In case you missed it, an article from me on the promise and the perils of hydrogen energy, for Mint Magazine.
I was under the impression that Scotland was the only country to put any money behind loss and damage at COP26. But not so: the Belgian region of Wallonia put up a million alongside them. First I’ve heard of this regional climate leadership.
I wrote recently about innovative approaches to plastic in Africa. Practical Action have something similar here on new approaches to waste.
Not everyone has got on board with the post-industrial aesthetic of the winter Olympics, but Dezeen celebrates the re-purposing of old industrial plants as high profile recycling.
I’ve been getting press releases about potato milk. Apparently it’s going to be a big thing. I don’t know.
I’ve been on half term this week and doing other things, so a slow week. Nevertheless, some highlights:
What we learned this week
A climate justice angle we don’t hear very much about – the Phoenix newsletter looks at climate and the caste system in South Asia, Britain’s big housebuilders continue to erect whole estates of new homes all fitted with gas boilers. So it’s worth noting that one of them, Redrow, announced this week that they are…
China’s sponge parks
In 2013 China had a notably heavy monsoon season. Over 200 cities experienced flooding, and it prompted a rethink in urban planning. How could cities be more resilient to flooding? An architect and urban designer called Kongjian Yu had a potential solution. He had developed an approach called ‘sponge cities’, and in 2015 China announced…
Uganda’s free electric motorbikes
In his new year’s address earlier this month, Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni susprised people with a possible new transport policy. As part of a plan to electrify the country’s transport, motorbike owers would be able to trade in their petrol bikes for electric. “Free of course,” he added. “Just swap.” Motorbikes are a form of…