In Between Times 10-27-2023
Clean energy "unstoppable", Lowering the cost of carbon capture, The most sustainable economies, Soil and carbon
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IEA: Shift to clean energy “unstoppable”
In addition to climate concerns, the wars in Ukraine and now in The Middle East are speeding the move away from fossil fuels and toward more resilient sources of energy. Both governmental policy and markets are driving this move.
The International Energy Agency says that this shift is “unstoppable”.
We agree. Though there will be unforeseen stumbling blocks over the next three decades, the vision of a future with a much greener energy supply is becoming increasingly clear. (And that’s not just because of the reduced pollution in the air.)
(From Euro News)
Since 2020, investment in clean energy has risen by 40 per cent. This surge is driven not just by the push to bring down carbon emissions, according to the IEA. Economic factors as well as the desire to create green jobs and a need for energy security are increasing the momentum.
“The transition to clean energy is happening worldwide and it’s unstoppable,” says IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol.
“It’s not a question of ‘if’, it’s just a matter of ‘how soon’ - and the sooner the better for all of us.”
These increases are based on current government policy, which often lags behind countries’ stated plans. But the move toward clean energy could happen faster if national energy and climate pledges are delivered in full and on time.
Click here for the article.
Nike unveils fully circular shoe designed for disassembly, recyclability
The innovators trying to bring down the sky-high cost of direct air capture
The cost of carbon capture, because of the energy needed to extract the carbon from the air, is significant. The technology at this point is not very efficient. But other technologies in their infancies (like solar and wind) faced similar challenges. So we shouldn’t be surprised that carbon capture needs to work some things out.
With time and capital innovation will increase the efficiency of direct air carbon capture and likely make it an effective method of sequestering carbon from the atmosphere.
Engineers are hard at work and new approaches are being sussed out as we write this. Assuming the capital in early stages is available (it largely is now), it is extremely likely that this tech will become viable in the reasonably near future.
(From Reuters)
Although the fundamentals of direct air capture are fairly standard – huge facilities with massive fans drawing air in to remove the CO2, normally in a remote landscape – there are a number of technologies to do it. But all of them are trying to bring down the high energy needs, and hence cost, of DAC.
The key divide is between high-temperature and low-temperature DAC. Two of the three most established DAC companies, Swiss-based Climeworks and Global Thermostat, based in Colorado, use low-temperature technologies, with sorbents that attract CO2 molecules to stick to the sorbent surface.
“It acts like a sponge that soaks up CO2 from the atmosphere,” says Christoph Gebald, chief executive of Climeworks. “When it is saturated, we heat it to 100C, and the sponge releases the CO2 and we can suck it out of the system.”
Click here for the article.
Media Literacy (Week). What is it, and why is it important?
Humans consume ninety times the information today than they did in 1940. A 90x increase in data in the span of just one lifetime constitutes a revolution.
Though we are consuming much more data and making many more decisions, our hardware, our brains, are pretty much the same as they were for millennia. That is why “media literacy” is so important. In the face of a daily data onslaught, we need to discipline ourselves when it comes to data ingestion. If we don’t, our brains which are wired for another time will be overwhelmed.
Being able to discern credible sources from less credible sources and credible news from less credible news is a powerful, and vital skill. It is one we all need to hone.
(From Allsides)
Media Literacy Week in the United States is hosted by our friends at the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE). The mission: “to highlight the power of media literacy education and its essential role in education all across the country.” This year has a 5-day theme. Access, Analyze, Evaluate, Create, and Act.
Media literacy is the ability to critically assess the messages delivered by media. Media literacy empowers people to be critical thinkers and makers, effective communicators, and active citizens.
Anyone can get involved in Media Literacy Week, whether they are an individual, educator, researcher or organization. From sharing posts on social media to organizing a webinar, there is a way for everyone to participate.
Yale: As plastics keep piling up, Can ‘advanced’ recycling cut the waste?
Ranked: The world’s most sustainable economies in 2023
Adding crushed rock to farmland pulls carbon out of the air?
Carbon mitigation and sequestration can take many forms. On one end of the spectrum there is direct air carbon capture. On the other end are things like fast growing kelp (which sequesters vast amounts of carbon because it grows so quickly) and, apparently, spreading crushed volcanic rock into farmland.
(From Cornell University)
Rain captures carbon dioxide from the air as it falls and reacts with volcanic rock to lock up carbon. The process, called rock weathering, can take millions of years – too slow to offset global warming. But by crushing the rock into a fine dust, rock weathering speeds up. Previous studies have estimated this “enhanced” rock weathering could store 215 billion tons of carbon dioxide over the next 75 years if spread across croplands globally.
Click here for the article.
Healthy soil stores carbon
Event
November 1 @ 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm MST
Who is the Independent Voter?
Location: In Person
1100 S. McAllister Ave
Tempe, AZ, 85287
https://specialevents.asu.edu/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=769954&
Who is the Independent Voter? (Panel & Conversation)
A conversation hosted by the ASU: Center for Independent & Sustainable Democracy as part of their new “Election Education Series.”
To learn more about the fastest growing voter block in America!