Learn about how the 1987 Montreal Protocol inadvertently slowed global warming; where you can find giant Sequoias, the biggest lifeforms on the planet; and some pro tips from the Harvard Business Review on how to avoid distractions at work. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about how giant sequoias are the biggest lifeforms on the planet: https://curiosity.com/topics/giant-sequoias-are-the-biggest-lifeforms-on-the-planet-curiosity Additional sources: How saving the ozone layer in 1987 slowed global warming | EurekAlert! — https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-12/uons-hst120519.php Reduction in surface climate change achieved by the 1987 Montreal Protocol | Environmental Research Letters — https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab4874 10 Quick Tips for Avoiding Distractions at Work | Harvard Business Review — https://hbr.org/2019/12/10-quick-tips-for-avoiding-distractions-at-work Have Dovico Timesheet Bring Me to the Last View I Was In | Dovico — http://www.dovico.com/article_time_management_facts_figures.aspx Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing! Just click or tap “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Learn about how the 1987 Montreal Protocol inadvertently slowed global warming; where you can find giant Sequoias, the biggest lifeforms on the planet; and some pro tips from the Harvard Business Review on how to avoid distractions at work.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following story from Curiosity.com about how giant sequoias are the biggest lifeforms on the planet: https://curiosity.com/topics/giant-sequoias-are-the-biggest-lifeforms-on-the-planet-curiosity
Additional sources:
Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing! Just click or tap “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/saving-the-ozone-layer-slowed-climate-change-the-largest-lifeforms-on-earth-and-tips-for-avoiding-distractions-at-work
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about how an international treaty from the 80s accidentally slowed global warming; where you can find the biggest lifeforms on the planet; and some expert advice for avoiding distractions at work.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Turns out that saving the ozone layer in 1987 actually slowed global warming - Steffie (Ashley)
News about climate change is often doom and gloom, but recently, researchers from the University of New South Wales had some good news to share! They announced that the 1987 Montreal Protocol is the first international treaty to slow the rate of global warming. [Cody jump in with ad lib]
The Montreal Protocol aimed to save the ozone layer — you know, that zone in the stratosphere that protects the Earth from harmful UV radiation? And the protocol set out to do this by reducing the production and use of ozone-depleting substances. That includes a lot of things, but the most prevalent and harmful are chlorofluorocarbons, or “CFCs.” CFCs have been commonly used as aerosol propellants and cleaning solvents, and you might also find them in plastic foam packaging, insulation, and refrigeration and air conditioning. Nearly 200 countries have signed the agreement to ban their use, and the protocol is already considered the most successful international environmental treaty in history. 99 percent of these harmful substances have now been phased out, and the ozone layer is set to completely recover by 2050.
But here’s the thing: the Montreal Protocol wasn’t really designed to help the climate. It just turns out that CFCs are also greenhouse gases, ones that are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide. Thanks to their removal, the Earth will be, on average, a full degree Celsius cooler by 2050 than it would have been without the agreement in place. The effects are even greater in key areas like the Arctic: Temperatures there will be cooler by as much as 3 to 4 degrees Celsius.
And these cooler temperatures have a ripple effect: Cooler temps mean that Arctic ice hasn’t melted as fast, which has kept sea levels down.
The researchers noted that the Montreal Protocol has been fighting global warming behind the scenes for three decades without a lot of fanfare, so let’s all take this moment to appreciate it. Thanks, Montreal Protocol! When the world comes together, amazing things can happen.
Giant Sequoias Are the Biggest Lifeforms on the Planet https://curiosity.com/topics/giant-sequoias-are-the-biggest-lifeforms-on-the-planet-curiosity (Cody)
If you want to find the biggest lifeforms on the planet, you’ll need to journey into an ocean... of trees. The deeper you walk into it, the taller the trees grow, until their trunks measure hundreds of feet around and their canopies sway 25 stories above your head. Clearly I’m not talking about killer whales. No I’m talking about Sequoia National Park in California and its giant sequoias, which are the world’s biggest lifeforms.
You can find these trees just west of Death Valley National Park, and they’re about 250 feet tall, or 76 meters. And it takes a long time for a tree to get to be that big. Most estimates place these trees at around 2,000 to 2,500 years old. Just one tree of biblical proportions is enough to give you a new perspective on your place in the world, but sequoias don't come solo. They grow in giant groves, some of which can contain tens of thousands of trees.
And the king of the forest is the General Sherman Tree. It’s not only the largest surviving sequoia, but the largest surviving tree in the world. At its base, the trunk is more than 30 meters around. That means it would take more than 17 average adults holding hands to surround its circumference.
In 2006, the tree lost its largest branch in a storm. And that branch alone was larger than most trees, at a length of a hundred feet, or more than 30 meters, and a diameter of just under 6 feet, or 1.8 meters. Don't worry, though — that doesn’t mean the tree’s is in trouble. Researchers believe that breaking off branches is a natural survival mechanism to prevent the tree from breaking in powerful winds.
The General wasn't always the biggest tree in the world, though. Up until 1854, that honor belonged to the “Mother of the Forest” tree, which grew in what is now Calaveras Big Trees State Park. But some overeager tree fans stripped the giant of all its bark, then shaped that bark back into a tree and sent it on a world tour. It was a great way to give people in England a sense of how big the tree was, but it resulted in the tree’s death. Fortunately, the death of the Mother of the Forest sparked such strong emotions that it led to the modern conservation movement. A greener future is better for all of us, sequoias included.
[SKILLSHARE]
ASHLEY: Today’s episode is sponsored by Skillshare. Make 2020 a year where you explore new skills, deepen existing passions, and get lost in creativity, with Skillshare’s online classes. What you find just might surprise and inspire you.
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10 tips for avoiding distractions at work - Kelsey (Both)
ASHLEY: It’s hard to stay focused — especially at work. Most employees are interrupted from their work 50 to 60 times per day, and let’s be honest: most of those interruptions are not very important. But a recent article in Harvard Business Review reminds us all how we can cut down on time sucks and distractions when we're trying to work. How can we ignore those push notifications and Slack vibrations to stay less stressed and be more productive?
CODY: We’re gonna break down the most important tips so you can actually go to work and, well… get some work done. And the first tip is to practice something called “Asynchronous Communication.” (1. Practice “Asynchronous Communication”) In other words, you don’t have to respond to every email within five minutes of receiving it. It’s better for everyone if you decide, “I’m going to think about this email and get to it later.” You can avoid those “urgent” follow up emails by making sure each of your messages includes all the important details, clear action items, and a due date.
ASHLEY: That leads into the next tip: batch check everything. (2. Batch Check Everything) Don’t just quickly check through things all day long. That kind of “quick check” of email, social media, and text messages can put you off-task for more than 20 minutes, even if the act itself just took a moment. Instead, schedule a time to batch check your email, chat messages, and social media accounts.
CODY: Another tip that’ll make it easy to do that: turn off your push notifications. (3. Turn off Push Notifications) Batch checking doesn’t work if your computer screen is always blowing up with push notifications. Just turn them off. Most everything can wait until your scheduled time to be checked.
ASHLEY: And people might even respect that scheduled time when you put this three-word tip into practice: do. not. disturb. (4. Do Not Disturb) This one is easy, even if you’re in an open-plan office. Put on a pair of headphones and get in the zone. That kind of signal will quietly tell your colleagues that you’re doing something important that shouldn’t be disturbed.
CODY: Another game-changer is to avoid playing calendar Tetris. (5. Avoid Calendar Tetris) Block out time on your calendar for meeting-free work time. That way, even if your colleagues have the ability to book time in your calendar, you can control when and how, and stay focused on what you need to get done.
ASHLEY: And finally: stop using “reply all.” (6. Stop Using “Reply All”) It’s good to be held accountable, but it’s also important to respect other people’s inboxes and help them reduce unnecessary chatter. Only email people who need to be in on the message.
[Banter]
RECAP
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s stories were written by Steffie Drucker, Reuben Westmaas, and Kelsey Donk, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Scriptwriting was by Cody Gough and Sonja Hodgen. Curiosity Daily is produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!