(Editor’s note: Today’s roundup is short as I need a little break, plus it’s 4th of July holiday—go and enjoy the weekend safely i.e. hydrate, stay in the shade, and don’t cause any wildfires with your fireworks! 😉)
In short
- The US is planning 1.6 million monkeypox vaccines in the next months
- US states are sending inflation relief checks or rebates to help with high inflation
- Los Angeles is giving away free trees to fight extreme heat
The US is planning 1.6M MXP vaccines and expanding testing
1.6M doses will be available through the next months. The first 56,000 are aimed at individuals with confirmed or presumed MXP exposure. The next 240,000 will be made available to a broader population of individuals at risk. The CDC has scaled testing capacity to 78 sites in 48 states with the capacity to perform 10,000 tests per week nationwide.
Response to NYC and DC’s free (and limited) vaccination campaign was so well-received that both cities have run out of vaccination slots in just a few days. More slots will be available as soon as more vaccines are delivered.
WHO is investigating reports of infected children, and warns that the virus could spread to the most vulnerable: children, pregnant women, and the immunocompromised.
Here’s a first-hand account of what’s it like to have monkeypox.
Economy, gas, supply chain
California will send an inflation relief check of up to $1,050 to its residents by next year. Here’s a list of what other states are doing to help with rising costs. Lawmakers are also considering giving motorists gas rebates checks.
Apparently, there is a shortage of fireworks. Staffing and supply chain issues and drought might cause 4th of July celebrations to be put on hold in many cities, like in Phoenix.
Miami is the ‘epicenter of the housing crisis.’
Extreme weather, environment
The US Supreme Court limited the power of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants.
Los Angeles is giving away up to seven free trees to help fight extreme heat. Apply here. Other cities, such as Jacksonville, FL might have similar programs. Thank you to community members brownfox and EzlyAmuzzed for the links 💪
A Tunisian startup created a prototype for a drinking water generator that can produce 20-30 liters (about 5-8 gal) of drinking water a day. The generator works by pulling moisture from the air, and then purifying it for safe consumption.
Nepal has a serious pollution problem with 42,100 deaths directly linked to air pollution in 2019 alone. The government pledged to shift entirely to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2031. It is hoped that local manufacturing of electric cars, mopeds, batteries, and other components will reduce pollution and stimulate the economy by creating jobs. Environmentalists and industry insiders suspect this is more of an economic ploy than a genuine push toward a cleaner, safer nation.
Iceland is building a new direct air capture (DAC) plant that will pull 36,000 tons of CO2 from the air each year. That amount is a negligible fraction of the 36B tons emissions produced just last year, but the technology is evolving and the company is aiming at aiming to remove millions of tons of CO2 per year by 2030 and a billion per year by 2050. According to the International Energy Agency, there are 19 DAC plants operating worldwide today that capture more than 0.01 megatons (10,000 tons) of carbon dioxide a year.
The rest
A deal between NATO and Turkey allows Sweden and Finland to join.
California accidentally leaked data of thousands of gun owners. Between 2011 and 2021, the breach temporarily exposed the names, birthdates, gender, race, driver’s license numbers, addresses, and criminal histories of people who were approved or denied permits to carry concealed weapons. The state’s Assault Weapon Registry, Handguns Certified for Sale, Dealer Record of Sale, Firearm Certificate Safety, and Gun Violence Restraining Order dashboards were also affected.
New Zealand designated Proud Boys as a terrorist group.
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