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Washington, Jun 10 () Early treatment with the antiviral drug remdesivir has been found to reduce viral load and prevent lung disease in macaques infected with SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, according to a study. <p> The findings, published in the journal Nature on Tuesday, support the early use of remdesivir treatment in patients with COVID-19 to prevent progression to pneumonia. </p><p> Researchers from the National Institutes of Health in the US noted that remdesivir has broad antiviral activity and has been shown to be effective against infections with SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV in animal models. </p><p> The drug is being tested in human clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19, they said. </p><p> Researcher Emmie de Wit and colleagues investigated the effects of remdesivir treatment in rhesus macaques, a recently established model of SARS-CoV-2 infection. </p><p> Two sets of six macaques were inoculated with SARS-CoV-2. </p><p> One group was treated with remdesivir 12 hours later -- close to the peak of virus reproduction in the lungs -- and these macaques received treatment every 24 hours until six days after inoculation. </p><p> In contrast to the control group, the researchers found that macaques that received remdesivir did not show signs of respiratory disease, and had reduced damage to the lungs. </p><p> Viral loads in the lower respiratory tract were also reduced in the treated animals; viral levels were around 100 times lower in the lower-respiratory tract of remdesivir-treated macaques 12 hours after the first dose, they said. </p><p> The researchers said that infectious virus could no longer be detected in the treatment group three days after initial infection, but was still detectable in four out of six control animals. </p><p> Despite this virus reduction in the lower respiratory tract, no reduction in virus shedding was observed, which indicates that clinical improvement may not equate to a lack of infectiousness, they said. </p><p> Dosing of remdesivir in the rhesus macaques is equivalent to that used in humans, the researchers noted. </p><p> They cautioned that it is difficult to directly translate the timing of treatment used in corresponding disease stages in humans, because rhesus macaques normally develop only mild disease. </p> However, researchers said the results indicate that remdesivir treatment of COVID-19 should be initiated as early as possible to achieve the maximum treatment effect. SAR SAR

Remdesivir slows COVID-19 progression in macaques: Study

<p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p>President Trump has <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-paris-agreement-climate-change-2017-6">announced that the US will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement</a>, the 2015 international accord by which 195 nations agreed to limit greenhouse gas emissions in order to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.</p><p>However, the US has contributed more the problem of excess carbon dioxide than any other country on the planet. It wouldn't be wrong to say that climate change was "made in America."</p><p>"In cumulative terms, we certainly own this problem more than anybody else does," David G. Victor, director of the <a href="http://ilar.ucsd.edu/" target="_new">Laboratory on International Law and Regulation</a> and climate politics scholar, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/01/climate/us-biggest-carbon-polluter-in-history-will-it-walk-away-from-the-paris-climate-deal.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news">told The New York Times</a>. And that's why a commitment from the US to reduce emissions and to help fund global emissions reductions is considered so important. </p><p>In the US, Americans started burning fossil fuels at higher rates than the rest of the world early, which means that the US <a href="https://www.climateinteractive.org/analysis/us-role-in-paris/">is responsible for almost a third of the excess CO2</a> that's already in the atmosphere, despite having just more than 4% of the global population.</p><p class="source"><span>World Resources Institute</span></p><p>It's true that now, China emits more CO2 overall, as this chart from the World Resources Institute shows.</p><p>However, that's a recent change, and the US is still responsible for far more in terms of CO2 emissions per capita (more than twice as much as citizens of China, Japan, or Europe).</p><p class="source"><span>Climate Interactive</span></p><p><span>It's for these reasons that reductions in US emissions (and US contributions) were considered so important for the Paris Climate Agreement. According to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/environmental-consequences-trump-us-paris-agreement-2017-6">calculations by Climate Interactive</a> based on the Paris and Marrakesh climate agreements, the US agreed to be responsible for more than a fifth of global emissions avoided as a result of the agreements. </span></p><p><span>Without the involvement of the US, Climate Interactive calculates that the world can expect to see an additional .3 degrees Celsius of warming by 2100. If other countries decide to drop out of the accord due to the Trump decision, that number could be even higher. </span></p><p><span>In order to avoid catastrophic effects of climate change, most experts think we need to limit warming to less than 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. Doing so would require more intense cutbacks than the Paris Agreement established. That was just considered a starting point. </span></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/should-i-take-advil-or-tylenol-2017-5">The main differences between Advil, Tylenol, Aleve, and Aspirin summed up</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Trump just pulled out of the Paris Agreement - even though the US has contributed more to climate change than any other country

<p class="source"><span>Repsol</span></p><p class="caption">Josu Jon Imaz is the CEO of Repsol, the largest oil and gas company in Spain, which has committed to becoming a carbon-neutral company by 20450</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>The Spanish oil and gas giant Repsol <a href="https://www.repsol.com/en/press-room/press-releases/2019/repsol-will-be-a-net-zero-emissions-company-by-2050.cshtml">announced</a> last month that it will become a net-zero carbon emissions company by 2050. It was the first oil and gas company in the world to make such a commitment. </li><li>The company's chief executive, Josu Jon Imaz, says the target isn't just about combatting climate change, in an exclusive interview with Business Insider. "We are doing that because we want to make money," he said.  </li><li>Imaz says that even for a hydrocarbon company, lowering emissions significantly reduces risk to shareholders and protects investments. "We don't want to have stranded assets," he said. </li><li>This story is part of Business Insider's reporting on the energy transition. Please share any feedback and tips with us at <a href="mailto:bjones@businessinsider.com">bjones@businessinsider.com</a>.</li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime">Click here for more BI Prime articles</a>.</strong></li></ul><p style="text-align: left;">It sounds like an oxymoron: An oil and gas company committing to net-zero carbon emissions.</p><p style="text-align: left;">But that's exactly what Spanish energy giant Repsol <a href="https://www.repsol.com/en/press-room/press-releases/2019/repsol-will-be-a-net-zero-emissions-company-by-2050.cshtml">did last month</a>. By 2050, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) the company emits will equal the amount it captures from the air, Repsol says. Remarkably, that commitment includes so-called Scope 3 emissions - CO<sub>2</sub> released by automobiles and powerplants that use Repsol products. </p><p style="text-align: left;">While Repsol is the world's first oil and gas company to make such a commitment, it's one of a trove of energy behemoths including Shell, Total, and Chevron that have recently set climate targets. </p><p style="text-align: left;">The flurry of commitments, though visibly admirable, has raised questions among environmentalists who worry these targets are a form of greenwashing: the practice of obscuring environmental degradation by focusing public attention on sustainability efforts. There's also concern that the commitments are nonbinding. </p><p style="text-align: left;">"I respect these kinds of views," Josu Jon Imaz, Repsol's CEO, told Business Insider in an exclusive interview. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Repsol's chief executive is the first to say that concerns about greenwashing could be right - that is, if his company, based in Madrid, only advertised its 2050 target. </p><p style="text-align: left;">"The easiest part of this narrative is that we're going to be [carbon] neutral by 2050," he said. "Because they could be right if we were only talking about 2050."</p><p style="text-align: left;">Imaz points to the company's history and short-term commitments. Repsol was the first oil and gas giant to support the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty that mandated country-by-country emissions reductions, he says. It also has an interim plan for slashing emissions leading up to the 2050 commitment - a 10% cut by 2025, a 20% cut by 2030, and a 40% cut by 2040. </p><p style="text-align: left;">"We are reducing CO<sub>2</sub> year after year," he said. "That is not greenwashing."</p><p style="text-align: left;">The company announced that its new carbon-reduction strategy would mark down the value of its oil and gas reserves by $5.3 billion. Nonetheless, Imaz says these emissions reductions are good for business - at least in the longterm. </p><p style="text-align: left;">"We are not doing that because we are an NGO [non-governmental organization], and we only want to contribute in a generous way to climate change," he said. "We are doing that because we want to make money. What we're doing has to fully support returns. That is, of course, a minimum condition." </p><p style="text-align: left;">Imaz says Repsol's work to reduce CO<sub>2</sub> has resulted in new margins, lower risk to investors, and a competitive edge for the company, without a significant shift in what it offers its customers.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Consider Repsol's industrial business, which operates refineries. About 60% of a refinery's variable costs are tied to energy consumption, the company website states; making operations more efficient lowers costs while cutting emissions.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The same strategy applies to methane flaring or venting.</p><p style="text-align: left;">"Actions to reduce emissions from the routine burning of hydrocarbons in flares are especially important as they allow us to reduce GHG emissions and minimize the loss of products or fuel," the company website says. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Repsol also plans to bolster its production of natural gas, fuels made from recycling waste, and plastics and polymers, Imaz says. These industries are lower emissions, he says, yet still provide customers with the products they expect. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Setting carbon-reduction targets also reduces the risk to the company's shareholders, a large portion of which support sustainability efforts, Imaz says. </p><p style="text-align: left;">"We need to protect our future assets from climate risks," he said.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Those risks could include a drop in the profitability of hydrocarbon assets, for example, if the price of oil falls.</p><p style="text-align: left;">"We have to anticipate this future," he said. "We have to act and to move ourself [sic] in that direction. Not only to save for the planet but to save the interest and the risk of our shareholders. " </p><p style="text-align: left;">But even if reducing emissions is good business, it won't be easy for Repsol to meet its 2050 commitment.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Near-term goals are one thing; the company can likely reach its early reduction targets by investing in low-emissions fuels and products. But by 2040, Repsol will almost certainly have to turn to carbon capture technologies, or natural sinks like forests, to reach net-zero.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Experts say these approaches are expensive. And even Imaz doesn't see them as a formidable solution, at least for the short-term. </p><p style="text-align: left;">"The main driver we have to consider is going to be the return on the profitability of the CO<sub>2</sub> we are getting rid of," he said.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In Imaz's mind, the technology that underpins renewable energy, biofuels, and the use of waste to produce diesel or green hydrogen could lead to higher returns than other alternatives.</p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Oil WTI price<a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/oil-price?type=WTI"> here.</a></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-max-airplane-crash-incidents-recover-lawsuits-scrutiny-2019-7">Boeing 737 Max production is being halted. Will the aviation giant recover from the 737 Max crisis?</a></h3>

The chief executive of oil and gas giant Repsol reveals why the company's first-of-its-kind commitment to net-zero emissions is smart for business

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>"I'm ready to work with you."</p>
<p>That's what China's president Xi Jinping told Obama today after two intense days of meetings at the APEC summit in Beijing.<br><br>He and Obama made some game-changing deals on business, defense, and the environment this week.</br></br></p>
<p>Here's what you need to know:</p>
<p>TRADE</p>
<ul>
<li>Both leaders agreed to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-and-the-us-made-a-major-breakthrough-on-a-technology-free-trade-deal-2014-11">cut tariffs</a> on IT technology like semi-conductors, medical equipment, GPS devices, and video game consoles. The deal still needs to be ratified at the WTO.</li>
<li>They also <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2014-11/12/c_133784784.htm">sped up</a> talks on a bilateral investment treaty that's been in the works</li>
<li>Just before the summit, they agreed to offer 10-year tourist and business visas to one another</li>
</ul>
<p>MILITARY/DEFENSE</p>
<ul>
<li>Obama and Xi agreed to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-china-to-announce-deals-to-reduce-military-tensions-report-2014-11">notify each other</a> of military exercises and other major activities</li>
<li>And they agreed on <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-china-ready-deals-to-avert-military-confrontations-1415721451?&amp;mod=djemMoneyBeat_us">new rules</a> for encounters at sea and in the air</li>
</ul>
<p>(Xi <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/world/asia/leaders-of-china-and-japan-hold-long-awaited-meeting.html">also met</a> with Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe for the first time in more than two years and shared the world's most awkward <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102171876">handshake</a>.)</p>
<p>CLIMATE CHANGE</p>
<ul>
<li>China agreed for the first time EVER to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-china-agrees-co2-peak-by-2030-us-to-cut-emissions-by-quarter-2014-11">stop increasing CO2 emissions</a> (by 2030 or sooner)</li>
<li>China plans to cut fossil fuel usage to 80 percent of current levels by 2030</li>
<li>The <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-china-ready-deals-to-avert-military-confrontations-1415721451?&amp;mod=djemMoneyBeat_us">US plans</a> to double its CO2 reduction speed and cut greenhouse gases by more than a quarter by 2025 (from 2005 levels)</li>
</ul>

Everything About US-China Relations That Just Changed Forever

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source">Alex Wong / Getty</p></div><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Former Republican Sen. <keyword id="146291" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Alan-Simpson">Alan Simpson</keyword> and former White House Chief of Staff <keyword id="764353" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Erskine-Bowles">Erskine Bowles</keyword> are out today with a new plan to cut deficits by $2.4 trillion over the next decade.</span></p>
<p><span>As the co-chairmen of President Barack Obama's deficit-reduction commission, </span><keyword id="1762894" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Simpson-And-Bowles">Simpson and Bowles</keyword> proposed a bipartisan plan of tax increases and spending cuts that failed to catch on with the administration and Congressional leaders.</p>
<p>Following the failure of their initial proposals, the pair detailed the new deficit-reduction strategy — called <em><a href="http://momentoftruthproject.org/publications/bipartisan-path-forward-securing-americas-future">A Bipartisan Path Forward to Securing America's Future</a> — </em>as across-the-board sequestration cuts loom next week.</p>
<p>An initial goal of their new plan is to avoid sharp austerity by averting the sequester. At the same time, <span>they seek to bring the national debt below 70 percent of GDP by the beginning of the 2020s.</span></p>
<p><span>The package reduces the number of tax expenditures but lowers the marginal rate for individuals and corporations. </span></p>
<p>Bowles and Simpson also say they want to slow down the rising cost of health care, "replace dumb cuts with smart reforms," focus on the long-term and "make America better off tomorrow than it is today." </p>
<p>Here are the available details of how the plan claims to save $2.4 trillion over the next 10 years, based on the report:</p>
<div>
<ul>
<li><strong>Cut Medicare and Medicaid funding by roughly $600 billion. </strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><strong>Accomplish this by</strong>:</span></li>
<ul>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Reducing Medicare provider payments</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Increasing premiums for high earners</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Adjusting benefits to reflect an aging population, possibly by delaying or reducing them</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Reducing drug costs</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Cutting waste</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Improving incentives for providers and beneficiaries </span></li>
</ul>
<li><strong>Gain roughly $600 billion through tax reform</strong>:</li>
<ul>
<li>Eliminate or scale back most tax expenditures</li>
<li>A portion of these tax expenditure savings would go toward $600 billion in <keyword id="6420764" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="deficit">deficit</keyword> reduction</li>
<li>The remainder would go toward cutting the effective corporate and individual tax rate. </li>
</ul>
<li><strong>Gain roughly $1.2 trillion from</strong>:</li>
<ul>
<li>Lowering caps on discretionary spending</li>
<li>Cutting farm subsidies</li>
<li>Changing civilian and military health and retirement programs</li>
<li>Adding fees</li>
<li>Cutting spending on higher education</li>
<li>Adopting chained CPI as the new index for cost of living increases, slowing the inflation adjustment for Social Security and other programs.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</div>
<p>The next step of the program will address infrastructure investment caps, cut the federal health commitment to close to GDP growth and enact Social Security reform. <span style="color: #000000; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="color: #000000; line-height: 1.5em;"><br /></span></p>
<div><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;">From the report, here are their four steps to deficit reduction (the U.S. has already carried out the first two steps):</span></span></div>
<div><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 22.5px;"><div class="image-container" style="width:590px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source">Simpson Bowles Plan</p></div><br /></span></span></div>

Here Are The Details Of The New Simpson-Bowles Deficit Reduction Plan

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>The Co-operative Bank managed to dramatically reduce its losses in 2014 despite paying out compensation for payment protection insurance mis-selling, investing in its IT infrastructure and repairing the £1.5 billion ($2.2 billion) capital black hole in its balance sheet.</p><p>The embattled bank confirmed in its results statement for the full year ending December 31, 2014, <a href="http://www.investegate.co.uk/co-operative-bank--42rq-/rns/2014-annual-report-and-accounts/201503270700236395I/">that its statutory loss before tax hit £264.2 million</a>, which is self-proclaimed "considerably better" than the <span>£632.8 million it lost in 2013.</span></p><p><span>Other highlights include:</span></p><ul><li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Operating loss: £55.3 million in 2014 compared with £662 million in 2013.</span></li><li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Total operating costs: £594.6 million for 2014 compared with £655.9 million in 2013.</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>Total conduct and legal related charges, including PPI: £101.2 million,  compared with £411.5 million in 2013.</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><span>It closed 72 branches in 2014 and plans to close another 57 this year to reduce costs.</span></span></li></ul><p>"Over the course of 2014 the management team has continued to take significant steps to implement the strategy and to turn the Bank around," said Niall Booker, CEO at the Co-op Bank in a statement. "The Co-operative Bank is stronger than a year ago and we end the year with a strengthened capital position, ahead of schedule in the reduction of Non-core assets and having made progress reducing underlying costs and improving the day-to-day management and governance.</p><p>"However, we are in the early stages of the turnaround and there is still much to do to transform the organisation into a sustainable business. There are a number of matters where the Bank does not yet meet Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority regulatory requirements and expectations. The revised plan, accepted by the regulators, seeks to address this."</p><p>In May 2013, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/bob-rickert-leaves-co-operative-bank-amid-clash-of-cultures-2015-3#ixzz3VZL3AibB">the Co-op Bank shocked the markets after it reported a £1.5 billion capital black hole</a>. The revelation forced the Co-Operative group, until that moment the main shareholder, to seek a bailout from private investors.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In its 2014 results, the Co-op Bank said it has now made a</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> significant improvement due to reduced impairments partially offset by reduced income from lower assets and high project costs.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It said that the capital position of the bank has strengthened.</span></p><p>"<a href="http://www.investegate.co.uk/co-operative-bank--42rq-/rns/2014-annual-report-and-accounts/201503270700236395I/">Improving the resilience of the Bank remains key to delivering our revised plan</a>. This will be primarily achieved through the further reduction of our Risk Weighted Assets and by improving the resilience of our IT infrastructure," said Booker.</p><p>"These actions will continue to build a stronger and better business for all our stakeholders and are critical to providing the platform to focus on what matters to our customers. The performance of the Core Bank has begun to stabilise, and we aim to build on this in 2015 by continuing to invest in our brand and developing our products guided by our expanded Ethical Policy.</p><p>"We have always been clear that the journey to reshape the business would take time but I am confident that our approach to banking is as relevant in today's world as it ever was, and that we remain the bank of choice for anyone who shares the values and ethics which lie at the heart of our business."</p><p>But the Co-op Bank is clearly happy with Booker's performance in turning around the lender after it announced that it is retaining him until December 31, 2016, <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/the-co-operative-bank-is-retaining-its-c-2015-3#ixzz3VZMjJGOH">after agreeing to renew his contract past June 2015</a>. </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/maps-big-countries-world-geography-russia-greenland-antarctica-2015-3">9 animated maps that will change the way you see the world </a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="xnMTYzbTrjVXj7b6Ir8JPwdraRakXLY4" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Co-op Bank curbed losses in 2014 despite PPI payouts and balance sheet repair work

<p><span>There's a <keyword id="6354703" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Natural-gas">natural gas</keyword> boom going on in America.</span></p>
<p>Many have <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;ved=0CC8QFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Finvesting%2Fgeneral%2F2013%2F04%2F11%2Fbreathe-easy-natural-gas-is-lowering-co2-emissions.aspx&amp;ei=1vP3UaGtOu2v4APBqoCgBw&amp;usg=AFQjCNHPN2ZgjPMbHTg5ONvLxfh4sEAd3A&amp;sig2=wHdDJh-9gD3sYq8JO26Eog&amp;bvm=bv.49967636,d.dmg">credited it</a> with helping to curb CO2 emissions.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Now, according to </span><a href="http://co2scorecard.org/home/researchitem/27">a new study from CO2 Scorecard</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">, a web group that monitors climate friendly economic growth, we have an estimate of just how much it helped.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The first thing to know is that there was a huge drop in CO2 emissions in 2012. Check it out — just a single month saw gains:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="image-container" style="width:800px"><div class="image"><p class="source"><a href="http://co2scorecard.org/home/researchitem/27">CO2 Scorecard</a></p></div></div><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The group looked at the extent of coal plants shutting down on their own, versus instances in which utilities switched to natgas from coal.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">They found that 160 million MWh of coal power was substituted by natural gas, but an additional 51 million MWh of coal power was phased out thanks to, "<span> energy efficiency, conservation, and the mild January, February and March of 2012."</span>  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">In some regions, declines in coal use actually exceeded increases in natgas.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Meanwhile, natgas <strong>actually increased CO2 emissions</strong> <strong>when it replaced hydro, nuclear and renewables</strong> (which of course release zero emissions), canceling gains from coal to the tune of 25%-30% (or 24 million tons). </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Finally, <span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">87 million tons worth</span> of the decline can be chalked up to gains in transportation and industry:</span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">The transportation sector cut 39 million tons (19%) as a result of two phenomena—people are driving less, and when they drive they tend to drive fuel efficient cars. The residential and commercial sectors shaved off an additional 48 million tons, reflecting the effects of energy efficiency, conservation and the mild winter of 2012.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">In sum, we get this chart crediting natural gas with 26% of the total reductions in 2012 — just behind the overall decline in coal for the aforementioned reasons at 27%.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"><div class="image-container" style="width:800px"><div class="image"><p class="source"><a href="http://co2scorecard.org/home/researchitem/27">CO2 Scorecard</a></p></div></div><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">In an interview, author Shakeb Asfah said the study did not look at whether gains from natural gas may have been offset by fugitive methane emissions from gas wells, pipelines and compressor stations.  The extent of methane releases from natgas infrastructure </span><a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2021331722_frackingscrutinyxml.html">remains highly controversial</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> and Asfah says an upcoming study will attempt to reckon the range of data on that phenomenon.</span><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">In any event, he said, the government must be doing more to put a price on carbon.</span></p>

We Can Thank Natural Gas For 26% Of The Recent Drop In Carbon Emissions

<p><em><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:400px"><div class="image"></div><p class="source"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Riccio_Melone_a_Capo_Caccia_adventurediving.it.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></p><p class="caption">The Echinus melo or water melon sea urchin</p></div>The humble sea urchin could hold the key to turning harmful greenhouse gas <keyword id="66463" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Carbon">carbon</keyword> dioxide into chalk on an industrial scale, British scientists have revealed.</em></p>
<p>At the moment, pilot studies for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) systems propose the removal of CO2 by pumping it into holes deep underground, but it is both costly and has a long term risk of the gas leaking back out - possibly many miles away from the original downward source.</p>
<p>But now scientists have discovered that sea urchins use nickel ions to harness carbon dioxide from the sea to grow their exoskeleton - or shell. It could be a way to capture tonnes of CO2.</p>
<p>Using the nickel nanoparticles suspended in water vats at factories, power stations would capture the CO2 as it is pumped through, converting the gas into the chalk.</p>
<p>The nickel catalyst can be recycled and the by-product - the carbonate - is useful and not damaging to the environment.</p>
<p>Physicist Dr Lidija Siller, a PHD student at Newcastle University, discoverd the nickel enzyme by chance.</p>
<p>"We had set out to understand in detail the carbonic acid reaction - which is what happens when CO2 reacts with water - and needed a catalyst to speed up the process.</p>
<p>"At the same time, I was looking at how organisms absorb CO2 into their skeletons and in particular the sea urchin which converts the CO2 to calcium carbonate.</p>
<p>"When we analysed the surface of the urchin larvae we found a high concentration of nickel on their exoskeleton. Taking nickel nanoparticles which have a large surface area, we added them to our carbonic acid test and the result was the complete removal of CO2."</p>
<p>Each year, humans emit on average 33.4 billion metric tons of CO2 - around 45% of which remains in the atmosphere. Typically, a petrol-driven car will produce a ton of CO2 every 4,000 miles.</p>
<p>Chalk, found in the shells of marine organisms, snails, pearls, and eggshells, is a completely stable mineral, widely used in the building industry to make cement and other materials and also in hospitals to make plaster casts.</p>
<p>The process developed by the Newcastle team involves passing the waste gas directly from the chimney top, through a water column rich in nickel nano-particles and recovering the solid calcium carbonate from the bottom.</p>
<p>Dr Siller adds: "The capture and removal of CO2 from our atmosphere is one of the most pressing dilemmas of our time.</p>
<p>"Our process would not work in every situation - it couldn't be fitted to the back of a car, for example - but it is an effective, cheap solution that could be available world-wide to some of our most polluting industries and have a significant impact on the reduction of atmospheric CO2."</p>
<p>The team have patented the process and are now looking for an investor to take it forward.</p>
<p>This findings are published in the academic journal Catalysis <keyword id="41551" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="100" keywordseo="science">Science</keyword> &amp; Technology.</p>
<p></p>

The Humble Sea Urchin Could Hold Key To Tackling Climate Change

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Fitbit</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Shares of Fitbit are down 9.2% at $6.55 a share after the company announced <a href="https://investor.fitbit.com/press/press-releases/press-release-details/2017/Fitbit-Announces-Preliminary-Fourth-Quarter-2016-Results/default.aspx">preliminary fourth quarter results</a> that are well below its previous estimate.</p><p>In a release sent out on Monday, Fitbit said it expects to announce that it sold 6.5 million devices in the crucial holiday quarter and said that fourth-quarter revenue would be between <span>$572 million to $580 million, well below its previous <span>guidance range of </span>$725 million to $750 million<span>.</span> </span></p><p><span><span>"Fourth quarter results are expected to be below our prior guidance range; however, we are confident this performance is not reflective of the value of our brand, market-leading platform, and company's long-term potential," <span>James Park</span><span>, </span><span>Fitbit</span><span> co-founder and CEO said in a statement.</span> "To address this reduction in growth and what we believe is a temporary slowdown and transition period, we are taking clear steps to reduce operating costs."</span></span></p><p><span><span>As part of its cost-cutting effort, Fitbit is:</span></span></p><ul><li>"Targeting a reduction in the 2016 exit operating expense run rate of approximately $200 million, to approximately $850 million for 2017"</li><li>"<span>Conducting a reorganization of its business, including a reduction in force, that will impact approximately 110 employees, constituting approximately 6% of the company's global workforce, creating a more focused and efficient operating model."</span></li></ul><p>The company says the reorganization efforts will save about $4 million in the the first quarter of 2017. </p><p>Shares of Fitbit had a <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/short-interest-betting-against-fitbit-shares-is-piling-up-2017-1-1001665777">rough 2016</a>, tumbling 75% <span>amid an increasingly competitive market for wearable devices. In November, the company slashed its <span>earnings-per-share guidance for the crucial holiday quarter to just a quarter of what analysts had been expecting.</span></span></p><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/FIT-Quote">Markets Insider</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></span></p><p> </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tech-finance-coinbase-buy-sell-trade-bitcoin-app-coinbase-2017-1">Here's how to use one of the many apps to buy and trade bitcoin</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="8xa3Z1ODE6jmPca8bIn4JsdTak2saJbY" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Fitbit is plunging after slashing its guidance

Beijing, May 14 () Scientists have identified a pair of neutralising antibodies -- isolated from a patient who recovered from COVID-19 -- that may offer therapeutic benefits, and help design molecule antivirals and vaccine candidates to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus.<p> The antibodies identified by the researchers, including those from Chinese Academy of Sciences, bind to the glycoprotein spike of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, blocking the spike's ability to bind to the human ACE2 receptor and mediate viral entry into host cells.</p><p> Preliminary tests of the two antibodies, named B38 and H4, in a mouse model resulted in a reduction of virus titers, the researchers said.</p><p> The finding, published in the journal Science, suggests that the antibodies may offer therapeutic benefits -- in addition to informing the design of small molecule therapeutics and vaccine candidates to fight COVID-19, they said.</p><p> Researcher Yan Wu from Capital Medical University, China and colleagues found that the antibodies can each bind simultaneously to different epitopes on the spike's receptor binding domain (RBD).</p><p> Due to this binding, both antibodies together may confer a stronger neutralising effect than either antibody on its own -- a prediction supported by in vitro experiments, they said.</p><p> This feature also means that, should one of the viral epitopes mutate in a way that prevents the binding of one of the two antibodies, the other may still retain its neutralising activity, according to the researchers.</p><p> By imaging the structure of the viral spike's RBD bound to B38, the team confirmed that the antibody binds to a subset of the amino acids bound by ACE2, they said.</p><p> This, the researchers explained, provides an explanation for why the B38 antibody confers such strong neutralising effects.</p><p> They suggest that a "cocktail" containing both antibodies could provide direct therapeutic benefits for COVID-19 patients.</p> The finding regarding the viral spike epitopes could also aid the development of small molecule antivirals and vaccine candidates to fight the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the researchers added.   SARSAR

Twin antibodies that may help fight COVID-19 identified

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Lucas Jackson</span></p><p class="caption">Moelis &amp; Company founder Ken Moelis.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Allergan, the hyper-acquisitive, Dublin-headquartered maker of Botox, is buying fat-reduction biopharmaceutical Zeltiq for about $2.5 billion - and the only two financial advisers on the deal are boutique shops.</p><p>On the buy-side, Moelis &amp; Company advised Allergan, while on the sell-side, Guggenheim Securities advised Zeltiq.</p><p>Moelis is expected to rake in $15-20 million for their advice to Allergan, according to the consultant Freeman &amp; Co. Guggenheim could make $20-25 million.</p><p>Moelis has about 650 employees in 17 offices worldwide. It was founded by the former UBS banker Ken Moelis and recently <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/moelis-saudi-aramco-ipo-2017-2">landed an advisory role on the mammoth Saudi Aramco IPO</a>, which is expected to be the world's largest.</p><p>Guggenheim has 2,500 employees in 20 cities around the world. It advised <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/vodafone-verizon-wireless-2013-8">Verizon on its $130 billion deal for Vodafone</a>, which closed in 2014. More recently, Guggenheim advised Allergan on its $2.9 billion deal for LifeCell in December and Verizon on the $3.6 billion sale of 24 data centers to Equinix.</p><p>Both <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/guggenheim-securities-clients-2015-11">Moelis and Guggenheim advised Pfizer</a> on its attempted (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/pharmaceutical-shares-after-pfizer-abandons-allergan-deal-2016-4">and botched</a>) merger with Allergan. </p><p>Boutique banks have had a strong start to the year.</p><p>Last week, the maker of Durex announced it was buying a baby-formula company for $17 billion and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/reckitt-benckiser-mead-johnson-deal-fees-robey-warshaw-2017-2">the boutique firm Robey Warshaw landed a joint-lead advisory role</a> on the buy-side of that deal. It could split up to $50 million in fees with co-adviser Bank of America Merrill Lynch for that deal, according to Freeman &amp; Co.</p><p>In January, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/takeda-to-buy-ariad-pharmaceuticals-2017-1">Evercore and Lazard landed roles</a> on Takeda's $5.2 billion deal for Ariad Pharmaceuticals. And <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/warren-buffetts-favorite-banker-just-landed-a-9-billion-dollar-deal-2017-1">the boutique firm BDT</a>, led by the former Goldman Sachs partner Byron Trott, advised Mars on its <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mars-to-buy-vca-2017-1">$9.1 billion deal for VCA Inc</a>.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fiscal-policies-need-robots-automated-workforce-jobs-jeff-sachs-economy-artificial-intelligence-manufacturing-2017-2">JEFF SACHS: Here are the fiscal policies we need to implement so robots don't take our jobs</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NwM2xpOTE6cn5Ux_XfanKnRcWoAMJKRB" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

2 boutique banks led Allergan's latest pharma merger

<p class="source"><span>Samantha Lee/Business Insider</span></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Digital media company Bustle Digital Group is making staffing cuts and salary reductions related to the coronavirus pandemic.</li><li>Sources said at about 25 staffers will be cut, and those making over $70,000 at the company will receive tiered salary reductions.</li><li>Culture publication The Outline appears to be hit the hardest, with BDG laying off all of its staffers and shuttering it.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Digital media company Bustle Digital Group is cutting about 25 employees and making salary reductions amid grim economic projections related to the coronavirus pandemic, according to company sources and a BDG representative.</p><p>Multiple sources told Business Insider there would be salary reductions affecting all employees earning over $70,000, who will receive a temporary 18 percent salary reduction. Executives are said to be taking a 30 percent reduction. CEO Bryan Goldberg will reduce his salary by 85 percent. </p><p>A company spokesperson said in a statement, "The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 has forced us to make some tough business decisions.  Most staff will be taking temporary tiered salary reductions and unfortunately, we have eliminated two dozen positions across the company." </p><p>In October 2019, BDG said it employed 315 people. </p><h2>The entire staff of The Outline has been cut</h2><p>The news began to trickle in Friday morning as staffers at The Outline, a publication created by Joshua Topolsky, tweeted their layoffs. </p><p>The Outline's Leah Finnegan was the first to tweet the news out, which apparently served as a first notification for some laid off employees. In total, five full-time employees were laid of at The Outline and one staffer at BDG science publication Inverse was laid off Thursday.  </p><p>The state of the publication itself appears to be in limbo. A company spokesperson said in a statement that "We are halting operations of The Outline going forward. We will continue to host the publication and the archives, and Josh Topolsky will be exploring alternative paths forward for the publication's future."  </p><p>One source says that there were discussions of buying back The Outline brand from the company to possibly restart it with a subscription model, but that those conversations were in their infancy. </p><h2>A history of cuts and a grim outlook</h2><p>The news follows numerous media companies announcing cost-cutting measures as advertisers hit pause on major campaigns and avoid association with coronavirus news. In the past month, digital media companies <a href="https://digiday.com/media/everyone-feels-the-pain-major-digital-publishers-enact-pay-and-benefits-cuts-to-stanch-the-bleeding/">BuzzFeed and Vice</a> have announced salary reductions to avoid layoffs. </p><p>BDG has taken a more accelerated approach. The method isn't one that's unfamiliar to BDG, which has created headlines for a series of layoffs that it's instituted in the last year. In November, it cut <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bustle-digital-group-more-layoffs-amid-flagging-morale-2019-11">at least 14 staffers</a> after making a series of staggered layoffs affecting at least 17 staffers, as was first reported in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bustle-digital-group-staff-cuts-diversity-bryan-goldberg-2019-10">Business Insider</a>. </p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-to-do-your-own-taxes-for-the-very-first-time-2018-2">Tax Day is now July 15 - this is what it's like to do your own taxes for the very first time</a></h3>

Bustle Digital Group lays off about 25 people, including the entire staff of The Outline

<p>Share traders are in for a busy day, there's lots of action as markets open on Wedensday.</p><p>Volkswagen stock crashed almost 10% after the company revealed another problem with its emissions on Tuesday evening. The company said it identified "<a href="http://www.volkswagenag.com/content/vwcorp/info_center/en/news/2015/11/internen_untersuchungen.html">irregularities in CO2 levels</a>" with as many as 800,000 vehicles be affected across the entire group.</p><p>Here's what that did to shares:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Investing</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Meanwhile, Glencore, the troubled commodities trading and mining giant, said it was on track to beat debt reduction targets, after paying down almost $2 billion in bonds and <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/glencore-third-quarter-trading-update-debt-payments-2015-11">buying back a further $400 million in debt from creditors.</a></p><p>The stock jumped nearly 7% on the news:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Investing</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Here's the European markets scoreboard as of 08:25 a.m. <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> time:</p><p>UK's FTSE 100: +0.67%</p><p>Germany's DAX: -0.33%</p><p>France's CAC: +0.36%</p><p>Spain's IBEX: +0.90%</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/everyday-phrases-smart-people-say-incorrectly-statute-2015-10">Everyday phrases that even smart people say incorrectly</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="44Z3ZoeDrznjy0zyuh6chLpAhZsFsPBY" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "CO2 reduction" and got 13 results

Remdesivir slows COVID-19 progression in macaques: Study

PTI

Trump just pulled out of the Paris Agreement - even though the US has contributed more to climate change than any other country

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We Can Thank Natural Gas For 26% Of The Recent Drop In Carbon Emissions

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2 boutique banks led Allergan's latest pharma merger

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