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The Mobile Industry Is Increasingly Powered by Renewable Energy

Every industry has a responsibility to reduce its climate impact by lowering emissions. The mobile industry is no different.

What is your mobile carrier doing to combat the climate crisis? It might not be something you’ve thought much about, but with increasing numbers of networks around the world aligning themselves with science-based targets, it’s easier than ever to see if the service you’re paying for is taking genuine action to reduce its environmental impact.

In a report released at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday, mobile industry body GSMA said that nearly a quarter of energy (24%) used by the mobile sector comes from renewable sources, up from 14% in 2020. In addition, 62 carriers globally have now committed to rapidly decreasing their direct and indirect emissions by 2030, representing 61% of the industry by revenue. This is an increase of 12 networks since the previous report published last April.

The GSMA is leading an industry-wide drive to ensure carriers reach net zero emissions by 2050. A key metric it’s using to measure the ambition of its members is their commitment to preventing global warming from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius, the science-based target laid out in the Paris Agreement.

With the impacts of the climate crisis — from floods to wildfires to deadly heatwaves — increasingly being felt in regions around the world, there is growing pressure on all industries to prioritize transitioning to clean energy and ensure they’re playing an active role in preserving rather than harming our ecosystems. The mobile industry is no exception, and some networks are doing more than others to alleviate their environmental impact, which could make a difference to where you choose to spend your money.

On the hardware side, phone makers are investing heavily in giving phones a longer life and using more recycled materials in their products. But on the network side, companies are increasingly investing in finding ways to build and operate infrastructure using highly efficient methods that are less energy-intensive than those used in the past.

The biggest challenge for carriers, said John Giusti, chief regulatory office for the GSMA, is access to renewable energy. «The good news is that the industry is moving forward, with operators now directly purchasing 24% of their electricity from renewable sources, up from 18% in 2021 and 14% in 2020,» he said in the report. But with carrier demand outstripping supply, governments need to help expand access to renewable energy, he added.

Europe and North America, two of the regions most responsible for historic emissions, are leading the charge when it comes to ambitious sustainability commitments and actions. «It’s perhaps only fair because it’s parts of the world where they’re the most advanced climate wise, and therefore they have the most capability to actually reduce their emissions,» Steven Moore, head of climate action for the GSMA, said in an interview with CNET the week preceding MWC.

The GSMA’s report looked at actions by mobile operators across the world but called out T-Mobile as an example of a company making great strides to reduce its carbon impact in the US.  It’s the first company in the US wireless sector to set a net zero goal validated by the Science Based Target Initiative covering all of its emissions, including those from across the supply chain and indirect emissions from purchased electricity. It’s also one of only a small handful of networks so far to set a net zero by 2040 target, instead of 2050.

Meanwhile, its main competitors, Verizon and AT&T have both aligned themselves with the 1.5 degrees pathway, and Verizon has committed to net zero emissions across the board by 2050. Moore said that he wouldn’t be surprised if networks in many places end up achieving net zero much earlier than 2050. «Once we start to invest, it’s incredible how quickly things can change,» he said.

Technologies

This Transformable Electric Truck Could Become the Cheapest EV in the US

Merging retro touches with a high-tech electric platform, the Slate Truck offers a customizable, budget-friendly alternative to traditional EVs.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 27, #686

Hints and answers for Connections for April 27, #686.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.


Today’s Connections puzzle might make you hungry — especially if you spot the four words in the blue category. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Do the math.

Green group hint: Tresses.

Blue group hint: Munchies.

Purple group hint: Think Stockholm.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Calculator buttons.

Green group: Amounts of hair.

Blue group: Salty snack unit.

Purple group: Swedish ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is calculator buttons. The four answers are equals, minus, percent and times.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is amounts of hair. The four answers are lock, shock, thatch and tuft.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is salty snack unit. The four answers are Combo, Goldfish, Ruffle and Taki.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is Swedish ____. The four answers are Chef, Fish, massage and meatball.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for April 27, #420

Here are hints — and answers — for the NYT Strands puzzle No. 420 for April 27.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Sleep used to be so simple, but now it can be complex, as we try to add in extra things to help us get that good night’s rest. Today’s NYT Strands puzzle highlights sleep assistance, and a few of the words are tricky. If you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story. 

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Sleep tight

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Zzzzz…

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

  • BEDS, MINE, TAKE, TAKES, TAKER, STAKE, LATS, EARL, PLUG, PLUGS, ROUT, MIKE, DATE

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you’ve got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

  • MASK, EARPLUGS, MELATONIN, MEDITATION, MOUTHGUARD

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is BEDTIME. To find it, start with the B that’s five letters down on the farthest row to the left and wind across.

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