Grist
How quickly do we need to ramp up renewables? Look to the narwhal
updated
Proof of Concept is a video series profiling the science and scientists behind some of the environment’s most unexpected research. To see a written version of this story, visit our website:
grist.org/video/plant-enzyme-rubsico-experiment-heat-photosynthesis
Video by Jesse Nichols
Senior Producer: Daniel Penner
Deputy Editor: Teresa Chin
Executive Editor: Kat Bagley
Illustrator: Estelle Caswell
Sources:
Robbie Wilson
Ahmed Badran
Mary Gehring
David Eisenberg
Berkley Walker
MIT J-WAFS EPiC Program
https://jwafs.mit.edu/projects/2023/enhanced-photosynthesis-crops
Erb et al. 2017
“A short history of RubisCO: The rise and fall (?) of Nature’s predominant CO2 fixing enzyme”
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7610757/pdf/EMS123372.pdf
Bouvier et al. 2024
“Rubisco is evolving for improved catalytic efficiency and CO2 assimilation in plants”
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2321050121
Wildman 2002
“Along the trail from Fraction I protein to Rubisco”
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16245127
Chibnall 1939
“Protein Metabolism in the Plant”
Prywes et al. 2023
“Rubisco Function, Evolution, and Engineering”
annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-biochem-040320-101244
Aigner et al. 2017
“Plant RuBisCo assembly in E. coli with five chloroplast chaperones including BSD2”
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29217567
C4 Rice Project
c4rice.com/the-science/photosynthetic-pathways
Proof of Concept is a video series profiling the science and scientists behind some of the environment’s most unexpected research. To see a written version of this story, visit our website:
grist.org/video/wildfire-smoke-health-monkey-experiment-california-primate-research-center
Video by Jesse Nichols
Senior Producer: Daniel Penner
Deputy Editor: Teresa Chin
Executive Editor: Kat Bagley
Illustrator: Estelle Caswell
Sources:
Lisa Miller
Barbara Weller
Bonnie Holmes-Gen
Miller Lab
ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/classic/research/apr/past/15-303.pdf
Black et al. 2017
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28208028
Maniar-Hew et al. 2011
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3064293
Proof of Concept is a video series profiling the science and scientists behind some of the environment’s most unexpected research. To see a written version of this story, visit our website:
grist.org/video/coral-oil-flower-garden-banks-reef-climate-science
Video by Jesse Nichols
Senior Producer: Daniel Penner
Deputy Editor: Teresa Chin
Executive Editor: Kat Bagley
Illustrator: Estelle Caswell
Sources:
Michelle Johnston
Kristine DeLong
Amy Wagner
Kelly Drinnen
DeLong 2023
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/20530196221147616
Anthropocene Curriculum
anthropocene-curriculum.org/the-geological-anthropocene/site/west-flower-garden-bank-reef
UNEP 2020
unep.org/interactives/status-world-coral-reefs
Flower Garden Banks Climate Vulnerability Assesment
nmssanctuaries.blob.core.windows.net/sanctuaries-prod/media/docs/20231201-fgnms-cva-final-report.pdf
Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
flowergarden.noaa.gov
Proof of Concept is a video series profiling the science and scientists behind some of the environment’s most unexpected research. To see a written version of this story, visit our website:
grist.org/video/parasite-climate-change-ecosystem-health-science
Video by Jesse Nichols
Senior Producer: Daniel Penner
Deputy Editor: Teresa Chin
Executive Editor: Kat Bagley
Illustrator: Estelle Caswell
Additional video: Jessey Dearing
Sources:
Chelsea Wood:
chelsealwood.com
Kevin Lafferty
Armand Kuris
Wood et al. 2023
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2211903120
Quinn et al. 2021
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10.1098/rspb.2020.3036
Claar et al. 2021
amnh.org/content/download/329217/5034298/file/parasite-biodiversity.pdf
Sato, Takuya et al. 2011
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/09-1565.1
“If you do research on Quitobaquito, the majority of times you will read about the cattlemen that lived here in the area, about the people that went through Quitobaquito,” she said. “You hear nothing about the fact that it’s an old Indian village. It was abundant. Now, it’s just … well, you see what it looks like.”
The first thing you notice most about Quitobaquito Springs is the trees. It’s the only source of water for miles in the desert and the lush vegetation around it is stark against the dry tan and khaki landscape and occasional organ pipe cactus. The second thing you notice: the border wall, 30 feet tall, just feet from the water’s edge. I asked Eiler how the landscape compares to her early memories of the site. Read the written version of this story on Grist: grist.org/video/quitobaquito-springs-national-park-service-border-indigenous-water-protection
See our website for a transcript and more information on our sources and methods:
grist.org/technology/should-we-pull-carbon-out-of-the-air-with-trees-or-machines
Video by Jesse Nichols
Senior Producer:
Daniel Penner
Deputy Editor:
Teresa Chin
Executive Editor:
Kat Bagley
Additional illustrations:
Dani Nunes
Sources:
IPCC WGIII 2022 Report
https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGIII_Chapter12.pdf
State of CDR
stateofcdr.org/resources
Our World in Data/Global Carbon Project
ourworldindata.org/grapher/annual-co2-emissions-per-country?country=~OWID_WRL
IEA
iea.org/reports/direct-air-capture
NASA Earth Observatory
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle/page3.php
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle/page2.php
Visual sources:
Storyblocks
Pond5
Music:
Audiosocket
To some extent, the crisis can be blamed on climate change. The West is in the middle of a once-in-a-millennium drought. As temperatures rise, the snow pack that feeds the river has gotten much thinner and the river’s main reservoirs have all but dried up. But that’s only part of the story.
The United States has also been overusing the Colorado for more than a century thanks to a byzantine set of flawed laws and lawsuits known as “the law of the river.” This legal tangle not only has been over-allocating the river, it also has been driving conflict in the region, especially between the two biggest users: California and Arizona, both trying to secure as much water as they can. And now, as a massive drought grips the region, the law of the river has reached a breaking point.
Video:
Jake Bittle
Daniel Penner
Data and map animations:
Jesse Nichols
Videographer:
Nikki Dodd
Deputy Editor:
Teresa Chin
Executive Editor:
Kat Bagley
Additional reading:
Feds’ Colorado River choice: California’s rights or Arizona’s future?
grist.org/drought/colorado-river-cuts-arizona-california-lower-basin
Tribes in the Colorado River Basin are fighting for their water. States wish they wouldn’t.
grist.org/indigenous/colorado-river-tribal-water-rights-navajo-nation-arizona-nevada-drought-data
The Colorado River is drying up. Here’s how that affects Indigenous water rights
grist.org/equity/colorado-river-drought-indigenous-water-rights
Sources:
History of Parker Dam war between Arizona and California (among other sources)
azcapitoltimes.com/news/2015/06/29/tale-of-the-arizona-navy-old-story-revived-as-state-competes-with-california-for-water
Flow of Colorado River, 1930 - 2016 (Wheeler, 2019)
researchgate.net/publication/336058345_Water_Resource_Modeling_of_the_Colorado_River_Present_and_Future_Strategies#pf9
Flow of Colorado River, 2000-2018 (Stern, Sheikh, 2020)
crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45546/13
Estimated flow of Colorado River (Kuhn, Fleck, 2021)
bookshop.org/p/books/science-be-dammed-how-ignoring-inconvenient-science-drained-the-colorado-river/18865804?ean=9780816543236
1963 Court Case
books.google.com/books?id=BAFiIBETui8C&pg=RA14-PP29&lpg=RA14-PP29&dq=%22Motion+to+Reopen+the+Trial+for+the+Taking+of+Evidence+re+Depletion+of+the+Colorado+River+at+Lee+Ferry%22&source=bl&ots=RVZMKCCO3w&sig=ACfU3U1AYFSruhZWYD9TefD1_dZsm9kLsg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjPv9DvmNn9AhWyEFkFHUpwBPsQ6AF6BAgCEAM#v=onepage&q=%22morally%20certain%22&f=false
California Congress keeping water for own state:
http://www.g-a-l.info/capreport.pdf
Visual sources:
Getty Images
National Archives
Library of Congress
UCLA | Charles E. Young Research Library: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Storyblocks
Music:
Audiosocket
For a transcript, sources, and further reading:
grist.org/grist-video/just-how-good-were-exxons-climate-projections
For a transcript, sources, and further reading:
grist.org/grist-video/just-how-good-were-exxons-climate-projections
For more information about our sources and the how we calculated our 100 molecules, check out our website: grist.org/climate/methanes-life-death-and-secret-second-life
It’s easy to find testimonials from people on the internet who have swapped a car for an electric bicycle. In fact, we produced a video about this very topic with Grist reporter Eve Andrews a few years ago. These anecdotes often come from people living in dense cities, where trip distances tend to be shorter. But what about folks who live in suburban or rural towns — are e-bikes still a good deal?
As part of our video series Crunch the Numbers, we decided to look into how much carbon and cash the average American household could save if they swapped out their vehicle for an e-bike.
Spreadsheet with calculator and sources:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11Kv1mUb5EAvTweobKLRqxU70Z56aD_wBeC624qktnZI/edit#gid=184833348
This is how climate change is throwing one of the United States’ most critical sources of water out of whack.
In the near future, the West could lose about a quarter of its historical snowpack. As for the end of the century, that’s where climate models start to diverge, largely depending on how fast we end up taking action on the climate crisis.
Sources:
Siirila-Woodburn et al. 2021
nature.com/articles/s43017-021-00219-y
Huning et al. 2020
pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1915921117
Swain et al. 2015
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2015GL066628
Swain et al. 2014
www2.ametsoc.org/ams/assets/File/publications/BAMS_EEE_2013_Full_Report.pdf#page=11
Drought.gov
drought.gov/great-western-snow-drought-2015
#climatechange #drought #snow #lakemead #climate #climatecrisis
For decades, cooking with a gas stove has been seen as the fanciest and most enjoyable way to cook. But are we really better off with natural gas? Climate experts and professional chefs alike say that there is an alternative that could give gas a run for its money: induction stoves.
Link to heat pump video:
youtube.com/watch?v=wSvn3UzbPGY
Here are our sources:
Grist's own calculations of CO2 footprint:
docs.google.com/document/d/1Sq0Jakf-AUoGZ3HuAt2Cz4-94byVU_cJ3f7IgnFpqeI/edit?usp=sharing
Lowe's data set we pulled 8/31/22
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13al-6cCPWmRKIKziyUFLVF-brvklbJZ4RIlmZMoYb4Y/edit#gid=568320053
Cost comparison of operation, gas vs. induction
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1tpdiQLP12WxbglhzmUTBrRFKWzMpKgZ_p80J4AwEFYM/edit#gid=665296455
Frontier Energy study on energy use of induction stoves vs. gas stoves
smud.org/-/media/Documents/Corporate/About-Us/Energy-Research-and-Development/Induction-Range-Final-Report---July-2019.ashx#page=21
Lebel, 2022
Methane and NOx Emissions from Natural Gas Stoves, Cooktops, and Ovens in Residential Homes
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.1c04707
Columbia CO2 electricity map
https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/research/report/low-carbon-heat-solutions-heavy-industry-sources-options-and-costs-today
Lin, 2013
Meta-analysis of the effects of indoor nitrogen dioxide and gas cooking on asthma and wheeze in children
academic.oup.com/ije/article/42/6/1724/737113?login=false
Consumer Reports, pros and cons of induction
consumerreports.org/electric-induction-ranges/pros-and-cons-of-induction-cooktops-and-ranges-a5854942923
New York Times, The case for induction cooking
nytimes.com/2022/03/11/dining/induction-cooking.html
Grist, Your gas stove is warming the climate, even when it's turned off
grist.org/buildings/your-gas-stove-is-warming-the-climate-even-when-its-turned-off
00:00 Intro
00:45 How efficient are induction stoves?
01:50 CO2 / environmental comparison
03:22 Cost comparison
04:39 Cookware question
05:13 Health and kitchen pollution
06:07 Big picture
#induction #cooking #climatechange #cookingwithgas
Read more: grist.org/climate/the-temperature-threshold-the-human-body-cant-survive
#climatechange #heatwaves #science
Resources:
Carbon Switch heat pump savings guide:
carbonswitch.com/heat-pump-savings
Fixr home heating cost estimates:
Heat pump: fixr.com/costs/heat-pump-installation
Oil furnace: fixr.com/costs/oil-furnace
Gas furnace: fixr.com/costs/natural-gas-furnace
This Old House, how a heat pump works:
youtube.com/watch?v=-vU9x3dFMrU
This Old House, how to install a heat pump:
youtube.com/watch?v=lF10daoMrag
Shannon's Grist article on heat pumps in cold climates:
grist.org/housing/heat-pumps-do-work-in-the-cold-americans-just-dont-know-it-yet
RMI's guide to heat pumps in cold environments
Wirecutter guide to heat pumps
nytimes.com/wirecutter/guides/heat-pump-buying-guide
Consumer Reports guide to heat pumps
consumerreports.org/cro/heat-pumps/buying-guide/index.htm
Heat pumps that look like George Clooney:
twitter.com/mikefsway/status/1503362924529823756?s=20&t=-Idx7uOAstc6q_CEQ7hPNQ
00:00 Intro
00:29 How efficient are heat pumps?
01:17 What's the CO2 savings?
02:52 Cost comparison
05:50 Heat pumps in cold weather
#heatpump #climatechange #personalfinance #co2
David Haakenson thinks about water a lot. That’s because the farm he owns in western Washington experiences frequent, catastrophic floods. And climate change is making that trend worse.
“We had floods in October. We had floods in November, December, January, February, and March,” said Haakenson, the owner of Jubilee Farm. “There's this kind of anxiety that involves — like, when you look out on the field and say, ‘Wow, I make my living off that field and now it's a lake.’”
To protect Jubilee Farm, Haakenson is looking to an unlikely ally: Beavers. Because it turns out, beavers might actually offer some real protection against climate impacts like flooding and wildfires — if people can learn to live with them.
#beavers #flood #climatechange #wildfire
Further reading:
Summer's website
tcipcommunities.wixsite.com/home
Activists and Oil Refiners Square Off Over Hydrofluoric Acid | Undark
undark.org/2018/10/10/hydrofluoric-acid-oil-refining-explosion
Air board kills regulation of dangerous refinery acid in favor of oil industry plan | Los Angeles Times
latimes.com/environment/story/2019-09-06/oil-refinery-acid-pollution-regulation
The ExxonMobil near-disaster you probably haven’t heard of | Center for Public Integrity
publicintegrity.org/environment/the-exxonmobil-near-disaster-you-probably-havent-heard-of
Safeguards for Hydrofluoric Acid Tested, 1988 | Los Angeles Times
latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-22-me-3401-story.html
Safety Fears in Torrance Strain Ties With Mobil, 1989 | Los Angeles Times
latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-04-16-me-2629-story.html
The experiment is one small step in the high-risk, high-reward world of next generation
geothermal. The goal is to replace fossil fuels with this always-on, renewable energy. The challenge, however, is getting it to work.
#geothermal #renewables #proofofconcept #geothermalenergy
As humanity tackles the threat of climate change, it must move with urgency to ensure a liveable future. At the same time, it must also protect the lives and livelihoods of those on the frontline of the crisis today — who suffer unduly from the pollution that contributes to warming, as well as the impacts of a changing climate. Leaders from frontline communities throughout the United States have worked hard to ensure a voice for their neighbors and have also developed a framework for evaluating solutions to the climate crisis that are just and equitable.
In this discussion, leaders from across the country will discuss the framework of centering equity and justice and tackling the root causes of the climate crisis as society moves away from fossil fuels, share real-life examples of how solutions that meet that framework operate on the ground, and warn of what they see as “false solutions,” which rather than benefiting vulnerable communities will ensure they remain sacrifice zones.
Join Fix Network Weaver Tory Stephens for a conversation with Elemental Excelerator’s founder and CEO Dawn Lippert, Managing Director of Equity & Access Sara Chandler, and CEO and Co-Founder of Allume Energy Cameron Knox (an Elemental portfolio company) exploring the dynamic nature of deployment of climate technologies in the real world.
They’ll share their experiences and insights designing mutually beneficial partnerships between startups and community-based organizations for increased social and environmental impact.
Sitting in a row outside of the factory, these giant batteries are the size of freight containers. Powered by vats of iron and saltwater, they’re called iron flow batteries. And they’re part of a wave of cleantech inventions designed to store energy from the sun and the wind, and solve a problem that has stumped the energy world for more than 150 years.
#ironbattery #flowbattery #energy #energystorage #ironwater #flow #renewables
Inside the cloud of smoke, amid all the dust and ash, are hundreds, or even thousands, of different bacteria and fungi. The scientists studying them are part of an entirely new field of research: Pyroaerobiology, the study of life in smoke.
The field is so new that it didn’t exist just a few years ago. Back then, there was only one published study on this subject. And it came from a high school science fair project.
This is the first video in our new science series, Proof of Concept.
#airpollution #moss #citizenscience
It’s called Proof of Concept, and it’s a series about the messy process of how scientific progress actually happens. The accidental discoveries, the great ideas that just sit there until the right person comes along at the right time, -- and just all the clever and scrappy and sometimes lucky work that moves science forward. I spent the last six months researching and traveling and talking to people about stories big and small — from the tiniest microbes floating in the air to a renewable energy project on one of the largest volcanoes in the American West.
We’ll be launching our first episode tomorrow. See you then!
Join Fix Network Weaver Tory Stephens for a conversation with Elemental Excelerator’s founder and CEO Dawn Lippert, Managing Director of Equity & Access Sara Chandler, and CEO and Co-Founder of Allume Energy Cameron Knox (an Elemental portfolio company) exploring the dynamic nature of deployment of climate technologies in the real world.
They’ll share their experiences and insights designing mutually beneficial partnerships between startups and community-based organizations for increased social and environmental impact.
This discussion takes a hard look at how to deploy carbon removal, from healthy soil practices to direct air capture, that centers the needs of communities, prioritizing engagement, safety, equity, and justice. Without just policy and broader community involvement, many carbon removal projects won’t get off the ground, slowing the clean-up of legacy emissions.
To learn more, check out Grist reporter Shannon Osaka's reporting on Vancouver's journey to become the greenest city in the world:
grist.org/cities/vancouver-promised-greenest-city-in-the-world-2020-what-went-wrong
Explore Vancouver's greenest city data yourself:
vancouver.ca/green-vancouver/greenest-city-goals-targets.aspx
#climatepledge #climate #urbanism
#scifi #clifi #grist50 #climate #environment
Within two years, Solyndra was bankrupt, out-competed by cheaper solar panels coming from China. Republicans launched a big Congressional investigation, and the FBI raided the company’s headquarters to find out where all the money had gone. Mitt Romney even went to Solyndra headquarters in Fremont, California, to make a speech decrying government waste for his 2012 campaign.
Solyndra, Republicans said, was the perfect example of everything that was totally wrong with Obama’s plan to boost clean energy with government-issued loans. But what about the rest of the loans the Obama administration gave out, like Tesla? And what should the purpose of such a loan program even be? Reporter Shannon Osaka crunches the Department of Energy’s numbers and answers what really happened to the government’s green loan program.
Sources:
Josh Freed, The Third Way
Andrés Prieto, The Third Way
The Fifth Risk, by Michael Lewis
Department of Energy PDF of loan program: energy.gov/sites/default/files/2021-03/DOE-LPO_APSR_FY2020.pdf
Department of Energy Solyndra announcement: energy.gov/articles/obama-administration-offers-535-million-loan-guarantee-solyndra-inc
AP loan program revival: apnews.com/article/jennifer-granholm-interviews-energy-loans-5ceef97a73fc04fe3cca75bf84e91327
Ishan Nath
Further reading:
Politico: politico.com/news/2021/03/17/energy-department-loan-guarantees-476719
NPR: npr.org/2014/11/13/363572151/after-solyndra-loss-u-s-energy-loan-program-turning-a-profit
The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era, by Michael Grunwald
#tesla #ev #cleanenergy #solyndra #solyndrascandal #departmentofenergy #elonmusk
As the executive director of BK ROT, Pineda gets to bring that practice to their fellow New Yorkers. The Brooklyn-based, bike-powered composting service employs young people from the community to collect food scraps from homes and businesses and turn that “waste” into compost for local agriculture and soil-restoration projects. “We’re a small model compared to the city’s huge footprint,” Pineda says, “but we see ourselves modeling a closed-loop service through which we can responsibly manage our waste.”
#compost #foodwaste #grist50 #brooklyn
Sources + further reading
University of Cambridge | Stat: 40% of mining is from renewable energy
jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/centres/alternative-finance/publications/3rd-global-cryptoasset-benchmarking-study
CoinShares Research | 70% renewable stat
coinshares.com/research/bitcoin-mining-network-december-2019
University of Cambridge | Stat: 130 TWh
cbeci.org
Ethereum foundation blog | A country's worth of power, no more!
blog.ethereum.org/2021/05/18/country-power-no-more
What do NFTs mean for art and the Earth?
grist.org/ask-umbra-series/what-do-nfts-mean-for-art-and-for-the-earth
Analysts debate whether cryptocurrency has a green future
eenews.net/stories/1063729471
How Much Energy Does Bitcoin Actually Consume?
hbr.org/2021/05/how-much-energy-does-bitcoin-actually-consume
This power plant stopped burning fossil fuels. Then Bitcoin came along.
grist.org/technology/bitcoin-greenidge-seneca-lake-cryptocurrency
Square -- Bitcoin is Key to an Abundant, Clean Energy Future
assets.ctfassets.net/2d5q1td6cyxq/5mRjc9X5LTXFFihIlTt7QK/e7bcba47217b60423a01a357e036105e/BCEI_White_Paper.pdf
#bitcoin #crypto #climate #climatechange
If you're curious about our methodology, we used a 2020 report from Consumer Reports, showing the difference in lifetime fueling costs of Crossovers/SUVs ($11,200) and maintenance ($4,600) for all models.
The link to to the full report is here [PDF]: advocacy.consumerreports.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/EV-Ownership-Cost-Final-Report-1.pdf
And the shortened writeup about it here: consumerreports.org/hybrids-evs/evs-offer-big-savings-over-traditional-gas-powered-cars
Sources
Congressional Research Service: fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/IF11017.pdf
2 EVs for every 100 new cars purchased stat: insideclimatenews.org/news/21122020/electric-vehicles-in-2020
Department of Energy electric chargers by zip code: afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_locations.html#/find/nearest?fuel=ELEC
Roughly half of Americans unable to receive full tax benefit:
dqydj.com/household-income-percentile-calculator
Additional reading:
The EV tax credit can save you thousands — if you’re rich enough
grist.org/energy/the-ev-tax-credit-can-save-you-thousands-if-youre-rich-enough
How to ensure electric cars aren’t just for rich people
grist.org/justice/making-electric-cars-more-equitable
In Chicago, ‘charging deserts’ part of racial divide on electric vehicles
energynews.us/2020/12/14/in-chicago-another-roadblock-for-would-be-ev-drivers-charging-deserts
Buying an Electric Vehicle? Here Is Some Advice.
nytimes.com/article/electric-vehicle-ev-buying-guide.html
#electriccars #kona #ev #tesla #hyundai
What galvanized Basu was the 2018 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which chronicled the threats to everything he cares about as a doctor — dignity, equity, justice, health. He jumped into creating new curricula for medical professionals incorporating climate and equity; writing op-eds about planetary and human well-being; testifying about how to bring health into decisions about building or transportation policy; and generally mobilizing others to make these connections. “I get excited about a world in which we do this right,” he says.
#climatechange #publichealth #grist50 #climate
“We are in a state of planetary emergency,” they wrote, departing from the usual sterility of scientific writing. “The stability and resilience of our planet is in peril.”
Yes, they were writing about climate change, but of a particular kind: climate tipping points, elements of the Earth system in which small changes in global temperature can kick off reinforcing loops that ‘tip’ a system into a profoundly different state, accelerating heat waves, permafrost thaw, and coastal flooding — and, in some cases, fueling more warming. The planet has already warmed by roughly 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since the Industrial Revolution, and if humans keep flooding the atmosphere with greenhouse gases at the same rate, we’re on track to increase that to 2.7 to 3.1 degrees C (4.9 to 5.6 degrees F) by the end of the century.
Learn more about tipping points:
grist.org/climate-tipping-points-amazon-greenland-boreal-forest
#climatechange #tippingpoints
LaGrange joined in 2013 as director of marketing, then became CEO two years later. The organization has processed 35 million pounds of gadgets and junk since its founding and now employs 71 people. “In addition to the environmental work, it’s the training ground for amazing humans who are often overlooked,” she says. The company spun off a retail outlet, Tech Discounts, in 2016 and hopes to expand throughout the Midwest and add national business partners.
This is the second of a five video profiles we’re launching as a part of the Grist 50 - our annual list of 50 people who are doing cool work in climate and the environment — artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and more. You can check out the full list here: grist.org/grist-50/2021
#recycling #zerowaste #recycle
An interview with Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West, the writers of the book Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World.
For sources and more info, visit: grist.org/grist-video/bullshit-is-everywhere-heres-what-you-can-do-about-it
#misinformation #callingbullshit #fakenews
This is the first of a five video profiles we’re launching as a part of the Grist 50 - our annual list of 50 people who are doing cool work in climate and the environment — artists, scientists, entrepreneurs, and more. You can check out the full list here: grist.org/grist-50/2021
McGee's Twitter game #FindThatLizard, featuring pics of herps in hiding, is a smash. Offline she’s a STEM ambassador, introducing middle-school girls to careers in science and nature. Her Ph.D. research includes the impact of climate change on bug-eating lizards and analysis of the barriers discouraging Black women from careers in natural-resource management. As for her next move, post-Ph.D.? Perhaps a natural-history TV show.
#scicomm #lizardsquad #lizards
The United States is rejoining the Paris climate agreement, fulfilling one of President Joe Biden’s earliest campaign promises and generating sighs of relief around the world as governments struggle to keep the planet’s temperature from surging to even more dangerous levels.
#parisagreement #climatechange #paris #parisaccord #emissions
Show notes:
Thanks for watching! This is a super complex topic and so there's a lot that I didn't get to cover. Below you'll find my sources as well as resources for more information.
Interviews:
Dr. Jesse D. Jenkins, Assistant Professor, Princeton University
Dr. Leah Stokes, Professor, University of California Santa Barbara
Sources:
Sepulveda, Jenkins, de Sisternes, Lester | The role of firm low-carbon electricity resources in deep decarbonization of power generation
cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(18)30386-6?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS2542435118303866%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
Leah Stokes, Democracy Journal | Cleaning up the electricity system
democracyjournal.org/magazine/56/cleaning-up-the-electricity-system
Griffith, Calisch, Fraser | Rewiring America
rewiringamerica.org/handbook
Foreign Affairs | Paths to net zero
foreignaffairs.com/articles/2020-04-13/paths-net-zero
More info:
Dr. Leah Stokes’ video for Grist on how quickly we need to ramp up renewables
youtube.com/watch?v=DIRdg7NmsOg
She also wrote a book on clean energy and politics, “Rewiring America”
leahstokes.com/book
Vox explainer video on the variability of solar
youtube.com/watch?v=YYLzss58CLs
How to decarbonize America – and the world
techcrunch.com/2019/02/15/how-to-decarbonize-america-and-the-world
What’s the future of nuclear energy?
grist.org/article/next-gen-nuclear-is-coming-if-we-want-it
#cleanenergy #renewables #renewableenergy #cleanpower #100percentrenewable #wind #solar #hydrogen #nuclear
Sources:
Vegetarian Goose:
“Recipes from the Garden of Contentment” (2018)
Translated and Annotated by Dr. Sean J.S. Chen,
Based on: Yuan Mei, "Suiyuan Shidan 隨園食單" (1792) Berkshire Publishing
(Award: Best in the World - Translation - Gourmand International 2019)
Translator website: wayoftheeating.wordpress.com
Mock lamb chops reference:
Science and Civilisation in China, Volume Six: Biology and Biological Technology, Part V: Fermentations and Food Science by H.T. Huang
There was no official recipe for the "Mock lamb chops," as they were simply referred to as tofu. We marinated the tofu in soy sauce and pepper and then grilled them, topping them with cilantro.
Protose recipe: babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31822035085810&view=1up&seq=5
How the origins of mock meat is rooted in Chinese tradition:
vice.com/en/article/8xyqqz/the-origins-of-fake-meat-are-rooted-in-chinese-cooking
History of the mock meat craze at the beginning of the 1900s: smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/turn-century-meatless-meat-180972042
Further reading about Dr. Kellogg: npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/08/08/542145177/how-the-battling-kellogg-brothers-revolutionized-american-breakfast
Reference to the Boca Burger's origins (originally called the Sun Burger): foodbusinessnews.net/articles/11452-kraft-heinz-flips-boca-burger-for-modern-age
#vegetarianfood #vegetarian #vegan #tofurky #impossiblefoods #bocaburger
Here are 4 ways to tell whether a company’s climate pledge is legit.
#netzero #climatepledge #carbonneutral #climatechange #climate
#climate #president #climatechange #vote #climatecrisis #donaldtrump
For sources and further reading, visit:
grist.org/energy/a-1930s-city-planning-rule-has-drivers-setting-their-own-speed-limits
For show notes, visit:
grist.org/energy/how-covid-19-is-a-threat-to-the-premise-of-public-transit
#coronavirus #transit #socialdistancing #covid19 #masks #busses #subway #lightrail #publichealth