Sustt: Virtually fine, All hot air? Biodiversity pays it debt, World on fire, C'mon feel the noise.

Virtually fine

The doctor will see you now… in the metaverse

by Nicola Watts (Health Care Specialist)

What's happening??The metaverse could enhance the health industry, reducing fragmentation and improving trust, according to a report by Accenture. It said if the “internet of place” and “internet of ownership” could combine, it would enable virtual interactions with doctors and patients, and ensure data security, via technologies such as blockchain. However, the right digital infrastructure needed to be in place. In a survey of more than 391 health care executives in 10 countries, 80% said the metaverse would positively impact the health sector, Accenture said. (MedCity News )

Why does this matter??Technologies that are converging to make up the metaverse are already having a?positive impact ?on health care.

For example, cloud gaming can help doctors across multiple locations to collaboratively practice medical procedures with virtual patients via video calls. It can also help companies train health care professionals on how to use their products, which can save time while driving up sales and performance.

Patient data, such as from MRI, ultrasound and CT scans be combined to create a digital twin. These can be used in surgical planning, to monitor disease progression and treatment, to predict how patients respond to medicines or how they might recover from procedures. AR headsets can allow surgeons to project digital twin data onto patients so they can see "inside" them to precisely perform complex operations.

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All hot air?

There's a bit of a buzz around direct air capture (DAC)...?

In June, it was reported that the?carbon removal sector ?had gathered in more than $2bn worth of investment. In recent weeks, there's been some weight thrown behind one specific carbon-capture technology – direct air capture (DAC).?

Payments company?Stripe , for example, has contracted Australia's AspiraDAC to capture and sequester 500 mt of atmospheric CO2 within the next five years via its Frontier joint venture. AspiraDAC will remove CO2 for $1,000/mt.

Elsewhere,?Climeworks , which counts?Microsoft ?among its backers, has begun work on its second DAC facility in Iceland.?

Questions?still remain , however, about DAC's efficiency and the cost of using it to capture carbon.?Proponents ?of the technology, however, say its economics should significantly improve by 2030.?

???? Click here for an overview on other ways of removing carbon from the atmosphere.

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Bite-sized insights

What else we're seeing this week ??

• Biodiversity to pay its debt?– Economists have?developed? biodiversity-adjusted sovereign credit ratings which show how ecological destruction can impact public finances. The economists found that if some nations experience partial ecosystem collapse, then more than 50% of the 26 countries analysed could face ratings downgrades. The downgrades could increase annual interest payment on debt by up to $53bn a year. This news follows previous studies which have?shown ?how climate inaction can also lower the credit ratings of sovereigns.
• The world is on fire –?Wildfires are raging. In?Europe , heatwaves in Spain and Portugal have led to blazes. In Alaska – usually associated with snow and ice –?over 200 ?fires are burning. We've previously highlighted how people have turned to?circular economics ?– and even managed?livestock ?– to combat these potentially catastrophic events.
• C'mon feel the noise?– A recent study has shown whales react to human-caused noise pollution, including from military sonar systems, similarly to how they respond to the sounds of predators. Noise pollution causes whales to stop feeding, potentially weakening them and leaving them more vulnerable to predation. Worryingly, one of our most-used sources of renewable energy – offshore wind – is also?associated ?with noise pollution impacting marine life. Against this backdrop, projects have been piloted with ocean creatures in mind – such as the deployment of?artificial reefs ?around turbines.

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