Extreme temperatures, scarce water resources, and unpredictable weather characterize the challenging conditions of a typical desert. The Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), Chinese Academy of Sciences has been dedicated to transforming the stretches of arid land into thriving ecosystems, focusing on the sustainable development of these areas. On December 9 2024, XIEG showcased its contributions toward this objective at the "Green Technology, Green Future" side event at the China Pavilion of UNCCD COP16.

A new study in Environmental Research: Energy highlights the need for safeguards to protect taxpayers and the climate from unintended consequences of hydrogen production tax credits. Without these safeguards, hydrogen producers can exploit loopholes to claim substantial credits for "gray" hydrogen,—by blending small amounts of biomethane or waste methane—resulting in three billion tonnes of CO2 emissions and $1 trillion in taxpayer costs over a decade.

The U.S. Treasury’s new regulations, issued on January 3, address these risks by prohibiting feedstock blending and setting technical standards aligned with the study's recommendations. But these loopholes also apply to clean electricity tax credits under Section 45Y, which are currently under review by the US treasury. It is important to raise the issue of these loopholes so that the US Treasury will put in safeguards to prevent clean electricity greenwashing.

Researchers at the University of Electro-Communications have introduced an innovative approach to improving system security. The new framework uses advanced techniques to analyze business process logs and ensure that role-based access rules are properly followed. By combining specialized languages and intelligent analysis tools, it can uncover potential security risks and help organizations address them effectively. Tested on real and simulated systems, this flexible and scalable approach provides a powerful way for organizations to improve security and protect sensitive data.