Hollande, leaders calls for investments in the green economy

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Climate change and poverty took center stage Friday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where political and financial leaders began campaigning in earnest for twin global accords aimed at cooling the planet and easing the suffering of multitudes.

French President Francois Hollande, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon were among the power-brokers urgently calling on nations, businesses and people to support two long-sought deals. They warned that the planet will overheat and many children will suffer unless the agreements are clinched this year.

“Future generations will judge us harshly if we fail,” Ban said.

Hollande, who will host the next crucial round of climate talks, called for “huge investment” in green technology to fight global warming and poverty. Talks are slated for December in Paris to set a legally binding climate pact focused on carbon emissions cuts from 2020.

The other set of U.N.-brokered talks is scheduled for September in New York to establish the next round of sustainable development and poverty-cutting goals through 2030.

The United Nations’ first round of development goals adopted in 2000 have significantly reduced global poverty, and the world body has led the campaign for action to combat climate change.

Kagame said the way forward depends on sidestepping “political deadlocks” to encourage more cooperation between governments, businesses and people.

“We are not making a choice between environmental protection and economic development,” he said. “We are rather looking at how we combine both.”

Half the world’s deforestation is linked to hunger, one of the reasons why climate change and poverty reduction are “different sides of the same coin,” said Unilever CEO Paul Polman, adding that falling oil prices give a unique opportunity to invest in new and cleaner technologies.

“We need competitive technology — cheap is a relative term,” Polman said. “Increasingly, we are seeing the green energy is the cheap energy.”

Hollande, leaders calls for investments in the green economy

Technicians Busy Making Furnace Service Calls As Temperatures Dr - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK ...

Heating companies are already busy making sure your furnaces are ready to go for the first cold weather of the season.

Colder weather is on the way, so schedules for heating and air technicians are filling up. They’re at local homes all throughout the weekend, on call making sure the furnaces are ready to go once that cold air arrives.

Air Assurance Technician Tony Newcomb on Sunday worked on Mike Lester’s furnace, making sure everything runs smoothly when temps begin to dip.

“These units are highly technical, so we want a professional company to come out and check it to make sure its running effectively and efficiently and to ensure the safety of my family,” Lester said.

Newcomb will be busy all next week making maintenance calls.

When he goes into a home, he does more than just checking to see that the furnace works properly.

Technicians also check to see if homeowners are using and testing their Carbon Monoxide detectors.

“It should be tested all the time, along with your smoke detector,” Air Assurance President and owner Mike Rampey said. “Make sure your smoke detector has got a new battery in it; make sure your carbon monoxide has a new battery in it.”

Many problems or blockages with furnace systems can cause deadly fumes to pour into the air system.

“It is known as a silent killer, so without having those detectors you’re just taking it in,” Newcomb said.

Newcomb urges homeowners keep the area around your furnace clean and free from clutter.

“We have people that put paint cans in here, exposed, open, those got fumes, those are very flammable,” he said. “So if you at least have a licensed technician come out check everything out, you know it’s not going to have the ‘what can go wrong, will go wrong’ in the middle of the night during your sleep.”

Service calls to furnace can run you $49 after a rebate provided by Oklahoma Natural Gas.

Technicians recommend you get your air system checked twice a year, but if you can only do it once, do it when it’s time to run your furnace for the first time.

The service calls typically last an hour, and one of the things they do is check your air filters. Just by switching out a dirty air filter can help your system run more efficiently.

Technicians Busy Making Furnace Service Calls As Temperatures Dr - NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK ...