Fixing predatory prison phone call costs - Shareables Hope & Optimism #15

This week: destroying “forever chemicals,” EU renewables paving the way, and fixing prison phone calls [View this email in your browser]( Hey everyone, It's only been a few days into the new year and we've already seen some incredible feats happening around the world in all frontiers. If you've found yourself stumbling, here's some optimism to help remind you of the potential in each and everyone one of us and to help course-correct your mentality. Humans are formidable and resilient. That includes you...and don't you forget it. If it's your first time reading or a friend sent this to you, you can [subscribe here](. Image courtesy of Hans Reniers / Unsplash [(1) Scientists Destroyed 95% of Toxic 'Forever Chemicals' in Just 45 Minutes]( In a remarkable breakthrough, scientists have developed an innovative technique to eliminate hazardous “forever chemicals” that pollute waterways worldwide. This process broke down 95 percent of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in 45 minutes. Although PFAS compounds revolutionized the production of everyday items since their commercial introduction in the 1940s, recent discoveries revealed these chemicals are not as harmless as they initially seemed. Their persistence and slow breakdown have caused global contamination of water systems, leading to ecological damage and a range of health risks associated with exposure. Scientists at the University of California, Riverside have developed an innovative solution to treat drinking water contaminated with PFAS chemicals. This hydrogen and UV-light-based platform is proving highly effective in both domestic and industrial wastewater removal applications. The methodology is as follows: infuse a contaminated source with hydrogen and accelerate the chemical process by using short pulses of UV light. In their initial tests on two types of PFA, they successfully transformed 95% (vs a previous 10%) of contaminant levels in 2 cups of water into harmless components in just 45 minutes at room temperature. More research is needed to prove out feasibility for large-scale applications, though initial small-scale results are promising. The technology is very sustainable - by the end of the chemical process, the injected hydrogen has converted most of the contaminated substances into basic water with no harmful byproducts. The team remains hard at work researching the revolutionary machine that could soon be used to remove noxious PFAS compounds from large water tanks and beyond. Utilizing hydrogen-based polarization technology, this system has the potential to deliver significant progress in the reductive destruction of toxin contaminants like PFAS! [(Full article)]( Image courtesy of Lukas Lehotsky / Unsplash [(2) Defying Expectations, EU Carbon Emissions Drop To 30-Year Lows]( Despite expectations, EU nations managed to maintain impressively low carbon emission rates with reduced dependence on fossil fuels, leading to the cleanest cold season in the last 3 decades. Numerous obstacles had to be overcome: diminished supplies from Russia, drought, and reduced availability of nuclear plants due to repairs. However, by late Autumn, renewables began to recover, with wind and solar setting production records and hydropower recovering from a dry spell. Even with colder December temperatures, emissions remained well below 2021 levels. Power sector emissions started increasing again in December due to continued challenges with nuclear and wind energy and severe weather, however, reduced gas utilization outside the power sector has kept overall pollutant output at significantly lower levels. It's abundantly clear that renewables are having significant positive impact in reducing the carbon intensity of the world's energy supplies. Any negative impact that was expected from Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been far outweighed by developments and progress in renewables. [(Full article)]( Image courtesy of Ray Graciano / Unsplash [(3) The predatory prison phone call industry is finally about to be fixed]( You likely wouldn't have known this unless someone close to you was incarcerated, but the industry of prison phone calls is finally seeing intervention after decades of what's been considered predatory practices. Since its inception, prison phone calls have been mired in unfair pricing and lack of competition. Companies such as Global Tel Link and Pay Tel Communications charged exorbitant fees for inmate calls, resulting in prices up to five times higher than standard telecom rates. This $1.4 billion-dollar industry disproportionally affects women and people of color while creating vast profits for the companies, organizations, and prisons involved. Keeping in touch with loved ones shouldn't break the bank. After years of advocacy, a federal price cap was imposed in 2021 on prison phone calls to help manage predatory pricing schemes. Additionally, certain states like Connecticut and California went a step further by eliminating fees altogether. The Martha Wright-Reed Act will grant the FCC vast new authority to establish more reasonable rates for both phone and video calls in prisons. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel says, “The FCC has for years moved aggressively to address this terrible problem, but we have been limited in the extent to which we can address rates for calls made within a state’s borders. Today…the FCC will be granted the authority to close this glaring, painful, and detrimental loophole in our phones rate rules for incarcerated people.” [(Full article)]( “It is very rare or almost impossible that an event can be negative from all points of view.” - Dalai Lama As always, we'd love to hear your feedback regarding the newsletter. Let us know if you have any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas and email us directly at newsletter@sbly.com. If you come across great news that you feel compelled to share, send it over to us [using this form here]( and we'll try to include some submissions in the upcoming emails! Thanks for reading! [:heart:][:wave:] See you in a few days for another happy start to the week! [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [About Shareably Media]( [Email](mailto:newsletter@shareably.net) If you enjoyed today's newsletter, share it with someone by clicking one of the buttons below! [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Have feedback? 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