 |
|
|
|||||
As a climate scientist and CEO of a climate technology company, I should be great at choosing vacation destinations with perfect weather. Instead, Im 0 for 2. My familys last two trips to EuropeJuly 2023 and July 2025both landed squarely in the middle of brutal heatwaves. This most recent European heatwave topped out at 104°F in Florence, precisely coinciding with the two days we happened to be there. It was so hot that we stayed in the hotel with our 1 and 3-year-old kids most of the time. It occurred to me that this was exactly the circumstance that people need weather guarantees for, but I digress. Two brutally hot family trips to Europe in a row have me thinkingand concernedabout Mediterranean climates. These climates, which include not only Mediterranean countries but also places like California (where I live), are and have always been projected to receive the short end of the climate change stick. That includes brutal heatwaves and wildfires, but also very wet storms exacerbated by warmer airs ability to hold more moisture. Water plays a huge role in storing heat As a professional, I identify as a climate scientist. When I was a climate researcher, I focused on atmospheric physics and the statistical dynamics of weather, but my degrees are actually in oceanography. Why? Because water is the heavyweight champion of heat storage. Water stores about 4.2 times the amount of energy than air per unit weight. Water is also about 800 times denser than air. That means the same volume of water can store about 3,400 times the energy of the equivalent volume of air. Hot water also evaporates more readily into air, and the amount of water air can hold increases exponentially with temperature. Weather on Earth is powered by how water in the air changes between vapor, liquid, and ice. Every time water changes form, it releases or absorbs heat, fueling winds, storms, and temperature shifts. And because the ocean is the planets largest source of heat and moisture, it plays a leading role in deciding when it rains, how strong the winds blow, and how hot or cold it gets. The great feedback loop Regarding this recent European heatwave, a recent post by Guido Cioni caught my eye. His excellent visual and accompanying commentary describe how heat in the upper ocean can get mixed down deeper into the water column and stored up as energy long after a heatwave passes. These anomalies can persist for long periods, deep in the oceanthe ocean operates on vastly different timescales than the atmospherebut can reemerge in the atmosphere both as persistent global warming on long timescales, and as catastrophic rainstorms on shorter timescales as well. The burning of fossil fuels currently releases about 37 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)into the atmosphere per year, and has increased the atmospheric concentration of CO2 by about ~50% since 1900. The rate of change is still accelerating. CO in the atmosphere acts like a thermal blanket: It lets in more of the suns energy than it lets out, slowly warming the atmosphere over time. This energy heats the atmosphere and also gets mixed into the ocean, heating it as well. Warmer water evaporates more water vapor into the air, which is coincidentally able to hold more water because its hotter. While lesser known, water vapor is, in fact, a stronger greenhouse gas than CO2. This creates a feedback loop: more heat, more evaporation, more water vapor, more heat. Hot air rises, and cools as it does. Since cooler air holds less water vapor, its relativity humidity rises. When it becomes saturated, it condenses into clouds and rain, releasing heat as it does. The more water condolences, the more heat is released, causing stronger storms, more rain, and otherwise more unpredictable weather. The hot get hotter, the wet get wetter, and the dry get dryer, all because of the CO2 were emitting and the water that covers three-quarters of our planet. As both a climate scientist and someone who has now twice had family vacations derailed by extreme heat, Im reminded that climate change is not a distant problem. Its here, its personal, and its accelerating. The same physics I studied in graduate school are now playing out in real time, reshaping the weather in Florence, in California, and everywhere in between. Oceans and atmosphere are storing more energy than at any time in the last 125,000 years, and that energy is coming back to us as heatwaves, floods, storms, and fire seasons that defy normal. The least we can do is prepare for that reality. And the most we can do is work to change its trajectory. Thats exactly why I started Sensible Weather: to give travelers a safety net when nature doesnt cooperate. Nick Cavanaugh is founder and CEO of Sensible Weather.
Category:
E-Commerce
Healthcare is not one test, one device, one symptom, or one appointment. Yet too often, that is how it is practiced: in silos. Specialists focus only on their domain. Systems capture fragments of data. Patients are left to connect the dots themselves, often with gaps that carry serious consequences. Think of it like planning a family meal. In the siloed version, one parent makes a big pasta dinner without asking anyone. Two kids already had pasta at school, a spouse ate late, and a guest cannot eat gluten. The result is frustration. Its wasted food and people who feel unseen. In the connected version, the parent checks in with everyone. The parent considers their needs and preferences, and then creates a meal that works for the whole group. Its more efficient and satisfying. It creates a stronger connection. WHY NOT HEALTHCARE? Healthcare should work the same way. Siloed care creates waste and frustration, and it results in patients not receiving the care they need. Integrated carewhere mental health, physical health, lifestyle, and environment are considered togethercreates something far more powerful. Care is continuous, connected, and deeply human. The future of healthcare is not about making the silos more efficient. It is about connection. It is about moving from fragmented to whole, from reactive to proactive, from whats missing? to we see you. When I learned about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Kill the Clipboard initiative, for the first time in a long time, I felt real optimism in our healthcare system. The idea is simple. You check in at a clinic, scan a QR code, and your complete health record labs, prescriptions, imaging, and wearables flow instantly and securely to your provider. No clipboards. No missing files. No blank stares when you say, Its in my chart. Why can airport security recognize us with biometrics in seconds, yet healthcare still cant offer the same seamless experience? Other consumer sectors have already proven that elegant, tech-enabled solutions can reduce friction and transform expectations. Healthcare should be no different. What might look like a small convenience, a unified record, actually unlocks something far greater. It doesnt just make care faster. It makes it smarter, safer, and more continuous. IT’S ABOUT CONNECTION Kill the Clipboard is not just about digitization. Its about connection. It brings us closer to a world where healthcare is informed, personalized, and proactive, where a patients story is whole, not fragmented, where care is based on insight, not guesswork. Credit goes to Amy Gleason and her team at CMS, who are driving this with a rare combination of vision and urgency. Their goal is a nationwide capability by Q1 2026, lightning speed in healthcare, and theyre doing it through a powerful public-private collaboration that includes over 60 partners, from electronic health record vendors to tech innovators. The goal: Give every American access to all of their health data anytime, anywhere, and let them share it instantly with whomever they choose. Artificial intelligence can take it from there, surfacing risks, flagging anomalies, predicting complications, and helping clinicians make faster, smarter decisions. It can give individuals timely insights to guide their daily choices and help them stay healthier, longer. I never thought Id live to see a moment like this. But now I have. And I want to say it clearly: This is the beginning of something big. A future where patients are at the center. A future where prevention is possible. A future where the system finally works the way it should, not someday, but now. So yes, it starts with a QR code. But it ends with a healthcare system that finally sees the whole person. And that changes everything. Noosheen Hashemi is CEO of January AI.
Category:
E-Commerce
The way we think about food has evolved dramatically over the last few years. Consumers are no longer satisfied with products that simply avoid artificial ingredients or reduce sugar. Theyre asking harder questions such as: Where did these ingredients come from? What is this food doing for me? Is it safe to feed my family? What impact does it have on the environment? What were witnessing in consumer packaged goods (CPG) is a shift in values. Wellness is no longer a niche or a marketing term, its a baseline expectation. Consumers are seeking foods that align with personal ethics rooted in sustainability and transparency. For todays brands leading the CPG revolution and food transition, ingredient sourcingwhich was once a back-end technical decisionhas taken a front row seat and become a true strategic differentiator. At Felicia, for example, we make pasta alternatives from just one or two whole ingredients like oat, spirulina, buckwheat, lentil, and chickpea. Not because theyre trendy, but because they reflect what modern consumers really want. They arent ingredients typically associated with pasta, but thats part of the point. RETHINK PANTRY STAPLES Pasta is one of the worlds most beloved comfort foods. Its familiar, yet a perfect canvas for innovation. If we can reimagine something as universal in our diets as pasta, we can start to rethink the nutritional and environmental value of all pantry staples, especially those in legacy categories. Take oats, for example. While theyre commonly known for their role in breakfast cereals and plant-based milks, oats are proving to be a versatile ingredient in pasta, offering a smooth texture and rich, satisfying flavor. Beyond taste, oats are naturally climate-resilient and packed with soluble fiber, supporting both digestion and heart health. Oat pasta is also naturally gluten free thanks to a specific production process that delivers pure and uncontaminated oats. Spirulina, often referred to as the food of the future by the Food and Agriculture Organization, is a blue-green algae rich in plant-based protein, fiber, iron, and antioxidants. It grows quickly and has an extremely low environmental footprint. We see huge potential in its ability to boost nutrition without compromising flavor or texture. Its presence in pasta, crackers, and snacks signals that consumers are increasingly open to unfamiliar ingredients, so long as the benefits are clear. Buckwheat is another trending example. Contrary to its name, it isnt a type of wheat but a gluten-free seed that has been cultivated for centuries in Eastern Europe and Asia. Its rich in amino acids, fiber, and essential minerals, and has a deep, nutty flavor that shines in savory dishes. Buckwheat also thrives without heavy pesticide use, making it both a nutritional and environmental asset. FROM HERITAGE INGREDIENTS TO MODERN DISRUPTORS What unites ingredients like these isnt just their health benefits, its their ability to unlock new possibilities in formulation, innovation and flavor. When used thoughtfully, they allow brands to design products that meet nutritional needs without compromising on values or cutting corners. Theres a tendency in our industry to view innovation as synthetic or lab grown. However, many of the most promising solutions already exist in nature. The challenge is to build systems and products that bring these benefits forward, without overprocessing or stripping them of their value. The rise of these ingredients in our pantry staples a signal that the future of food will be shaped by whats nutritionally intelligent, agriculturally responsible, and emotionally satisfying. Carlo Stocco is managing director of Andriani North America.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||