Three things for November 6
1. US officially withdraws from Paris agreement
The U.S. formally left the Paris Agreement on Wednesday. The Paris Agreement is a global pact made to avert the threat of catastrophic climate change.
Of the nearly 200 nations that signed the agreement, the U.S. is the only one to walk away from its promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
President Trump originally announced his intention to withdraw from the landmark agreement in 2017 and formally notified the United Nations last year, according to NPR. The mandatory yearlong waiting period ended on Wednesday.
The U.S. could choose to return to the Paris Agreement, and Democratic nominee Joe Biden has promised to rejoin the agreement “on day one” if he wins the election. If he were to do so, the U.S. could officially resume its role in mid-February.
2. Ontario lab produces rapid COVID-19 test that does not require refrigeration
In a factory in Ontario, a rapid test for COVID-19 has been assembled by Precision Biomonitoring scientists.
The test, specifically called Triplelock Test Strips, will require no refrigeration and can produce results in 65 minutes. The factory received approval this week by Health Canada, and the test can now be administered all across Canada.
The test comes after a great demand for COVID-19 testing with rapid results. When working in large operations such as coal mines and lumber camps, social distancing is hard to maintain.
This test was born out of the necessity to get results as soon as possible to avoid sending workers home for two weeks.
“If these companies can’t stay open, employees can’t keep working,” says Dr. David Savage, an emergency physician in Thunder Bay who is also a medical consultant at NorthStream. “It can be devastating for families throughout the northwest who are already suffering on a number of levels from food shortages and that sort of thing.”
After the tests are processed, results are produced within 65 minutes. The tests are manufactured in a solid form instead of the liquid form of most other tests. Since refrigeration is not required, these new tests can be used in remote communities.
This rapid form of testing costs $100, in addition to paying the medical technician required to process it. Although it can get expensive quickly, many Canadian companies have expressed that they are willing to pay to avoid business shutdowns.
3. Trump attacks election integrity, swing states still counting ballots
On Thursday night, President Donald Trump made unsupported accusations from the White House about the integrity of the results in his race against Democrat Joe Biden.
According to AP News, Trump pushed unsupported allegations of electoral misconduct in a series of tweets and insisted the ongoing vote count of ballots submitted before and on Election Day must cease.
“This is a case when they are trying to steal an election. They are trying to rig an election,” said Trump about Democrats, providing no evidence for his claims.
Trump’s claims come as the nation anxiously awaits the voting results of Nevada, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia. While Trump is projected to win in North Carolina, the other three states are running a very close race.
As of Friday morning, Biden is leading in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
