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Here’s what you need to know
A major new climate change report is a “code red for humanity.” The growing number of severe heatwaves, droughts, floods, and wildfires that have been plaguing the planet are almost certainly a direct result of human greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
234 scientists from 66 countries worked for eight years on the authoritative, exhaustive report—and they’ve finally added world politics to their climate models. It’s also a more diverse, representative group than usual.
The latest report is unequivocal that climate change is already happening, and that the odds of holding off catastrophic levels of future warming are rapidly vanishing. But it also makes clear that every fraction of a degree counts—and it’s not too late to prevent the worst.
In other news
The Tokyo Olympics are over. The US won the most golds, and the most medals overall, and attention now turns to the Paralympic Games in two weeks, as well as the Beijing Winter Games in February.
Saudi Aramco’s quarterly earnings nearly quadrupled. Free cash flow was high enough to potentially support calls for a higher dividend, but for now the state oil company is sticking to its usual payout, already the world’s largest.
The Taliban is regaining control of parts of Afghanistan. The militant group has taken five regional capitals since Friday, despite US and Afghan airstrikes.
Lionel Messi tearfully confirmed his departure from Barcelona. The soccer team, having wildly mismanaged its finances for several years, can no longer afford to keep its icon and greatest-ever player.
What to watch for
Stocks that are memes, and the future of vaccines: Upcoming earnings reports should shed new light on some of the biggest trends of the year thus far.
AMC Entertainment, which has fully embraced its status as a meme stock, has been cutting costs and raising capital to make it through the pandemic. Will its retail-heavy investor base be impressed with the company’s second-quarter results? Analysts are predicting revenue of $375 million and a loss of 93 cents a share.
Just days after Moderna put up a bumper quarter, BioNTech is due to report earnings before US markets open. Stay tuned for anything Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine partner has to say about long-term vaccine efficacy, the timetable for full US approval, and the prospect of booster shots.
Tyson Foods also posts earnings on Aug. 9. The giant US poultry processor, which has been investing in the development of robotic butchers, said last week that it’s aiming to have all 120,000 of its employees vaccinated for Covid-19 by Nov. 1, and will pay a $200 bonus to fully vaccinated essential workers.
Charting Iceland’s Covid-19 case count
In Iceland, 96% of females and 90% of males 16 years or older have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Yet tests show an alarming number of domestic Covid-19 infections are still happening with the onset of the delta variant.
That there are hardly any deaths accompanying the rising case count—Iceland has reported only one this year, on May 25—is very important. The data show that vaccinated people who are getting the virus are generally recovering without serious illness.
Pop quiz
Guess which one of these courses was the most popular on Coursera in the first quarter of 2021:
✍ English for Career Development (University of Pennsylvania)
🤓 Learning How to Learn (McMaster University, UC San Diego)
😊 The Science of Well-Being (Yale University)
🤖 Machine Learning (Stanford University)
🇰🇷 First Step Korean (Yonsei University)
Answer: Machine Learning from Stanford.
✦ Coursera is the subject of our most recent Company newsletters, one of four new emails available exclusively to Quartz members. Get 40% off a membership with code QZEMAIL40.
Handpicked Quartz
🙄 Exxon’s “net zero” climate goal misses the point
🤖 Google is developing a new superintelligent AI but ethical questions remain
👁️ Uganda’s popular boda-bodas are now part of the government’s surveillance system
🩺 Asian Americans like being doctors, but not seeing them
👖 Levi’s surrenders to the inevitability of yoga pants
Surprising discoveries
Could art be an Olympic sport? Breakdancing is on its way in Paris 2024, and we already have rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming.
A panel of experts tried to list the 25 most important works of post-war architecture. Buildings in Mexico City, Illinois, and Luxor came top.
An orchardist is rescuing fruit trees in New Mexico. Some 14,000 varieties of apples used to grow across America, and regenerative agriculture is bringing some of them back.
There are major gaps in our understanding of invasive species. One of the ocean’s biggest threats is still mostly a mystery.
Maybe we don’t need to know about all species, though. This fish with human teeth is a living nightmare.
Our best wishes for a productive day. Please send any news, comments, oil-stock dividend increases, and fruit trees to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our iOS app and becoming a member. Today’s Daily Brief was brought to you by Hasit Shah, Tim McDonnell, Clarisa Diaz, and Heather Landy.