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don’t let lobbyists drown out researchers

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A gull picks up a piece of trash that washed up along the bank of the San Gabriel River just a few hundred yards from the Pacific Ocean in Seal Beach.

Every year, 6 million tonnes of plastic waste ends up in the rivers and on coastlines.Credit: Mark Rightmire/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register/Getty

The fourth round of negotiations on a global treaty to end plastic pollution starts next week. The good news is that nations meeting in Ottawa have given themselves until the end of this year to produce a legally binding agreement. The bad news is that countries are further apart than they were last year. A 31-page draft of the text has ballooned to nearly 100 pages, which contain a wide spectrum of positions. Countries have not even decided on how to reach a final agreement on the draft text. At this stage, the talks could completely fall apart, or the end result might be too weak or too narrow to be meaningful.

The negotiations are being organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). As is customary, scientists are meant to be able to observe the talks and also advise those attending the discussions. But researchers have told Nature that they are often not in the negotiation room. Worryingly, fossil-fuel-producing countries and industries are lobbying to narrow the treaty’s focus on rules and targets for recycling plastics. Such targets are important, but a lot more is needed to end plastics pollution. All parties need to get a handle on the colossal scale of the problem, and they must honour their promise to place science at the heart of the talks.

Plastics are used extensively because of their highly useful properties — they can be moulded into many shapes and are lightweight, hygienic, cheap to make and good insulators. For these reasons, plastics production is increasing sharply. In the past two decades it has doubled to more than 450 million tonnes annually. But we now know that, because of their huge downsides, their use needs to be limited.

Around 25% of all plastics manufactured end up polluting the environment. Of this, 6 million tonnes end up in rivers and along coastlines annually. These materials degrade into micro- and nanosized particles that have been found almost everywhere, from Arctic ice to Antarctic snow — and even in the stomachs of unborn babies. The greenhouse-gas emissions associated with plastics amount to almost 1.8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide — 3% of the global total in 2019. Many of the chemicals, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), that are used to make and treat plastics are persisting in the environment and are proving toxic to it.

Alternatives must be found and serious steps need to be taken to tackle waste. If there are no suitable alternatives, nations must invest in the infrastructure necessary to recycle the materials and ensure that manufacturers take responsibility for the full life cycle of their products. And they must ensure an equitable and just transition that protects people whose jobs depend on the industry.

But we’re not seeing countries take such steps in the lead-up to the negotiations in Ottawa. Instead, discussions have been dominated by persistent lobbying by chemical-industry associations and by some fossil-fuel-producing nations, notably Iran, Russia and Saudi Arabia. They want to focus, for instance, on recycling and on pollution-limiting rules, rather than on eliminating plastics altogether, partly to allow production to continue on current scales.

Moreover, researchers are being sidelined when there is so much they could help to resolve. They include, for example, members of an international network, the Scientists’ Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty, who provide scientific advice to low-income countries that might not have their own research expertise.

Much is known about the toxicity, biology and chemistry of plastics pollution, and the economics of the industry. But there are gaps, especially around how various aspects of the plastic production and disposal streams affect people and their livelihoods. For example, how would a ban on plastics affect waste collectors, who rely on discarded products to earn a living? Research is needed to resolve these issues and to make the treaty work.

The world’s environment ministers proposed strengthening research-based policy advice on plastic pollution. An anticipated mechanism called a Science–Policy Interface for Plastic Pollution has not been established yet, although negotiations for setting it up are continuing. Furthermore, scientists have been unable to observe the talks, which they should be allowed to do under UN rules. But researchers need to be able to participate meaningfully in the debate.

Many scientists were unable to get accreditation for the first three negotiation rounds. This is because publicly funded universities had been included in the ‘government’ category, which meant that their researchers would have had to be accredited as representing their governments, which they don’t. In January, UNEP clarified that those at public universities that are autonomous from their governments can apply. But it is not yet clear whether this change has made it easier for academic researchers to get accreditation.

Successfully navigating treaty talks requires finding common ground despite nations’ competing priorities. One of the strengths of the present system of organizing talks is that all those involved agree that discussions will be guided by independent scientific knowledge. This is a foundational principle. Moreover, science has brought nations together to agree on a treaty — its role cannot be diminished now.

Finding solutions to the plastic problem has to be a multisectoral, multinational and genuinely collegial effort. No amount of recycling is going to stop the deluge of plastic coming into the economy. Negotiators need to accept that the only way that better waste management and recycling will work is if less plastic is made in the first place.

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75% of adults don’t know how to recycle electronics — here are the 3 best ways to responsibly dispose of tech

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It seems that the e-waste issue is more widespread and harmful than we thought — even bigger than Windows 10’s end of service — as several reports showcase the issue on a greater scope.

A new study from CNET found that a staggering 75% of adults either don’t have a plan in place for disposing of old devices or only have a vague but not definite one. 

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Don’t wait for Amazon Prime Day – Fire TV Sticks are on sale now from $19.99

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In case you missed the last round of deals during its recent spring sale, Amazon has the full lineup of Fire TV Sticks on sale once again. A record-low price for the most powerful Fire TV Stick 4K Max is included – and best of all you don’t need to be an Amazon Prime member to get it.

See all Fire TV Stick deals at Amazon

The retailer has slashed the Fire TV Stick 4K Max to $39.99 (was $59.99), returning the all-new version of the streaming stick to the same low price we saw last month and during last year’s Black Friday.

It’s a great deal on what we think is one of the best streaming sticks available today. As we found in our Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max review, this premium version of the streaming device offers ultra HD picture quality, faster performance and support for the latest Wi-Fi technology to ensure you get the smoothest and most stable streaming experience.

If you don’t need a 4K version, or want to save even more money, there are also a handful of cheaper options available starting with the standard HD-compatible Fire TV Stick Lite for $19.99

All other Fire TV Sticks are on sale so check out all the offers below to find the one that best suits your needs and budget. These Fire TV Sticks will likely only be cheaper for Amazon Prime members during Amazon Prime Day in July, so if you’re not signed up or don’t wait to pay the subscription fee then snag these low prices while you can.

Today’s best Amazon Fire TV Stick deals

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Top AI researcher says AI will end humanity and we should stop developing it now — but don’t worry, Elon Musk disagrees

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Here’s something cheery to consider the next time you use an AI tool. Most people involved in artificial intelligence think it could end humanity. That’s the bad news. The good news is that the odds of it happening vary wildly depending on who you listen to.

p(doom) is the “probability of doom” or the chances that AI takes over the planet or does something to destroy us, such as create a biological weapon or start a nuclear war. At the cheeriest end of the p(doom) scale, Yann LeCun, one of the “three godfathers of AI”, who currently works at Meta, places the chances at <0.01%, or less likely than an asteroid wiping us out.

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Don’t be a fool: buy the Apple Watch 9 for an incredible price of just $299 at Amazon

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The Series 9 is Apple’s latest and greatest smartwatch, and Amazon just dropped the price to $299 (it was $399) – an incredible deal. That’s a $100 discount and the lowest price we’ve ever seen, beating Black Friday’s offer by $30. You could say you’d be a fool not to buy it.

Shop more of today’s best deals at Amazon

The Apple Watch 9 is one of the best smartwatches you can buy, thanks to the all-new S9 SiP chip, which delivers increased performance and a long-lasting 18 hours of battery life. Apple’s new chip also brings new capabilities to the Apple Watch, such as the double-tap gesture, which allows you to control your smartwatch by simply tapping your index and thumb together twice. You also get a brighter display and watchOS 10 with redesigned apps. Plus, for the first time, Siri requests can now be processed from your smartwatch.

Today’s Apple Watch 9 deal from Amazon applies to the Midnight aluminum case with a Midnight sport loop and as mentioned above, it’s a record-low price and incredible value for money. I’ve listed more of today’s best deals from Amazon below, all of which represent outstanding offers that are no joke.

Today’s best Apple Watch deal at Amazon

More of today’s best deals at Amazon

See more of today’s best Apple Watch 9 deals and more Apple Watch deals on older models.

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4 fun horror movies leaving Netflix in April 2024 you don’t want to miss

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Horror lovers with a Netflix need to know that a handful of scary movies are about to get slashed from the service, but look at it as your perfect opportunity to catch them before they leave, because there are some serious good options here, and we’ve picked out four below.

Our list contains two supernatural horrors, a modern psychological horror, and a prequel movie from a popular horror movie series. So no matter what area of genre you’re most drawn to, there are plenty of options for you to choose from – and even better if you’re looking to dive deeper into different horror subgenres. Train to Busan is an especially strong highlight here – it’s good enough to have a claim to being among the best Netflix movies of any kind. Though, obviously, not for long…

Train to Busan (2016) 

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Don’t blame Apple for the US smartphone market, blame the US carriers

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Write this down, because I’m going to tell you my secret to understanding the US mobile industry for the last 20 years. The answer to everything is ‘The Carriers.’ Every question, every conundrum. If you want to know why we DO have this, or DON’T have that? The answer is the US carriers: AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. How has Apple managed to achieve monopoly power in the US and draw the ire of the Justice Department? The answer is the US carriers.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max in front of stalactite photo

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)

One of the strongest points that Apple makes in its rebuttal to the government’s lawsuit is that the government is considering only the US market, but Apple competes on a global scale. In the global market, Apple’s market share is much lower than in the US alone. It owns closer to 20% of the global market, as opposed to more than 60% of the US market.

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Samsung 990 EVO review: great for the price, just don’t expect true PCIe 5.0 speeds

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Samsung 990 EVO: Two-minute review

The Samsung 990 EVO steps into the spotlight following the well-received Samsung 990 Pro, setting the stage for an SSD to carry forward the EVO series’ legacy of performance and reliability. 

The 970 EVO Plus, this SSD’s predecessor, was one of the best SSD picks when it was released a couple of years back, and it’s still celebrated as one of the best cheap SSDs you can get even now, despite lacking the kinds of data rates you’ll get with a modern PCIe 5.0. 

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Popular SSD vendor uses clever trick to make slower, less durable flash components perform much better — but don’t expect miracles

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Although QLC NAND is capable of storing substantial amounts of data, it falls behind in performance when compared to other NAND types. Because it’s denser (housing four bits per cell) than TLC (which accommodates three), it’s typically slower and less robust.

Western Digital has employed a smart method to improve the performance and durability of its new SN5000S QLC flash drive. Thanks to the integration of a high-speed pseudo-SLC cache, over-provisioning of raw cells, and a controller that minimizes write amplification, it surpasses its TLC predecessor, SN740.

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Apple iPhone is not a monopoly – and you really don’t want the US Government to win

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Apple‘s iPhone business is not a monopoly. It’s not even close to one, and it’s almost comical that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is trying to build a shaky case around how Apple manages its software and third-party product integration.

First, there’s the obvious argument: iPhone has just 57% of the US market share (though I’ve also seen numbers closer to 70%), and globally, it has roughly 20%. You don’t need to be a math major to know that, by any measure, those are not “monopoly” numbers.

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