Hey there! Welcome to Life Noggin!
WOW! It feels really good to be back! Sorry for the lack of uploads. I’ll explain more
about that soon in another video, but what a wild 3 years 2021 has been, huh?
Here’s a fun question that isn’t anxiety-inducing at all! Can we survive 2022? Short answer, yes. I
mean I really need you guys to because someone has to keep the computer i live in turned on.
But what kind of challenges are going to need to solve immediately this year?
People believe all kinds of untrue things despite scientific evidence to the contrary,
like that the Earth is flat or that it will soon collide with the planet of Nibiru.
Anti-science beliefs don’t just come from obvious places, like fake news or disinformation campaigns
on bookface. They are also the result of how people process information, like how we naturally
pay attention to what supports our beliefs and give in to social pressure to avoid conflict.
A combination of this is most likely at play with the current pandemic. For example,
20% of American adults refuse to get a Covid-19 vaccine, with many not believing the severity
of the disease or that the vaccines work, despite messages from scientists
and doctors. The Covid-19 vaccines do work by the way. Triangle Bob got his booster shot and
now Covid doesn’t want to hang out with him. It’s for the best, buddy. They were so toxic.
It’s no doubt that the pandemic will continue to be a major obstacle in 2022. Currently,
only 56% of the world has received at least one dose of the vaccine,
as variants continue to arise and spread throughout the world.
The good news is that scientists are hard at work improving vaccines,
testing treatments, and developing better detection measures.
One detection method being explored uses just the sound of your cough. In a study published in 2020,
a group of researchers developing this type of screening tool trained
an AI model to analyze someone’s cough and determine whether or not they have Covid-19.
Their system achieved a 98.5% accuracy and was even able to detect 100%
of infected patients without symptoms.
Another important issue we’ll need to continue to address in 2022
is climate change. And like the coronavirus, there is a lot of skepticism about its severity
and cause despite all of the scientific evidence.
Currently, 10% of Americans don’t believe in climate change and 20% don’t think it
was caused by humans. However, it is very real and very much the result of human activity.,
And when I say human activity,
I’m talking about corporations and their general lack of empathy towards the planet!
Researchers have been improving alternative energy sources like wind,
solar, and hydroelectric, but even if we stopped all human greenhouse gas emissions today,
temperatures would continue to rise for another few decades before slowly declining.
That’s why scientists have also been studying more dramatic solutions
that would not only slow climate change, but could even reverse it.
This is called geoengineering and involves both removing carbon from the atmosphere,
like by planting lots of trees or other novel methods,, as well as solar geoengineering
where some sunlight is reflected back into space. Proposed methods include sun shields,
making clouds more reflective, and injecting particles into the stratosphere.,
The effects of climate change are already being felt all over the world. It’s one of
the causes, along with pollution, overuse, and inadequate infrastructure, of water scarcity.
This is when communities can’t fulfill their water needs
and occurs even in countries with an adequate water supply, like the U.S.
Currently, UNICEF and the World Health Organization estimate that 1 in 3
people don’t have access to safe drinking water. And UNICEF predicts that, by 2025,
half the world’s population will be living in areas facing water scarcity.
This may seem odd knowing that 70% of the world is covered in water. However
only 1% of that is available freshwater. So, to increase our supply, scientists are finding
ways to reuse wastewater, engineer more water efficient crops,, and even to create freshwater.
This is done through a process called desalination, which removes salt from
seawater. The most efficient way to do so is by pumping seawater through membranes
that extract salt from the water, turning 50% of the seawater into drinkable water.
The tech that's being developed is really cool and it's going to save
a lot of people, so there's something to be optimistic about!
The next year may not be easy, but if we support science rather than deny it,
pressure our representatives to invest in long term solutions,
and continue to mask up and be cautious, we’ll definitely live to see 2023.
So what are your plans for 2022? Do you have any new years resolutions?
Let me know in the comment section below or tell me,
what should i talk about next? Ask me a question using #dearblocko so i can find it!
I’m ready to start posting way more in 2022, so look forward to a lot more Life
Noggin and click the bell button so you’re notified as soon as we release another video.
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As always, my name is blocko, this has been life noggin, don’t forget to keep on thinking!