Lychees are one of my favourite things in the world, so it is disappointing to see the results of this research into climate change and lychee crop yields: a drop of 12-35% by the end of the century. I mention this not because I expect you to go and read academic studies into lychee harvests, but because it’s a good reminder that fixing the climate is about protecting the things we love.
Teacher friends, next week is Outdoor Classroom Day. It doesn’t have to be forest school or wildlife themed. Check out their library of resources to see how you can take any subject outdoors.
“Instead of pursuing endless growth, it is time to pursue wellbeing for all people as part of a thriving world.” Yea and thrice yea to Kate Raworth writing in the Guardian.
Hydrogen through the gas grid is a favourite climate solution for the gas companies, as it still gives them a role in the energy transition. The gas lobby have made it a government priority, despite predictions that it wouldn’t be viable. The sceptics appear to be correct, as a third government pilot project has been pulled.
Documentary: Nothing Lasts Forever
I rather enjoyed the documentary Nothing Lasts Forever this week, which investigates the changing fortunes of the diamond industry. It’s now possible to make a diamond with a machine that is undistinguishable from a mined diamond, rendering diamonds as cheap as chips unless you can sell people a marketing story about why yours are special. That’s what De Beers, the cartel that still runs the industry, is desperate to do. And plenty of entrepreneurs are out to puncture the mythology.
It’s an interesting subject, and the story is well told, visiting geology labs, polishing workshops in India, global diamond markets and the Chinese factories that turn out diamonds by the million. Well worth watching in its own right, but it’s also a useful case study in consumerism. Is a diamond the ultimate consumer product?
I saw it on Netflix, or you can rent it for 99p from Dogwoof films.
This week’s articles
Why carers need electric cars
Sales of electric cars in the UK have so far focused on the luxury end of the market, with fewer options for affordable smaller cars. That’s meant that high income middle-class families have been able to benefit from electric cars sooner than those who might need them most. The savings from smaller electric cars would…
We can do better than recycling
The ‘three Rs’ are well lodged in people’s brains when it comes to waste. As public messaging goes, reduce, reuse, recycle been rather successful in its reach – so it’s unfortunate that it isn’t actually understood. That’s according to research by Keep Britain Tidy and partners. “Recycling is firmly engrained in people’s minds as the…
Not everything that’s clever is useful
A friend recently asked me to speak at a student event on AI and sustainability at the University of Hertfordshire. I couldn’t make it in person, so I recorded a ten minute talk as a conversation starter. It’s a bit of a provocation, something to get people talking and raise some questions that wouldn’t normally…
The Earthbound Report 