Ecoflation
An aspect of climate change we’re already beginning to feel is extreme weather situations, from harsher droughts to more dramatic flooding. Thailand has experienced incredible amounts of flooding since July, which has left hundreds dead and billions in damage. BusinessWeek notes that around 9,850 factories have been flooded, which include factories in the supply chains of companies like Apple and Toyota. Western Digital, Hitachi, Seagate, and Toshiba are all facing direct production issues as a result of the flooding, and even Korean companies such as Samsung are having trouble getting the specific components that they need to build their own drives, like a motor – responsible for spinning the disc in hard disc drives.
[So economy cannot live without environment. Mind it.]
Blood wood
The struggle between environmentalists and deforesters has once again turned violent in Northern Brazil with the recent killing of an Amazon activist, the eighth to be assassinated in the region since May. Farmer Joao Chupel Primo, an outspoken protester of illegal logging in the rainforest of the Brazilian state of Pará, was shot in the head by two assailants. local authorities do not know who murdered Primo, but the farmer had been subject to numerous threats in response to his leadership in denouncing logging and land grabbing in the state of Pará.
Delphi launches new high-performance inverter
Delphi Automotive recently launched a new high-performance power inverter designed to power electric motors in hybrid and electric vehicles that helps increase fuel economy, reduce emissions and cut costs. The inverter is up to 30% smaller than current production systems, uses patented power silicon packaging to reduce cost, size and weight while increasing overall reliability and extending product lifespan. The packaging eliminates wire bonds, enables higher current and power density, and when combined with double-side cooling, reduces the power semiconductor area.