Google introduced new features on its Search, Maps and other apps that provide users with eco-friendly information to help them make more sustainable decisions.
The move is part of Alphabet-owned company's efforts to encourage sustainability.
"Climate change is no longer a distant threat – it’s increasingly local and personal. Around the world, wildfires, flooding and other extreme weather continue to affect our health, our economies and our future together on our planet," Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet and Google, said in a blog post.
"We need urgent and meaningful solutions to address this pressing challenge."
Google claims it was the first major company to become carbon neutral in 2007 and match its energy use with 100 per cent renewable energy in 2017. Last year, it committed to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy by 2030.
Eco-friendly products are becoming mainstream as people are encouraged to contribute more to tackle climate change and its undesirable effects.
Data from Conservation International shows that July 2021 was the hottest month on record – 0.93 degrees Celsius higher than the 20th-century average – since records began in 1880. And as of that month, the concentration, or amount of gas by volume in the air, of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere was the highest in history at 416 million parts per million.
Travel and shopping
As part of its latest update, Google will display information about carbon emissions on its Flights service, where users can view emissions per seat and other carbon-friendly options that are readily available.
Sustainability efforts taken by hotels such as water conservation to waste reduction, as well as certifications by environment benchmark sites Green Key or EarthCheck, will also be displayed in searches to enable users to make an informed choice.
Richard Holden, Google's vice president of travel products, said they combined data from the European Environmental Agency with flight-specific information derived from airlines and other providers.
"It’s critical that people can find consistent and accurate carbon emissions estimates no matter where they want to research or book their trip."
Results on Google Shopping, meanwhile, will now display information on energy-intensive products such as water heaters and dishwashers, with suggestions to help narrow down results to sustainable options.
Maps
Maps, one of Google's most widely-used features, will also have a new eco-friendly routing. The service, which was announced earlier this year, shows fuel consumption data on routes, allowing users to choose the quickest and sustainable routes.
It also highlights the most eco-friendly route, even if it is not the fastest. The service is now live in the US but Google plans to expand this in Europe and other territories by next year.
Vehicles on the road account for more than 75 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions and are one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gases, according to Google, which quoted data from the International Energy Agency.
The US Environmental Protection Agency says a typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Google also introduced lite navigation for cyclists, where important route details are displayed without the need to switching on a phone's screen or entering turn-by-turn navigation. The feature will be coming soon, the search engine company said.
Bike and scooter sharing information, meanwhile, is now available in 300 cities. The use of these vehicles have become a popular eco-friendly travel alternative. The use of biking directions on its Maps app have grown by up to 98 per cent, according to Google.
Clean energy at home
Nest, Google's smart home products unit, has introduced Nest Renew and its Energy Shift feature. The new service for Nest thermostats helps users automatically shift electricity usage for heating and cooling to times when energy is cleaner or less expensive. It also provides monthly impact reports that show how the entire Nest community has contributed to reducing emissions.
Climate change is no longer a distant threat - it’s increasingly local and personal. Around the world, wildfires, flooding and other extreme weather continue to affect our health, our economies and our future together on our planet
Sundar Pichai,
chief executive of Alphabet and Google
Data from RMI, a non-profit organisation advocating clean energy, shows that homes consume the most amounts of energy in the US, with household-level energy decisions driving 40 per cent of energy-related carbon emissions.
"Many people are eager to live more sustainably and help address one of our generation’s most profound challenges: climate change," Ben Brown, director of product management at Google, said in a blog post.
"The problem is that it can be hard to know where to start and whether you’re making a real difference."
Google also said that it was helping to develop new climate change solutions for its business customers, including for appliance maker Whirlpool, e-commerce company Etsy, British lender HSBC, consumer goods manufacturer Unilever and software company Salesforce. Google will also announce more sustainability options at its Cloud Next ‘21 event next week.
SPECS
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
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Drishyam 2
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Rating: 2/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
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The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
SPECS
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
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