2024 Set to Become Hottest Year on Record, Claim EU Scientists

Science and Health

Projections from the European climate service indicate that 2024 is on course to become the hottest year on record. With average global temperatures expected to rise over 1.5-degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. If realised, this increase will mark an important moment, as it will be the first calendar year to breach this critical threshold. Primarily attributed to human-driven climate change, the extreme temperatures are also partially intensified by the El Niño weather pattern, which releases additional heat into the atmosphere. This development comes just days before COP29, the UN climate summit in Azerbaijan, intensifying calls for immediate global climate action.Experts view this latest data as a warning signal for global leaders. Dr. Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, emphasised the need for urgent measures to curb future warming, highlighting that each annual breach inches the world closer to crossing the 1.5-degree Celsius warming target in the long term. Established by the 2015 Paris Agreement, this target aimed to prevent severe impacts from climate change by limiting temperature increases over a 20-year period. However, Copernicus Climate Change Service data now suggest that 2024 could exceed the previous record of 1.48-degree Celsius, set in 2023, by reaching at least 1.55-degree Celsius.Influence of El Niño and Lasting Temperature TrendsThe El Niño phase, which commenced mid-2023 and concluded in early 2024, contributed to the elevated temperatures observed this year. Despite the end of this warming phase, global temperatures have remained high, with daily records continuously broken. According to climate scientists, such extreme heat has worsened weather-related disasters worldwide, including stronger storms and prolonged heatwaves. Professor Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist from the University of Reading, expressed concern about the long-term implications of this trend, indicating that global warming would likely set new records in future years if emissions continue to rise.Rising Temperatures and Potential Long-Term ImpactsThe high levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are expected to sustain the warming trend. This could possibly lead to another record-breaking year in 2025. Scientists project that without a significant decrease in emissions, global temperatures could rise by more than 3-degree Celsius by the end of this century, exacerbating climate-related disasters.

What a Trump Second Term Could Mean for America’s Science

Science and Health

President Elect Donald Trump speaking with attendees at an Arizona for Trump rally at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore.

In the early morning hours when Donald Trump’s electoral victory became clear, stunned academics across the nation began picking up the pieces. Donald Trump had already waged a war on science and this term promises even more aggression. Within hours, social media was awash with speculation: What would Trump’s second term mean for public health? For science? For a country still grappling with the lasting scars of a global pandemic?

Many of the nation’s most respected voices in public health and science were quick to voice their concerns, pointing to troubling precedents from Trump’s first term.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do, and I fear a hard road ahead of us,” Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at the University of Maryland, told The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. Her tone mirrored the unease shared by scientists, public health advocates, and even biosecurity experts. They fear that in Trump’s return, the U.S. could veer sharply away from a science-based approach to policy, putting millions of people—and decades of progress—at risk.

An Isolationist Approach to Global Health

One of the most significant shifts could come in the realm of international cooperation on health issues. Trump previously withdrew the U.S. from the World Health Organization (WHO) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a move widely criticized by scientists and global leaders alike. The WHO relies heavily on U.S. funding, and Trump’s earlier withdrawal disrupted the organization’s ability to respond to international crises, especially to COVID, which claimed the lives of nearly seven million people worldwide.

Georgios Pappas, a physician and zoonotic disease researcher, worries that another WHO exit would weaken the U.S.’s standing in global health. “Withdrawing or reducing U.S. support for the WHO and cutting funding for other health programs will put in jeopardy critical achievements against infectious diseases,” he warned.

Trump’s victory also casts uncertainty on longstanding global health initiatives, such as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This program, initiated under George W. Bush, has saved millions of lives by providing life-saving treatment to people with HIV and AIDS, primarily in Africa, but is likely to be defunded in Trump’s term.

Pappas isn’t alone in his fears. Other experts warn that this potential pivot toward isolationism could turn the U.S. from a global leader in health into an isolated nation.

Vaccine Skepticism and Health Disinformation

At home, Trump’s stance on vaccines is alarming. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his administration helped fast-track the development of vaccines—a major scientific triumph. Yet Trump also became a polarizing figure, often spreading mixed messages about the severity of COVID-19, the need for lockdowns, and the benefits of vaccination. Trump received his vaccine dose, so he’s not technically a vaccine skeptic — but much of his base seems to have embraced vaccine skepticism, viewing masks and vaccines as symbols of government overreach. In line with his populist rhetoric, Trump may satisfy his voter base disrupting current vaccine regulations.

World needs to focus more on AI security and safety, says US science envoy

Science and Health

AI BIAS AND DISCRIMINATIONOther aspects of AI that need to be discussed are bias and discrimination, said Dr Chowdhury. 

“I think what’s quite important for a lot of people … is to understand that this technology will not be as ubiquitous as we think it is, unless we deal with kitchen table issues like bias and discrimination,” said the data scientist who runs an organisation providing ethical AI solutions.

She noted that AI models are trained on the data of the internet, which is the data of the Western world. 

“Thinking through applications in Asia will require us thinking through what the data and the sources and the biases are that could be very Western-focused, or just not appropriate for use in this region,” she said.

“What we’re trying to build AI models for, for example, is improving agricultural techniques. What will happen if these models are producing biased output because they don’t understand the crops in the region or the language that’s being spoken?”

She added that the priorities that are being pushed forwards globally surrounding standards and use cases are largely driven by only a few countries.

This means that solutions to improve crop yields because of climate, for instance, are not top of mind.

Dr Chowdhury noted that these are problems faced by farmers in nations that do not have a seat at the same table, such as Bangladesh – where her family is originally from – and Vietnam.

“It’s really critical that we focus on what is useful for people and the rest of us … broadband access, connectivity, mobile access, all of these things are important in a population being engaged in the AI future,” she said.

Funding is largely coming from industry, which in turn puts it in the position of agenda setter, noted Dr Chowdhury. She added that philanthropies need to play a bigger role.

World needs to focus more on AI security and safety, says US science envoy

Science and Health

AI BIAS AND DISCRIMINATIONOther aspects of AI that need to be discussed are bias and discrimination, said Dr Chowdhury. 

“I think what’s quite important for a lot of people … is to understand that this technology will not be as ubiquitous as we think it is, unless we deal with kitchen table issues like bias and discrimination,” said the data scientist who runs an organisation providing ethical AI solutions.

She noted that AI models are trained on the data of the internet, which is the data of the Western world. 

“Thinking through applications in Asia will require us thinking through what the data and the sources and the biases are that could be very Western-focused, or just not appropriate for use in this region,” she said.

“What we’re trying to build AI models for, for example, is improving agricultural techniques. What will happen if these models are producing biased output because they don’t understand the crops in the region or the language that’s being spoken?”

She added that the priorities that are being pushed forwards globally surrounding standards and use cases are largely driven by only a few countries.

This means that solutions to improve crop yields because of climate, for instance, are not top of mind.

Dr Chowdhury noted that these are problems faced by farmers in nations that do not have a seat at the same table, such as Bangladesh – where her family is originally from – and Vietnam.

“It’s really critical that we focus on what is useful for people and the rest of us … broadband access, connectivity, mobile access, all of these things are important in a population being engaged in the AI future,” she said.

Funding is largely coming from industry, which in turn puts it in the position of agenda setter, noted Dr Chowdhury. She added that philanthropies need to play a bigger role.

5:00 a.m. screen time screen time Big Tech’s Loyalty Era By John Herrman Tech leaders are bracing for, and warming to, their industry’s Trumpian, loyalty-based future.

Technology

Photo: Evan Vucci/AP Photo

Elon Musk, whose empire of companies already holds billions of dollars in government contracts, donated his money, time, reputation, and social-media network to support Donald Trump’s election. In return, Musk has been promised oversight of a “government efficiency commission” with broad power to make “wide-ranging cuts at federal agencies and changes to federal rules,” including, potentially, those that govern his own companies. Musk made a big bet on Trump’s victory specifically, but also on a reasonable general theory of how things will work for the tech industry should that victory come to pass: Loyalty will be rewarded, and disloyalty will be punished.

This bet on loyalty is related to but distinct from the widely internalized expectation that firms with business in front of the government will donate to and spend money lobbying politicians in hopes of getting what they want — a sort of legitimized, in-the-open form of corruption that treats giving to one or both major political parties as a standard cost of doing business. It’s a recognition that an empowered, consolidated Trump administration will place value not just on material support but on public expressions of support. It’s a bet that the personalized and loyalty-centric character of the past Trump administration — recall the countless leaks about who was in or out of the president’s favor, the endless resignations, and the subsequent appointments of outspoken loyalists — will extend further outward into the government, in particular into the realm of tech regulation and contracting.

Starting around the attempt on Trump’s life in July, other major tech leaders appeared to start taking this theory more seriously. Mark Zuckerberg called Trump a “badass,” while Jeff Bezos praised his “grace under literal fire.” Other leaders — including Google’s Sundar Pichai and Apple’s Tim Cook — called the former and possibly future president, knowing he would later characterize the calls as he pleased. (Trump, who had previously threatened to criminally prosecute Google for “only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J. Trump,” called Pichai “a great guy, very smart” after a call in which the men reportedly talked about Trump’s appearance at a McDonald’s.) When, in July, Trump’s chances against then-nominee Joe Biden seemed all but certain, a parade of Silicon Valley elites started voicing their support for the former president.

After Trump’s victory, tech leaders made sure their acknowledgments had a personal touch. Bezos, who hadn’t posted on X since his last message about Trump but whose newspaper had, in the meantime, declined to endorse a presidential candidate, reached out again:

Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 6, 2024

On Threads, Zuckerberg, whom Trump has also repeatedly threatened with criminal prosecution, wrote, “Congratulations to President Trump on a decisive victory. We have great opportunities ahead of us as a country. Looking forward to working with you and your administration.” He had company:

congrats to President Trump.i wish for his huge success in the job.— Sam Altman (@sama) November 6, 2024

Congratulations President Trump on your victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) November 6, 2024

Letting the incoming administration know that you’re looking forward to working with it is pragmatic and standard behavior for a major tech executive. However, the circumstances under which they’re doing so in 2024 are unusual. The broad outline of Trump’s economic agenda suggests a hard swerve into privatization; in recent years, tech companies with roots in social media, retail, and search have been pushing hard into government contracting — including military contracting — in order to sustain growth. Tech companies and their leaders were uneasy administration antagonists during Trump’s first presidency, never quite figuring out how to balance employee and public backlash with pressure from the president and his allies. They really did think, after 2020, that they were done with him and he was done with them. Now, having signaled their interest in working with the government and the military, particularly with big potential AI contracts on the line as well as a corresponding intolerance of staff and members of the public who may think they shouldn’t, they’re clearly hoping for a different role this time.

A tech industry in which fate is more determined by expressions of political loyalty and patronage is an industry in which the range of possible outcomes for major firms is fundamentally altered: At one end, tentatively represented by Musk, you have oligarchal opportunity; at the other, you have arbitrary retribution and punishment. The latter is a fate that Bezos — who in 2019 saw Trump allegedly sabotage a major federal contract with Amazon over his “personal dislike” of the then-CEO and whose Blue Origin now competes directly with Musk’s SpaceX for massive new contracts — surely wants to avoid. (Every tech giant is gunning for AI contracts, and many could need help building or accessing power infrastructure to support their efforts; Musk, with a possible role inside government, is also competing in this space.) This isn’t a dynamic that major tech leaders can easily opt out of. We can expect them to become thoroughly politicized in ways that are both within and uncomfortably beyond their control. This time around, we shouldn’t be shocked to see groveling, over-the-top praise, swift apologies, and other rituals of highly personal appeasement and debasement. (A small secondary prediction: Tech reporting and business reporting in general will, under the second Trump administration, necessarily focus more on interpersonal conflict and palace intrigue. As was the case with leak-centric “who’s in, who’s out” stories about, say, Cabinet appointees during Trump’s first term — many of whom came from high positions in the military or the private sector and were unaccustomed and ultimately unable or unwilling to survive in such an environment — this reporting will be simultaneously insufficient for understanding what’s happening and often the best information anyone has. Is Trump annoyed by Musk? Is Vance still taking Thiel’s calls?)

Let that sink in pic.twitter.com/XvYFtDrhRm— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 6, 2024

As the first industry figure to embrace this new reality completely, Musk stands to benefit the most. He could also be first to encounter its inherent risks. Loyalty in this context isn’t just about support or allegiance — it’s about knowing, and acknowledging, who’s really the boss.

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Who is Usha Vance, the next second lady of the United States?

Technology

JD Vance has had several introductions to the American people: as the author of a memoir on what ails the white working class, a newly elected Republican senator in his home state of Ohio, a controversial running mate pick and the next vice president of the United States.His wife, Usha, has been a key part of each iteration.More than most political spouses, she has avoided the spotlight and favored a more private, background role on the Trump campaign. But the Yale-educated lawyer was beside her husband at Donald Trump’s election night watch party in West Palm Beach as voters made him the 47th president – and her, in turn, the first Asian American second lady. She is also the first second lady with a Hindu background.JD Vance thanked her for “making it possible to do this” in a post on X after the Republican ticket’s win.The future second lady has avoided talking about how she would approach the role. Asked what subject areas she’d focus on, she told NBC News last month that she would “see what happens on Nov. 5, and collect some information myself and take it from there.”“This is such an intense and busy experience that I have not given a ton of thought to my own roles and responsibilities,” she said. “It’s not something I’m terribly familiar with.”The Vances have three young children: ages 7, 4 and 2.The Ohio senator, who has only been in office since January 2023, faced questions over both his lack of political experience and his transition from 2016 Trump critic to heir to the MAGA movement. Usha Vance played an understated but key role in helping introduce him to the public.“Sometimes people say that he’s changed a lot, but the truth is I’ve known him now for so many years, and he’s always been so true to himself,” she told Newsmax during a 2022 interview with her husband.Usha Vance made campaign appearances alongside her husband across the country, ranging from visiting a Baptist church in Damascus, Virginia, to a sports bar in Greenville, North Carolina. JD Vance said in September that his wife was doing a “little bit of homeschooling” while their kids were on the campaign trail.In her first solo interview on Fox News in August, Usha Vance defended controversial remarks her husband made prior to joining the GOP ticket, including his deriding of childless adults. She also downplayed his labeling of some Democratic politicians as “childless cat ladies,” calling it a “quip.”“JD, absolutely at the time and today, would never, ever, ever want to say something to hurt someone who was trying to have a family, who really was struggling with that,” she said at the time. “I also understand there are a lot of other reasons why people may choose not to have families, and many of those reasons are very good.”For years, the senator has described his wife as a key part of his success, dating back to when the two attended law school together at Yale University, where Usha Vance also graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree.In his 2016 memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” JD Vance described her as his “Yale spirit guide,” helping him navigate life at the elite university where they met.“She instinctively understood the questions I didn’t even know to ask, and she always encouraged me to seek opportunities that I didn’t know existed,” he wrote.The two were married in an interfaith ceremony in Kentucky in 2014 – Usha Vance’s family is Hindu, while her husband converted to Catholicism in 2019.The daughter of Indian immigrants, Usha Chilukuri grew up in a suburb of San Diego. After college – two stints at Yale and a masters of philosophy at the University of Cambridge – she clerked for two Supreme Court justices – Brett Kavanaugh when he served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Chief Justice John Roberts.In 2015, she started as an associate at Munger, Tolles & Olson, a law firm with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC. She continued working at the firm between clerkships, where – according to an archived version of her employee biography – she handled “complex civil litigation and appeals” in sectors that included “higher education, local government, entertainment, and technology, including semiconductors.”The firm announced that she had resigned shortly after Trump selected Vance as his running mate.“Usha has informed us she has decided to leave the firm,” the company said in a statement. “Usha has been an excellent lawyer and colleague, and we thank her for her years of work and wish her the best in her future career.”In July, as the Ohio delegation chanted her husband’s name on the Republican convention floor in Milwaukee, Usha Vance stood beside the first-term senator and applauded as he was nominated by voice vote to be Trump’s running mate.Weeks earlier, the trial lawyer and former judicial clerk had admitted she wasn’t “raring” to completely upend the life she and her husband had built together or to face the attention that would follow.“I don’t know that anyone is ever ready for that kind of scrutiny,” she told Fox News in June during a joint interview with the senator at their home in Ohio. “I think we found the first campaign that he embarked on to be a shock. It was so different from anything we’d ever done before. But it was an adventure.”She added that she was open to seeing how things unfolded.

JD Vance has had several introductions to the American people: as the author of a memoir on what ails the white working class, a newly elected Republican senator in his home state of Ohio, a controversial running mate pick and the next vice president of the United States.His wife, Usha, has been a key part of each iteration.