Yes, There Is Hope for Us 4

This is the latest in an ongoing series of posts contrasting my "We're Toast" series of posts, with links to articles that suggest that we might somehow pull through the coming crisis. I haven't done one of these in a while, and yes, there is some good news among all the horrible news that seem to dominate the news. 

A snowless, sunny park in February

• Clean Energy Has Displaced Coal. Gas is Next. "Last year Europe produced more electricity from wind turbines than its fossil gas plants. Wind and solar produced a record 27% of the European Union’s electricity- above a quarter for the first time."
• Global Emissions Could Peak Sooner Than You Think. "Global deployment of solar and wind power, plus a surge in EV sales, means emissions from fossil-fuel-derived energy will finally hit the downward slope."
• World-first blood test for brain cancer may increase survival rates, say experts. "Inexpensive test can help diagnose even ‘inaccessible’ tumours earlier, speeding up treatment and improving outcomes."
• Scientists Will Test a Cancer-Hunting mRNA Treatment. "Strand Therapeutics has figured out a way to turn the molecule on and off in certain tissues to more precisely treat tumors."
• Scientists tame chaotic protein fueling 75% of cancers. "MYC is the shapeless protein responsible for making the majority of human cancer cases worse. UC Riverside researchers have found a way to rein it in, offering hope for a new era of treatments."
• 20 Things That Made the World a Better Place in 2023. "From the falling costs of renewable energy to new treatments for a whole host of diseases, 2023 wasn’t all doom and gloom."
• Scientists discover the first new antibiotics in over 60 years using AI. "A new class of antibiotics for drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria which was discovered using more transparent deep learning models."

Yes, There Is Hope For Us 3

This is an ongoing series of posts contrasting my "We're Toast" series of posts, with links to articles that suggest that we might somehow pull through the coming crisis.

Climate Change and Environment

• Africa’s Biggest Bank Releases Funding Policy on Coal Projects. The lender commits to assess projects, won’t stop coal lending.

Politics

• Fossil-Fuel Subsidies Must End. Despite claims to the contrary, eliminating them would have a significant effect in addressing the climate crisis
• Lessons for the Green New Deal from the Economic Mobilization for World War Two (PDF link). "A just transition important, but don’t underestimate redistributional effects of strong demand."

Technology

• Radical Hydrogen-Boron Reactor Leapfrogs Current Nuclear Fusion Tech. This would be revolutionary, but is it for real?
• Hemp Houses are Being 3D-Printed in Australia. This is probably better for the environment than using concrete but given that they polymerize the hemp, it's not perfect. 
• 10 Breakthrough Technologies 2020. From Technology Review, a list of technologies that could make a real difference in how we live and work.
• Tesla “big battery” in Australia is becoming a bigger nightmare for fossil fuel power generators. 

Yes, There Is Hope For Us 2

This is an ongoing series of posts contrasting my "We're Toast" series of posts, with links to articles that suggest that we might somehow pull through the coming crisis.

Climate Change and Environment

• How Likely Is The Worst-Case Climate Scenario? The worst case scenarios may not be as likely as some think, but the picture is murky.
• Can legal action force governments and businesses to respond to climate change? "Legal challenges related to climate change are a fast-growing trend."
• ‘Air is cleaner than before the Industrial Revolution’: a best case scenario for the climate in 2050. 
• The End of Australia as We Know It. "What many of us have witnessed this fire season feels alive and monstrous. With climate change forcing a relaxed country to stumble toward new ways of work, leisure and life, will politics follow?"

Politics

• Climate denial has destroyed the libertarian movement. Good riddance.
• Vienna’s New Weapon in the War on Cars: Concert Tickets. "In an effort to cut vehicle emissions and boost public transportation, Austria’s capital will reward car-free travel with free access to museums and concerts."
• Federal court rules that Scott Pruitt’s sham EPA can’t ban scientists from its scientific advisory board. It’s always comforting when the American legal system prevents the American legal system from legally screwing over Americans.
• JP Morgan economists warn climate crisis is threat to human race. Big money is starting to get worried. 

Technology

• Why American Farmers Are Hacking Their Tractors With Ukrainian Firmware. A dive into the thriving black market of John Deere tractor hacking.
• SpaceX Starship factory eyes cutting-edge industry solutions for inspiration. They're looking at off-the-shelf technology for building water tanks. 
• Electric Cars Are Better For the Environment Than a 50 MPG Gas Car. This holds true even if you consider the emissions it takes to produce the electricity that runs them.

Yes, There's Hope For Us

This is the first in what will be an ongoing series of posts contrasting my "We're Toast" series of posts, with links to articles that suggest that we might somehow pull through the coming crisis.

Climate Change and Environment

• Shutdown of US coal power facilities saved over 26,000 lives, study finds. "Shift to gas saved more than 300m tons of planet-heating carbon dioxide as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide levels dropped."
• Once Doomed, America's Recovering Bison Are Saving US Ecosystems. "Today some 500,000 bison have been restored in over 6,000 locations, including public lands, private ranches, and Native American lands."
• In 2030, we ended the climate emergency. Here's how. "If words make worlds, then we urgently need to tell a new story about the climate crisis. Here is one vision of what it could look and feel like to radically, colle
• How to Stop Freaking Out and Tackle Climate Change. "Here’s a five-step plan to deal with the stress and become part of the solution."
• Scientists Fight Back Against Toxic ‘Forever’ Chemicals. The ubiquitous compounds known as PFAS are nearly indestructible. But scientists are learning to split their ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bonds.

Politics

• Why the Climate Movement's Next Big Target Is Wall Street. "Climate activists are taking on a new pipeline: The one that funnels money from Wall Street into planetary destruction."

Technology

• One Of Climate Change's Biggest Contributors Is In Your Car, But It’s Not Coming From The Tailpipe. Oddly, CO2 may be our saviour here.
• Against all odds. "The inside story of how scientists across three continents produced an Ebola vaccine."