KSR on the Dithering (as the Jackpot's stakes escalate)
Kim Stanley Robinson won't read aloud his climate disaster scene from 'The Ministry for the Future' - "As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Robinson says he has been invoking the American Revolution in discussions about climate change. Despite declaring independence from Britain in 1776, it wasn't until 1783 β when a peace treaty was signed after years of brutal battles β that the country truly became a nation. 'The story of the American Revolution is lose, lose, lose, lose, lose, win,' said Robinson. 'So where did the win come from? It came from keeping to fighting despite the losses.'" (previously)
also btw...
also btw...
- Scientists hope deeper-rooted soybeans can withstand climate extremes and store more carbon - "Research scientist Ashish Rajurkar kneels in the dirt, lifting a large clod of soil tangled around a soybean plant. He knocks away pieces of earth from the plant's roots, which slope straight down instead of out to the side like typical soybean plants. Researchers hope roots like these could help crops withstand some effects of climate change while also drawing more carbon from the atmosphere and storing it underground."
- The Iran war is driving clean energy development. It's not enough to help the planet, yet - "When the U.S. and Israel launched the war in February, some backers of renewables opined it could drive a green transition as oil and gas prices spiked. So far, more than 30 governments have enacted policies to move away from fossil fuels or improve energy efficiency. Yet at the same time, global emissions of greenhouse gases increased slightly and investments in clean energy fell compared to the same period last year."
- Worsening El Nino threatens Asia with drought, potentially raising food prices globally - "El Nino is part of a natural climate cycle of warming ocean temperatures, but this year's is expected to reach new extremes of drought, heat waves, flooding and other climate-related disruptions in South America, Africa and Asia."
- Major gaps remain to tripling global renewable energy capacity - "The world must build more than 6 terawatts of renewable power in the next five years β more than all previous years combined β to deliver on a goal to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, according to a new report." (China's clean tech exports prevented more than the UK's annual emissions)
- Climate finance needs an overhaul - "For developing countries, more green tech capital doesn't always translate to a cheaper and cleaner energy system." (Inside China's $7 Trillion Green Finance Market)
- Electricity could meet a third of global consumption by 2035 - "Electricity could cost-effectively meet a third of the world's energy consumption by 2035 based on existing technologies and pre-war energy prices, putting a proposed goal to boost electrification within 'striking distance,' the International Energy Agency found. High energy prices caused by the Middle East conflict could make even more of today's energy demand economical to electrify, the Paris-based agency said in a new analysis."
- Carbon Removal Falls Short as World Blows Past 1.5C Target - "Taking CO2 from the atmosphere is seen as necessary to mitigate climate change."
- The Geothermal Energy Wild Card Is Getting Wilder - "Following a long term R&D program supported by the US Department of Energy, next-generation geothermal systems are forging into new territory, aided in part by methods borrowed from the oilfield services industry along with advanced exploration technologies and speedier, cost-cutting drilling systems." (DOE Selects Fervo, Zanskar and Quaise as Part of $99M Funding to Advance Next-Gen Geothermal)
- Google-backed energy outfit brings 33 MW of 4 GW geothermal potential online in Utah - "Fervo Energy aims to have 100 MW online by New Year and half a gigawatt by 2028."
- Company to drill deep beneath Newberry Caldera in search of geothermal energy - "A second company is drilling for geothermal energy south of Newberry National Volcanic Monument, south of Bend, with plans to build a 50-megawatt power plant by 2030."