(PA Graphics)

Mr Gogolewski said: “Governments need to stop enabling fossil fuel companies, heavily regulate them, and plan our fossil fuel phase-out now. They will never change on their own.”

He added that governments should agree on a detailed road map to phase out oil and gas across Europe, starting with measures to shift heavily polluting oil and gas sectors like transport.

The report authored by political scientist Dr Steffen Bukold included analysis of BP, Shell, Eni, Equinor, Repsol, and TotalEnergies, as well as OMV, PKN Orlen, MOL, Wintershall Dea, Petrol Group and Ina Croatia.

BP said the Greenpeace report is inaccurate and “misrepresents its investments and strategies”.

The oil major said the figure of 97% in fossil fuel investment is “completely wrong”.

The firm added that its strategy includes rapidly growing investments in a range of non-fossil fuel businesses, like biofuels and biogas, hydrogen, renewables and power, EV charging and convenience.

It also said that 30% of its capital expenditure in 2022 went into these businesses, including its acquisition of major US biogas company Archaea.

A spokesperson for Shell said: “We are planning to invest 10-15 billion dollars across 2023 to 2025 to support the continued development of low-carbon energy solutions including biofuels, hydrogen, electric vehicle charging and CCS.

“It remains our view that global energy demand will continue to grow and be met by different types of energy – including oil and gas.

“The pace of the transition from fossil fuels to low-carbon energy depends on many things including government policy and regulations, affordability of energy, the development of new technologies, and, importantly, changing customer demand.”

SCOTLAND
First Minister steps into row over 'union busting' care group

Caroline Wilson
Tue, 22 August 2023 

Scotland's First Minister  Humza Yousaf has intervened in a dispute involving a care home in his Glasgow constituency 

(Image: PA)

Scotland's First Minister has urged a care home operator to avert looming strike action in Glasgow.

Humza Yousaf has written to the Minster Care Group to call on executives to negotiate with care workers preparing to strike at a home in his south side constituency.

Cardonald Care Home is one of three in Glasgow run by Minster Care where industrial action looms after the firm, who recently took over the homes, was accused of attempting to slash the wages of staff and withdraw official recognition of the workers' trade union.

GMB Scotland said the strike is supported by 98% of its members.

It would be the first at Scottish care homes and come after care workers overwhelmingly rejected a pay offer at the three homes, Ballieston, Cardonald, and Stobhill Care Homes.

Other politicians from across the city have also called on executives to open talks to reassure residents and protect the wages of care workers.

Mr Yousaf, who is SNP MSP for Glasgow Pollok, has written to Mahesh Patel, chief executive of Minster, and paid tribute to staff at the homes while urging action to resolve the dispute.

He wrote: “Social care workers provide a vital service. Their work providing personal care and social support to residents is essential to the running of care homes that are rooted in compassion.”

The SNP MSP, who took credit for averting threatened NHS strikes when health secretary, also voiced concern about the threat to derecognise the GMB.

He wrote: “My own relationship with trade unions has been positive and constructive.

“Even where there have been disagreements, my approach has been to always continue constructive dialogue to try and find a solution.

“I hope you can offer reassurances that this will be your approach going forward.”

The homes, where 150 residents are cared for by 200 staff, were previously run by the Four Seasons group before being taken over by Silverline and is now administered by Minster Care Group.


The workers’ pay and conditions should have been protected during the transfer of ownership under TUPE legislation.

However, Kirsty Nimmo, GMB Scotland organiser, said the new management is attempting to drive down pay and conditions, slashing overtime pay, for example, and reneging on previous pay offers.

READ MORE: Medics warn care home closures could hit NHS care

She said the overwhelming support for strikes, when more than 100 staff were balloted with the majority backing action, exposes the anger of staff and their refusal to accept "an assault" on their pay and conditions.

She said: “Care workers are desperately worried for the residents they care for but also for their own families as the new owners refuse to protect their wages and conditions.

“The staff deserve clarity and reassurance but instead have been plunged into continuing uncertainty and chaos. It cannot and must not go on.

“They appreciate Humza Yousaf’s obvious appreciation of the jobs they do and only wish the company would show the same respect for their crucial work.

“It is time for this company to reassure staff, avert these strikes end what has been a hugely worrying time for the workers and the residents.”

The Herald has approached Minster Care for comment.

'Rare' fish endangered in two US states has researchers working to save species from extinction
Cortney Moore
Mon, August 21, 2023 

'Rare' fish endangered in two US states has researchers working to save species from extinction


Researchers in Pennsylvania are aiming to restore a small fish species that reportedly has "no commercial value" or "recreational importance" as they attempt to prevent it from being placed on the federal endangered species list.

Pennsylvania State University announced it has been working with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and other wildlife experts to prevent the Chesapeake logperch from going extinct.

Chesapeake logperch are a unique and rare bottom-dwelling fish species that have stripes and a greenish-gold hue, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

The FWS reports that the fish species is typically found in the Lower Potomac watershed that’s between Maryland and Virginia and the Susquehanna River watershed that includes parts of New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland – both of which flow into the Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake logperch, a bottom-dwelling fish that researchers believed to only ever have inhabited the lower drainages of the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers, is now considered an endangered species in Pennsylvania and Maryland.

However, Penn State has also found Chesapeake logperch in the Allegheny River from tributaries in Lake Erie and the Mississippi River drainage from Illinois and Minnesota, according to a news release the university published in June.

The Chesapeake logperch is considered an endangered fish species in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and researchers at Penn State are moving to restore the populations before the Chesapeake logperch is added to the federal endangered species list.

"We don't want to see that happen, because the Chesapeake logperch being federally listed would cause a lot of problems with development in the lower Susquehanna River basin and also with development around the upper Chesapeake Bay," Jay Stauffer, a professor of ichthyology (fish zoology) at Penn State, said in a statement.

Pollution and predation from "voracious invasive" fish, such as the northern snakehead, flathead catfish and blue catfish, have put the Chesapeake logperch at risk of extinction, according to Penn State.

In the last four years, researchers have been capturing Chesapeake logperch and analyzing where they come from while also breeding the fish in labs and tagging before their release into local waters.

Jay Stauffer, a researcher and ichthyology professor at Pennsylvania State University, has conducted underwater snorkel surveys in sections of the lower Susquehanna and select tributaries, where he's captured Chesapeake logperch and cultured the fish in a lab for population boosting.

About 2,000 Chesapeake logperch have been bred in Penn State facilities and introduced into select spots of the Susquehanna River drainage, according to the university.

"We tagged all Chesapeake logperch that were cultured before releasing them so they could be identified later, and we were able to recapture a few around Columbia," Stauffer said in the statement.

"And we also put electronic tags in a whole series of fish we put in Conodoguinet Creek, to see if they migrate out to the Susquehanna River," he continued. "Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to see if they came back to spawn, so we're continuing some of this work and seeking other funding."

The Chesapeake logperch restoration project has been funded by grants from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and the Pennsylvania Wild Resources Fund, which have totaled $500,000 so far, according to Penn State’s news release.

About 2,000 Chesapeake logperch that were cultured at Pennsylvania State University were tagged before their release in Pennsylvania's Conodoguinet Creek, so they could be identified later. Researchers want to see if the tagged fish will migrate to the Susquehanna River.

Penn State’s news release on the restoration project claims Chesapeake logperch have no commercial or recreational value, but researchers believe preventative measures should be taken.

"If it goes extinct, we have lost another species that inhabits the earth," said Stauffer, in a statement. "I think there is something to be said for preserving the biodiversity of our aquatic systems. When a species goes extinct, it's gone forever. You don't get it back."

Stauffer added that he thinks his team can restore the Chesapeake logperch to its original distribution in the Susquehanna River, but it’s likely going to require more time for culturing, translocating and reintroduction efforts.

Pennsylvania researchers aren’t the only group showing concern for Chesapeake logperch.

The FWS is currently looking into conservation measures along with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and other wildlife groups.

"As part of this effort, the Northeast Fishery Center is developing and implementing species propagation strategies to augment populations and restore the Chesapeake logperch within and beyond its current range," the FWS wrote in an overview of the fish species. "The Service will be reviewing the logperch’s status in 2023 to determine whether or not it needs federal protection."

Global food security is at crossroads as rice shortages and surging prices hit the most vulnerable
ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL and EVELYNE MUSAMBI
Sun, August 20, 2023 











2/ 11
Vendor Francis Ndege measures rice at his stall in the Toi Market, Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. Countries worldwide are scrambling to secure rice after a partial ban on exports by India cut global supplies by roughly a fifth. Now, Ndege isn’t sure if his customers in Africa’s largest slum can afford to keep buying rice from him. 

(AP Photo/Brian Inganga)
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Francis Ndege isn’t sure if his customers in Africa’s largest slum can afford to keep buying rice from him.

Prices for rice grown in Kenya soared a while ago because of higher fertilizer prices and a yearslong drought in the Horn of Africa that has reduced production. Cheap rice imported from India had filled the gap, feeding many of the hundreds of thousands of residents in Nairobi's Kibera slum who survive on less than $2 a day.

But that is changing. The price of a 25-kilogram (55-pound) bag of rice has risen by a fifth since June. Wholesalers are yet to receive new stocks since India, the world's largest exporter of rice by far, said last month that it would ban some rice shipments.

It's an effort by the world’s most populous nation to control domestic prices ahead of a key election year — but it’s left a yawning gap of around 9.5 million metric tons (10.4 tons) of rice that people around the world need, roughly a fifth of global exports.


“I’m really hoping the imports keep coming,” said Ndege, 51, who's sold rice for 30 years.

He isn’t the only one. Global food security is already under threat since Russia halted an agreement allowing Ukraine to export wheat and the El Nino weather phenomenon hampers rice production. Now, rice prices are soaring — Vietnam’s rice export prices, for instance, have reached a 15-year high — putting the most vulnerable people in some of the poorest nations at risk.

The world is at an “inflection point," said Beau Damen, a natural resources officer with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization based in Bangkok.

Even before India’s restrictions, countries already were frantically buying rice in anticipation of scarcity later when the El Nino hit, creating a supply crunch and spiking prices.

What could make the situation worse is if India’s ban on non-basmati rice creates a domino effect, with other countries following suit. Already, the United Arab Emirates has suspended rice exports to maintain its domestic stocks. Another threat is if extreme weather damages rice crops in other countries.

An El Nino is a natural, temporary and occasional warming of part of the Pacific Ocean that shifts global weather patterns, and climate change is making them stronger. Scientists expect the one underway to expand to supersized levels, and, in the past, they have resulted in extreme weather ranging from drought to flooding.

The impact would be felt worldwide. Rice consumption in Africa has been growing steadily, and most countries are heavily dependent on imports. While nations with growing populations like Senegal have been trying to grow more of their own rice — many are struggling.

Amadou Khan, a 52-year-old unemployed father of five in Dakar, says his children eat rice with every meal except breakfast, which they often have to skip when he's out of work.

“I am just getting by — sometimes, I’ve trouble taking care of my kids,” he said.

Imported rice — 70% of which comes from India — has become prohibitively expensive in Senegal, so he's eating homegrown rice that costs two-thirds as much.

Senegal will turn to other trading partners like Thailand or Cambodia for imports, though the West African country is not “far from being self-sufficient" on rice, with over half of its demand grown locally, Agriculture Ministry spokesperson Mamadou Aïcha Ndiaye said.

Asian countries, where 90% of the world’s rice is grown and eaten, are struggling with production. The Philippines was carefully managing water in anticipation of less rain amid the El Nino when Typhoon Doksuri battered its northern rice-producing region, damaging $32 million worth of rice crops — an estimated 22% of its annual production.

The archipelago nation is the second-largest importer of rice after China, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has underscored the need to ensure adequate buffers.

India’s rice restrictions also were motivated by erratic weather: An uneven monsoon along with a looming El Nino meant that the partial ban was needed to stop food prices from rising, Indian food policy expert Devinder Sharma said.

The restrictions will take offline nearly half the country's usual rice exports this year, said Ashok Gulati of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relation. Repeated restrictions make India an unreliable exporter, he added.

“That’s not good for the export business because it takes years to develop these markets,” Gulati said.

Vietnam, another major rice exporter, is hoping to capitalize. With rice export prices at a 15-year high and expectations that annual production to be marginally higher than last year, the Southeast Asian nation is trying to keep domestic prices stable while boosting exports.

The Agriculture Ministry says it's working to increase how much land in the Mekong Delta is dedicated to growing rice by around 500 square kilometers — an area larger than 90,000 football fields.

Already the Philippines is in talks with Vietnam to try to get the grain at lower prices, while Vietnam also looks to target the United Kingdom, which receives much of its rice from India.

But exporters like Charoen Laothamatas in neighboring Thailand are wary. The Thai government expects to ship more rice than it did last year, with its exports in the first six months of the year 15% higher than the same period of 2022.

But the lack of clarity about what India will do next and concerns about the El Nino means Thai exporters are reluctant to take orders, mill operators are unwilling to sell and farmers have increased the prices of unmilled rice, said Laothamatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association.

With prices fluctuating, exporters don't know what prices to quote — because prices may spike again the next day.

“And no one wants to take the risk,” Laothamatas said.

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Ghosal reported from Hanoi, Vietnam, and Musambi from Nairobi, Kenya. AP reporters Krutika Pathi in New Delhi; Zane Irwin in Dakar, Senegal; Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok; and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed.

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