Electric cars on track to be cheaper than gas cars by 2023
The market average for batteries will hit $101/kWh by 2023. For electric vehicles to match the price of gas ones, the cost would likely have to meet a $100/kWh threshold
New York
Algorithm helps find world’s poorest people to send them cash directly
GiveDirectly and UC Berkeley designed an algorithm that uses AI to identify the poorest individuals in the poorest areas in order to provide them with cash relief.
New York state divests from fossil fuels in historic move
The massive pension fund’s financial portfolio is worth $226 billion. The new plan is to sell off the riskiest gas and oil stocks and be completely divested from fossil fuels by 2025.
Phase 1 human trial for universal flu vaccine reports promising results
The Phase 1 trial, led by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, found this experimental vaccine to be both safe and effective at generating a long-term immune response in a small number of healthy adults.
Nasdaq to mandate diversity requirements for listed companies
The diversity requirements would mandate that each of the Nasdaq’s 3,249 companies have at least one female director and at least one director who identifies as an underrepresented minority or LGBTQ+.
Pfizer reports COVID-19 vaccine 95% effective as Phase 3 trial concludes
Over 41,000 people had completed the vaccination protocol. Out of the 170 positive COVID cases detected in the trial only eight were observed in the active vaccine group.
New York City will try a police-free approach to addressing mental health crises
Thanks to a new pilot program, 911 calls in New York City that are evidently mental health-related will be taken care of by mental health and crisis workers instead of law enforcement. The move is the result of months of protests around the country over police brutality, sparked by the tragic death of George Floyd.
‘Watershed’ coronavirus vaccine looks to be 90% effective in phase 3 trial of 43,500 people
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set a minimum effectiveness bar for COVID-19 vaccines at 50% for drugs seeking approval. This is the first COVID-19 candidate vaccine to produce data exceeding that mark.
New York City begins enforcing its plastic bag ban
The statewide ban on the highly polluting items actually went into effect March 1. But enforcement, which was supposed to start a month later, was delayed by the one-two punch of a lawsuit and the coronavirus pandemic, NY1 reported.
JPMorgan Chase, world’s biggest funder of fossil fuels, commits to “Paris-aligned” financing
JPMorgan Chase has reportedly committed to push its clients to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement and work towards global net-zero emissions by 2050.