There is growing concern over the the El Nino cycle and the possibility of record heat next year. Here’s Bill McKibben on the topic, and David Wallace Wells. Less gloomy voices are also available, but now is a good time to be talking about summer heat and how we prepare for it.
11,103 new cars were registered in Norway last month. Just 31 of them were petrol, 87 diesel and 33 hybrid. That’s a new record of 98.6% electric.
If you’re in London over the summer, Kulpreet Singh’s exhibition Indelible Black Marks looks striking and thought provoking (image above). An artist and farmer, his work reflects on the connections between climate and agriculture, the tradition of stubble burning, and is at the Hayward Gallery from mid June.
Luton folks, Friends of the Earth are hosting a free screening of the family film Savages on Sunday afternoon at the Library theatre, with craft activities to follow. Details here.
California’s current battery storage capacity is equivalent to 12 nuclear power stations,
Recent highlights
On AI and the railroads
This week I was reading about Silicon Valley’s investments in AI. Just four companies – Meta (Facebook), Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet (Google) have pumped $670 billion into AI this year, equivalent to 2.1% of US GDP. The Wall Street Journal points out that in GDP terms this is vastly more expensive than the moon landings.…
How South Korea cut food waste
My new food waste bin went out to the curb this morning. Like most of us in Luton, my family was given two blue plastic caddies last month for the start of food waste collection in the town. We’re one of the regions of the UK that hasn’t had food waste collected until now, and…
Book review: Street, Palace, Square, by Jan-Werner Müller
Human lives, both individually and collectively, unfold in a built environment. Generally speaking we don’t get to shape that environment all that much. Most of us don’t get to design our own homes, let alone streets and public spaces. Unless you have a particular interest in architecture or urban design, you might never really think…
The Earthbound Report 