“God will ask us if we have cultivated and cared for the world that he created, for the benefit of all and for future generations, and if we have taken care of our brothers and sisters. What will be our answer?” Pope Leo has given his first speech on the climate. He also “noted that some have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming.”
Meanwhile, the US Energy Department sent an email instructing staff to avoid “terminology that you know to be misaligned with the Administration’s perspectives and priorities”, with a list of banned words that includes climate change, green, carbon and sustainability.
Britain has a target to run on 100% clean energy by 2030, and the grid continues to set new records on the way to that. So far clean energy supply has exceeded demand for 87 hours this year.
Hannah Ritchie points out some positive news that hasn’t made any headlines: record breaking harvests are expected in most parts of the world this year.
Some book news: my online bookshop, Earthbound Books, now has ebooks. I’ve been waiting for this for a while. Fill your eboots.
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What we learned this week
In January I suggested that solar cars, which I consider to be the gold standard of private motoring, would come out of the majority world rather than big legacy Western companies. Thai company Solarky are the latest, reviewed here by Everything Electric. Out to prove me wrong are Nissan, who recently announced that they are…
Why EV battery swapping matters
Octopus, the UK’s leading green energy supplier, recently announced a move into trucking. Partnering with Chinese battery company CATL, they’re planning a network of battery swapping stations for trucks. It will be called Swaptopus – of course it will – and the first one will open next year. Eventually there will be a network of…
Positive travel experiences with Flight Free Schools
Last week I wrote about the expansion of Luton Airport and the vast increase in emissions that would come with it. This week I thought I’d post something more solutions-focused about aviation. The government is will do anything for economic growth and won’t stand in the way of growth in flying. That puts the attention…
The Earthbound Report 
Am looking at data for Virginia’s crops. We had, between 2023 and 2024, 40 and 47% declines for corn and winter wheat yields, respectively. 12% decrease for tobacco. Increases for soybean yields by 22% and cotton, too. Need references for the past 60 months in order to see a pattern.