Updates on the earthquake in Turkey, carsharing in the city, and last night’s presidential address. Editor’s note: mentions of death.

Happening in the World: Rescue and recovery efforts continue in southern Turkey and northern Syria in the wake of two major earthquakes. Nearly 8 thousand deaths have been confirmed so far. Rescuers search through the rubble for survivors and are pressed for time as the search enters the second night of freezing-cold temperatures. Cases of emergency response services arriving too late have already emerged. The devastation is the result of two over-7-magnitude earthquakes that occurred a few hours apart on Monday. (BBC)

Happening in the US: President Biden delivered the annual State of the Union address last night. The speech focused on the achievements of his administration so far, particularly the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy. There was also a focus on bipartisanship, coming after a contentious election season that left congress heavily divided. Biden also touched on the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police last month and the recent spy balloon incident. (AP)

Happening in NYC: The city’s Department of Transportation is going forward with and expanding its on-street carshare program, which aims to encourage the usage of carshare programs by installing curbside parking specifically reserved for carshare drivers. The pilot program, which began in 2018 with the installation of 230 parking locations, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 7% and vehicle miles traveled by 6% according to the department. Commissioner Rodriguez emphasized the importance of efficient carsharing as opposed to car ownership in a statement. (The Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: The Center on Global Energy Policy will host a panel of experts in a discussion about opportunities and risks for indigenous communities in the North American energy transition. The discussion will focus on environmental justice and efforts to include indigenous voices in the clean energy conversation. The panel will also discuss the development of equity-based partnerships by Canadian indigenous leaders and how these models can be applied in the US. This event will be held today in Faculty House from 6 to 7 pm.

Capitol Building via Bwog Archives