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Ecosystem-based adaptation in the Caribbean: strengths and weaknesses

Protecting ecosystems and the services they provide is increasingly thought to be a sustainable and effective approach to help society adapt to climate change. Islands states, at risk from a variety of different threats, including sea level rise, changes in rainfall patterns and ocean acidification, have been among the first to trial this approach. A new study examines measures taken in the Caribbean and highlights the importance of integrating local and external knowledge.




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The Irish marine environment: high public awareness, but low trust in management

The Irish public are sceptical of government and industry’s ability to manage the marine economy, finds a survey. However, they place a large amount of trust in scientists. The research also indicates that people living in Ireland have a reasonable level of knowledge of the importance of different marine ecosystem services.




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Environmental taxation in the right place can increase business productivity

Industry has traditionally claimed that strict environmental regulation has a negative effect on its competitiveness. However, a recent theory proposes it may actually increase productivity and innovation. This study used a large database of inter-sectoral transactions to investigate the effect of environmental taxation on manufacturing businesses across Europe. The findings show that environmental regulation can increase innovation and productivity.




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Simple steps to increase the uptake of sustainable service-based business models

‘Product-service systems’ are innovative business models designed to satisfy societal needs in an environmentally sustainable manner. This study explores how government policies could increase the uptake of these systems, outlining five key recommendations to achieve this, including schemes to raise awareness and involve local authorities.




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Economic downturn affects businesses’ renewal of environmental certification schemes in Spain

The uncertain economic climate has severely affected companies’ decisions on whether to renew Eco Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) certification in Spain, a recent survey indicates. The study suggests that a company is less likely to renew if initial certification was mainly motivated by government subsidies and grants than if certification is believed to improve business performance.




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Communicating flood risk: public awareness does not ensure public preparedness

The majority of respondents to a recent, large-scale European survey claim not to have prepared themselves for floods, even though they know their property is at risk of flooding and they are worried about the effects. A set of key recommendations for flood communications wrer developed from the survey’s findings, intended to improve community preparedness as part of effective flood management plans.




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Responding to floods in Europe: new framework assesses effectiveness of Flood Emergency Management Systems

A new framework has been developed to assess how effective Flood Emergency Management Systems (FEMS) are in Europe. Examining FEMS in five European countries, this study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of existing systems and makes recommendations for improving their effectiveness, particularly in relation to institutional learning, community preparedness and recovery.




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Ride-hailing firms like Uber are searching for lifelines

On Thursday, Uber told financial analysts that it couldn’t forecast how much revenue it would generate this year because of the upheaval caused by the coronavirus.




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India witnesses 40% increase in peak Internet traffic: Report

There was significant spike in downloads and uploads per user, owing to the high volume of work and streaming content across India.




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Business continuity essentials for a secure remote working future

Over the next few years business continuity solutions will continue to power the new redefined future of work itself.




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Xiaomi phones may reveal your private search, usage: Report

Cybersecurity researchers have accused Xiaomi of infringing on the privacy of its phone users by recording their 'private' web and phone use habits.




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Chinese hacking group targeting governments across Asia: Report

The group has been very active during the last five years, especially in 2019-20.




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Reliance Retail's fashion business invests in data intelligence to go hyperlocal this year

Reliance Retail has deployed a technology team to develop applications in order to create seamless online and offline experience in the coming financial year.




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Want to secure your critical business data? Join the automation forces

Machines can protect systems in a way humans just can’t and, for that reason, advanced automation is going to be the way forward as companies look to protect their estates in a battle-ridden landscape.




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5G iPhones can still arrive on schedule: Foxconn

Taiwan-based electronics contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd or Foxconn has reportedly said that the production of the 5G iPhones is likely to start on schedule for the fall launch of the new handsets.




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Short video app VMate's new corona games raise awareness, emerge as lockdown stress-buster

The application roped in qualified doctors and medical professionals to furnish authentic corona-related information and bust myths around the same.




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Millions of mobile phones, thousands of appliances pile up for repairing amidst lockdown

There are more than 30,000 microwave ovens, AC and washing machines which needs repair at a time when Indians are locked indoors and doing household chores themselves due to the lockdown.




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Indians spent 4.3 hours a day on smartphones in March, up 24%

India also saw the biggest jump in video consumption of 40% to over 2.9 billion hours during the week starting March 22 as compared to the last week of December 2019




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Flipkart starts taking orders for mobile phones, expect deliveries from April 20

While the coronavirus lockdown is set to be lifted to May 3, you can now buy mobile phones on Flipkart.




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Consumers want full e-commerce services in all zones: Survey

78% respondents of the survey said that the government should permit online retailers to ship all products, apart from essential items.




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Jio is in talks with NPCI to get UPI apps on its phones

​​A majority of Jio's last reported 388 million subscribers use devices that run on KaiOS, which is different from Android or Apple’s iOS.




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Airtel in talks with automakers to drive connected car business in India

Bharti Airtel is doubling down on growing its Internet of Things (IoT) business in India and is now specifically targeting the country’s auto the sector to drive growth and partnerships.




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Oppo takes IoT, services route to grow business: India President

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo expects the Covid-19 supply chain disruption to end in a week or two. It is also planning to open a 5G lab in Hyderabad.




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Microsoft Cloud services witness massive 775% jump

Microsoft has seen a huge 775 per cent increase in its Cloud services in regions that have enforced social distancing or 'shelter-in-place orders.




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Microsoft to invest $1.5 billion in Italian cloud business

Microsoft Corp. said on Friday it would create its first datacentre region in Italy under a $1.5 billion investment plan as the U.S. company expands its cloud computing services to more locations across the world.




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Chinese hacking group targeting governments across Asia: Report

The group has been very active during the last five years, especially in 2019-20.




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Chinese ZTE cuts down 30% jobs in India

The headcount has now come down from more than 1,000 employees a year ago, with the majority of job cuts in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak that forced shutdowns in the February-April period. The headcount comprises staff on the company’s rolls as well as those on contract and outsourced manpower.




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Microsoft to invest $1.5 billion in Italian cloud business

Microsoft Corp. said on Friday it would create its first datacentre region in Italy under a $1.5 billion investment plan as the U.S. company expands its cloud computing services to more locations across the world.




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India witnesses 40% increase in peak Internet traffic: Report

There was significant spike in downloads and uploads per user, owing to the high volume of work and streaming content across India.




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Amazon beefs up cloud business, data centre infrastructure in India

Amazon is beefing up its data centre infrastructure and cloud services business in India as the clamour around data localisation grows louder everyday.




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Businesses face digital ceiling in transformation progress: Infosys study

Digital marketing is a particularly strong capability for Indian companies, according to the new global study by Infosys Knowledge Institute.




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How born in cloud Vistara manages existing flight sectors, adds new ones

Ravinder Pal Singh, Chief Information and Innovation Officer at Vistara is leveraging the power of multiple technologies ranging from AI, Robotics, SATCOM, Bigdata (Science) and Blockchain to enhance the airline's critical business functions.




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Enabling business outcomes at the speed of innovation

To help IT leaders find the right balance between IT infrastructure and right workload, ETCIO.com, in association with Dell Technologies and AMD, organised two-city panel discussions for top CIOs.




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How Amri Hospitals’ CIO uses IT for better CX, business growth

Sujit Bhattacherjee, Group CIO at Amri Hospitals provides insights into how he is leveraging AI and analytics for ensuring better healthcare outcomes.




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Covid-19 Heroes: How Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance transformed business to meet changing needs

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance’s Chief Information & Digital Officer, Goutam Datta leveraged technology for enabling all business functions and meeting the digital demands of its employees, partners and customers amid lockdown and enabled new services to prevent any impact on business.




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Improving cost-effectiveness of Natura 2000 conservation

An analysis of conservation management strategies in the EU identifies a number of options for increasing the cost-effectiveness of conservation within the Natura 2000 network of protected areas. More time and money should be given to implementing conservation measures than planning them and governments should guarantee conservation funding over longer terms, say the researchers.




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Risk of sleeping sickness in Africa spreads under climate change

By 2090, up to 76.7 million more people in Africa could be at risk of infection by the parasite that causes sleeping sickness, according to recent research. The study predicted which areas of Africa would be at greatest risk in future.




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How to attract PES investment from businesses?

A new study has looked at why and how much private sector companies are prepared to invest in Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes for tropical forests. Understanding companies' motivations and expectations can help develop new sources of funding for PES schemes from the private sector, increasing the area of tropical forest conserved worldwide.




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'Bundled' PES schemes to boost cost-effectiveness

A recent project has developed a method to spatially target payments to areas where multiple ecosystem services, combining biodiversity conservation with carbon and water services, are jointly provided, so as to enhance the cost-effectiveness of the PES scheme. The study focuses on Madagascar, but the method could be applied at the national or regional level in any country.




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Reducing roadkill: driver awareness need improving

Wild animals are more likely to be hit by vehicles during times where roads have poorer surface conditions and during periods of low light, according to a study of moose in Sweden. The researchers emphasise that it is not possible to accurately predict hotspots for wildlife collisions using data on the movement of the animals alone, and suggest that efforts to reduce accidents should focus on driver awareness and road conditions.




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Micro wind turbines and wildlife: integrating planning with ecology

The ecological impacts of micro wind turbines (up to 50 kW) are treated in a diverse way by different local authorities in the UK during the planning approval process, research suggests. The study calls for ecologists, policymakers, planners and industry representatives to improve the integration of ecological information within planning, and for greater guidance for local authorities on the ecological considerations of micro-turbines.




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New guidelines for protection of unique deep-sea ecosystems

Guidelines to establish reserves protecting deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seep ecosystems have been proposed. A group of stakeholders from 14 countries have put forward the Dinard Guidelines for Chemosynthetic Ecological Reserves, to help design and manage reserves for these unique ecosystems in national and international waters.




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New tool to assess the ecological impacts of offshore wind turbines

How do offshore wind farms affect marine wildlife? A new study outlines a systematic approach developed for Swedish waters that could also be useful for assessing wind energy impacts on the marine environment more widely.




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Wind turbines have minor impact on small-bird populations

Only about two or three small birds are killed by wind turbines each year for every 225-300 houses supplied with renewable energy, new research suggests. The study collated data from 116 US and Canadian studies on 156 species of passerines (small birds). The study suggests some species are affected more than others, but that wind turbines generally have only a minor impact on these small-bird populations.




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Red List Index can measure conservation organisations’ effectiveness

The IUCN’s Red List Index (RLI) of threatened species can be used to measure the effectiveness of conservation organisations. This is according to a new study which used the index to assess an organisation’s conservation impact on 17 species. Eight of these species saw improvements in their threat status, whereas 16 would have seen no improvement at all, or even deterioration, if there was no conservation action.




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New tool developed to highlight and help prevent declines in freshwater biodiversity

Biodiversity is declining in freshwater ecosystems across the globe, a new study has shown. The researchers created a mathematical model, called GLOBIO- aquatic, which builds a picture of the threats to the biodiversity of rivers, lakes and wetlands that are posed by a variety of human activities. The most crucial of these are land-use changes, nutrient and chemical pollution, and disturbances to the water cycle — which could be from infrastructure such as dams, or from climate change. The authors hope that the model will help policymakers identify regions which are most at risk from these pressures.




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Drones can be used to study birds without affecting their behaviour — with some precautions

Drones — unmanned aerial vehicles — may be used in close proximity to bird populations without causing disturbance, finds a new study. Drones hold the potential to monitor species and areas that are difficult to reach. The authors advise that, when used with caution, drones could become a valuable tool in the monitoring of species, particularly in protected areas.




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Vegetation of coast dunes not changing due to climate change

Scientists did not observe changes in plant communities in the coastal dunes of Scotland due to climate change in the past several decades. The region’s proximity to the ocean and its patchy make-up may prevent it from experiencing rapid changes in species distribution.




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Guidelines for restoring ecosystems: when, where and how?

Chemical contamination impairs ecosystem function and reduces biodiversity. Restoration of contaminated ecosystems is important to re-establish the ecosystem services on which society depends. This study provides recommendations to maximise the success of restoration projects by considering when, where and how contaminated sites should be restored.




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What do pollinator declines mean for human health?

Human activity is transforming natural systems and endangering the ecosystem services they provide, which has consequences for human health. This study quantified the human health impact of losses to pollination, providing the first global analysis of its kind. The researchers say pollinator declines could increase the global disease burden and recommend increased monitoring of pollinators in at-risk regions, including Eastern and Central Europe.