It’s time to wrap things up for the season, and I will do so with a selection of highlights. Having looked back over this year’s articles, here are some that I’m pleased with.
The landscaper of the climate age – The Chinese architect and landscaper Kongjian Yu died in a plane crash this year, and this post was written in appreciation of his pioneering work. We will be hearing a lot more about the ‘sponge city’ techniques that he developed, which will only become more vital as the world warms.
Experiments in heatwave shade – Heatwaves are going to be one of the most visible climate impacts in the UK and in this article I described some DIY solutions I’ve used on my own home. I’ve also done some work on overheating this year in my work with schools, and I expect it to be a recurring theme next year.
Low carbon heat is not the first heating transition – A striking bit of perspective that I wanted to pass on as society wrestles with the disruption of low carbon heating: this isn’t the first time we’ve done it. Our grandparents made the transition to gas central heating. It was no less complicated, and if they did it, so can we.
How Paris makes climate ready school grounds – A really good example of how climate adaptation can improve places, not just make them more resilient. Paris is redesigning its school grounds and they are beautiful, imaginative, greener and more accessible to the community.
Everybody wants climate action but thinks nobody else does – Perhaps the single most important thing to note from this year’s writing: people consistently underestimate everyone else’s support for climate policy. It’s more popular than we think and everyone needs to know this – especially politicians.
Ten ways to get solar without a rooftop – The idea that solar panels are a middle class luxury is often repeated, but the solar revolution really is for everyone and there are many ways to get started. With the arrival of plug-in solar to come, solar power will become even more democratic in the next couple of years.
Why real debate needs better questions – So many political debates are pushed into a binary for or against, for the sake of media convenience. Inspired by my participation in radio phone-ins, I wrote about how we need to stop asking yes or no, and start asking how.
The Earthbound Report 