Happy Monday 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.
Please enjoy the stories we have for you today and as ever do let us know if there are topics you would like us to try cover more of.
This week on the Green New Spiel:
🌋 Hot bacteria: the newly found carbon capture phenomenon
🌱 Kelp, it’s the new Red Bull (it might actually give you wings)
🌍 The G7 accelerating their energy transition plans
📊 Despite increasing pledges, we have a very long way to go with necessary climate funding
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🌋 Hot bacteria: the newly found carbon capture phenomenon
Researchers have discovered a new bacteria in hot springs in Vulcano, Italy, and the Rocky Mountains which quickly absorbs high levels of CO2 and coverts it into biomass faster than any other known bacteria. SeedLabs funded researchers from Cornell and Harvard are analysing the latest bacteria data from the Rockys and will look to publish a public database pairing DNA sequences with banked bacteria samples. This discovery could help develop a new carbon capture process to help us fight climate change.
To add to that piece of great news that just made your Monday morning, the microbe also sinks, which would increase the permanence of the carbon capture process.
The article also highlights UK-based CyanoCapture, part funded by Shell and Elon Musk, which is also looking to create biomass and biological oils from bacteria. Go check them out.
🌱 Kelp, it’s the new Red Bull (it might actually give you wings)
As recently covered on the Green New Spiel, airlines are increasingly looking to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to reduce their carbon footprint. Whilst of course this progress is hugely welcome, it does come with sustainability challenges, such as the excessive land and water use as well as the potential harm to biodiversity. Kelp meanwhile requires a fraction of the resources and has a solid history of experimentation as a fuel source.
Before we get too excited, it too has hurdles to overcome: excessive cultivation of anything can present new issues. However it is definitely an avenue worth exploring to further improve SAF’s footprint. Check out the BBC’s 8-minute episode on kelp’s potential impacts.
🌍 The G7 accelerating their energy transition plans
It appears the G7 have deemed existing renewable development targets insufficient, especially with respect to solar and offshore wind capacity targets. Following a G7 meeting in Japan, they have been brought forward or increased in an attempt accelerate the energy transition.
Coal continued to be a sticking point: the G7 stopped short of bringing forward the phase out to 2030, something being championed by Canada. This renewed sense of urgency was spurred on in part by the group’s focus on energy security, an ongoing theme following the war in Ukraine.
They did also bring forward by a decade the target of reducing additional plastic pollution to zero, now sitting at 2040.
📊 There is a long way to go my friends…
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Ciao,
Carlo and Rob