Good morning all and welcome back to the Green New Spiel, the newsletter bringing you the latest stories and developments in the world of clean-tech, green energy and other climate related news. We took last Monday off in honour of Her Majesty’s funeral.
Today’s Green New Spiel covers the following stories:
⛏ The US’ clean energy mining problem
🧪 A boom from down under
❄️ Refreezing the poles
🇧🇷 The Brazilian show down for the Amazon
🐛 A tasty bug snack?
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⛏ The US’ clean energy mining problem
Decarbonisation is driving an increase in demand for critical metals, namely lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper and the majority of these minerals come from China. The US however has recently removed tax credits from producers who source their metals from countries with which the US does not have a free trade agreement; they are trying to stimulate the revival of a domestic mining.
This creates a challenge in the US: there are some who view the processes and procedures for opening up new mines as slow and archaic; others see it as a protective mechanism, because who wants a mine in their backyard? Given the momentum behind national energy security and the move to renewable energy, the question will likely morph from yes or no, to how? The Biden administration is currently working on mining reform to minimise the industry’s environmental and social impacts: let’s see what golden nuggets they pull out.
🧪 A boom from down under
Australia currently installs c. 4GW of solar capacity a year however only 3% of this supply originates from local suppliers. With the country’s aim to triple their annual installation by 2050, the key question is who will they be sourcing from? Currently over 90% of global solar energy tech comes from China… and countries are beginning to reassess their concentration risk. This may change for Australia over the next decade: given their increasing trade tensions with China, they are pushing to increase the proportion of domestically sourced solar technology. This will be a challenge as Australia is looking to have 82% of electricity generated by renewables by 2030, up from 29% in 2021
❄️ Refreezing the poles
We all know that if the poles keep melting, huge swathes of coastal cities will flood and global currents will change. There are some researchers who are trying to buy time by refreezing the North and South pole, without having to wait for decarbonisation and for the climate to normalise.
Researchers from Yale University have devised a strategy to spray microscopic aerosol particles into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight and cool the melting icecaps. The particles would drift towards the poles on high-altitude winds.
It is an attractive and relatively cheap fix, however it definitely comes with side effects. It would require 175,000 flights a year, which contribute further to global emissions and may also have unintended impacts on crop yields in areas nearer the poles.
🇧🇷 The Brazilian show down for the Amazon
In early October, Brazil goes to the polls to choose their next president. The incumbent is Jair Bolsonaro, who has overseen a period of deforestation acceleration and carbon emission spikes due to his lax approach to illegal logging and the weakening of environmental protections. The other is former president Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva, who vows to clamp down on illegal miners and loggers and whose appointment could reduce Amazon deforestation by 89%.
Of course politics is never that straight forward and there is more than just the environmental credentials of a candidate to take into account. The Green New Spiel tries to not to get too political, however we urge our Brazilian readers to please make sure you go and vote in the coming weeks.
🐛 A tasty bug snack?
Bugs as food are yet to catch on across many western cultures however we might want to take another look as there are a lot of benefits. Bugs are incredibly nutritious being high in fat, protein and nutrients and also provide all of the essential amino acids and minerals required for human nutrition. Crickets for example are 65% protein, which is higher than beef (c. 8%).
Not only does the nutritional content makes sense, but their production life cycle is much shorter and their feed-to-energy conversion is much higher than traditional livestock. With c. 10% of Europeans now saying they would replace meat with insects, might you be tempted too? If you are and you live in London, swing past one of Abokado’s locations and try out some crickets. Let us know what you think!
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Ciao,
Carlo and Rob