NEWS

Around North America in seven stories…

SUSTAINABILITY

BLOW A FUSE, GO NUCLEAR

SCIENTISTS IN THE US have discovered a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion after physicists pursued the technology for decades.

The $3.5 billion experiment took place at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California, but the main hurdle is to get costs down and scale up the energy output.

Crucially, nuclear fusion does not contribute to climate change, as it produces lesser amounts of shortlived radioactive waste, with far more energy. Although there is a long way to go before it powers homes, it is a step closer to a fusion future.

SUPPLY CHAIN

WEST IS NO LONGER BEST

AMERICA’S BUSIEST PORT is now on the East Coast after the US supply chain was rerouted to New York in a bid to receive shipments for consumers faster and cheaper.

Los Angeles has been the busiest container port in North America for 22 years, moving around 10 million cargo containers, but for the past three months, the port of New York and New Jersey has been number one, which is a huge economic loss to the state of California.

Presently, 85 percent of the cargo vessels that were bound for Los Angeles are at the East Coast port.

AEROSPACE

DELTA DOES BETA

THE US AIRLINE industry is making a healthy comeback after an unprofitable 2020 when Delta Airlines (Delta) reported a record loss.

As the demand for travel is predicted to grow in 2023, Delta expects its earnings to double to as much as $6 per share with cash flow likely to increase from $2 billion next year to more than $4 billion in 2024.

Profits are aided by passengers’ willingness to pay more for fares, which helps combat increased fuel costs. Delta has raised its Q4 earnings forecast as it expects the total revenue to come in eight percent higher than pre-pandemic levels of Q4 2019.

TECHNOLOGY

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

APPLE IS LAUNCHING Advanced Data Protection, an endto-end encryption setting for iCloud. The software updates have just been released for iPhone, iPad, and Macs which will help keep information that is stored on the company’s servers even more private.

The key for back-ups only exists on devices, not in Apple’s data centers. For the first time ever Apple Photos, Notes, and iCloud, including iMessage conversations can be encrypted.

The update is good news for Apple users, but it has caused friction between the company and the FBI, as even with a warrant, law enforcement is not allowed to have access to the information.

ECONOMY

CENTRAL BANK RATE INCREASE

INTEREST RATES ARE currently at their highest level since 2007 as the Federal Reserve (FED) has imposed an increase in an effort to lower inflation.

The US Central Bank increased rates from 4.25 to 4.5 percent, which is less than the four previous hikes of 0.75 percentage points, indicating the FED is slowing down its fight against inflation.

The rise will make goods even costlier for consumers as businesses try to maintain profit margins, and it means even more expensive borrowing for mortgage holders and those with credit card debt.

RETAIL

HAPPY THRIFTMAS!

CANADIAN RETAIL SALES are expected to grow by 5.7 percent this holiday season compared to last year.

The average Canadian household spends CAD$1,308 on gifts, however, there are a growing number of families who want to avoid waste by sourcing Christmas decorations and embracing second-hand gifts from Santa.

Environmentally minded Canadians are reining in their spending this year and resisting the urge to splurge as household waste goes up by 25 percent during the festivities. Zero Waste Canada reported that the planet cannot sustain the ‘shop ‘til we drop’ mentality.

MINING

FLOWER WILTS PLANS FOR LITHIUM MINE

AN ENDANGERED WILDFLOWER is disrupting plans for a proposed mining and mineral exploration in Reno, Nevada. The high-desert ridge is the only place the flower is known to exist, but it is also the site where a lithium mine is planned to help meet the growing demand for electric car batteries.

The Tiehm’s buckwheat is standing in the way of President Biden’s green energy agenda, as the plan is to combat climate change through an accelerated transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

Australian mining company, Ioneer, has proposed a 1,000 foot-deep open-pit lithium mine at Rhyolite Ridge, but its development would destroy the plant’s sole habitat.