163: Book of Job
This is the members only edition of Future Crunch, a weekly roundup of good news, mindblowing science, and the best bits of the internet (not necessarily in that order). One third of your subscription fee goes to charity.
Good news you probably didn't hear about
This is one of those stories that should be everywhere, but instead always gets relegated to the murky grey soup of internet purgatory. In the past decade, a global network of organisations called the Clean Cooking Alliance has helped over 400 million people access clean cooking fuels and technology, saving an estimated 4.6 million lives from premature deaths linked to household air pollution.
Apparently that's not good enough for a headline from any single mainstream news organisation.
“While much more action is needed, we’ve made incredible progress in the past decade, including throughout 2021, and I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of the clean cooking sector.”
Dymphna van der Lans, CEO of the Clean Cooking Alliance
A new study in The Lancet has reported some unexpected benefits of COVID-19 restrictions, with 720,000 fewer cases of dengue recorded globally since April 2020. Restrictions on movement have provided researchers with new insights into the spread of the disease, especially in public places. "We found really unexpected benefits that are going to help us better fight dengue in the future." NYT
Black business ownership in America is 30% higher than pre-pandemic levels and women are driving most of that growth. In April 2020, the number of Black-owned businesses dropped by 41% but numbers rebounded as Black women took the lead, launching and pivoting businesses and banding together with local communities to keep their doors open. NPR
The feminist movement in Pakistan is gaining momentum, after the inaugural Women’s March in 2018 evolved into a sustained campaign. Collective action is shaking up the male-dominated social order in the Muslim-majority nation and rewriting narratives around gender-based violence, body politics, sexuality and consent. New Frame
The first same-sex couples have married in Chile, after a landmark law passed late last year came into effect. Chile's LGBT community campaigned for marriage equality for years, and the new law also paves the way for more same-sex couples to adopt and share parental legal rights and responsibilities. BBC
Saving the world is cheaper than ruining it
MAPFRE, the largest non-life insurer in Latin America, just announced it will not cover or invest in fossil fuel companies that do not have a plan to keep temperature rise below 1.5C. This is a big one - clients include Pemex and Petrobras, Mexico and Brazil's state oil companies respectively, two of the biggest polluters in the world.
China's two main trade policy banks made no new overseas energy finance commitments in 2021 for the first time this century, a sign that Beijing's pledge to stop investing in foreign coal plants is already in effect. It means that 99% of global development financing is now committed to the clean energy transition. Reuters
Mumbai, India's financial centre and home to south Asia's biggest corporations, has announced detailed plans to reach net zero by 2050, with exhaustive changes to the way it manages energy, water, air, waste, green spaces and transport for its 19 million residents. This is two decades ahead of India's national goal and makes Mumbai the first city in South Asia to set a timeline. Straits Times
Another week, another insane clean energy announcement from China. This time, it's an 8,000 km2, 50GW offshore wind farm off the coast of Zhangzhou. A little bit of context: the entire wind energy capacity of the United States is around 120GW. So this is the equivalent of over 40% of all US wind... in a single project. 风电行业垂直门户网站
In Thailand’s northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, a reservoir has been transformed into a shimmering network of solar panels, the first of 15 floating 'hydro-solar' farms farms planned to be built over the next 15 years. Once completed, the farms will supply 30% of the country's annual power needs. Euro News
The EPA has reinstated California’s authority under the Clean Air Act to implement its own emission standards for cars and light trucks. This paves the way for both California and 15 other states to use more aggressive tailpipe emission and fuel economy standards.
"I thank the Biden Administration for righting the reckless wrongs of the Trump Administration and recognizing our decades-old authority to protect Californians and our planet. The restoration of our state’s Clean Air Act waiver is a major victory for the environment, our economy, and the health of families across the country."
Gavin Newsom, Governer of California
France's car market is going electric way quicker than anyone predicted. Despite the overall market dropping off a cliff (down 31% compared to February 2020), the share of EVs continues to rise. 40% of all passenger cars sold in France last month had some form of electrification, more than the share of petrol at 38%, the leading fossil fuel powertrain. Clean Technica
In more tectonic shifts post-Russia's invasion, Germany has U-turned and will now support action to end sales of ICE cars within the next 13 years. "The new German government stands behind the EU Commission's draft and fully supports the end of the internal combustion engine for cars and vans from 2035." Clean Energy Wire
Surprise, surprise, surprise. Volkswagen says its EV operations are going to be profitable a lot earlier than expected. Several electric models, including the Porsche Taycan, are already sold out for 2022 and consumer demand is only increasing. “We see better scale, we see better margins, we see high customer demand." CNBC
A spin-off from MIT is planning to use technology from fusion energy to drill the deepest holes in history, unlocking clean, supercritical geothermal energy. Drilling holes 20km beneath the earth's crust, using 'gyrotron-powered millimeter-wave technology' and pumping in argon to clean, cool and clear the bore? Hell yes. New Atlas
The only home we've ever known *
Oregon lawmakers just passed legislation to conserve 33,000 hectares of the Elliott State Forest for research, protecting it against logging and future threats. The site contains significant old-growth forest and supports 20% of the wild Oregon Coast coho salmon population. The assembly also allocated $7 million for the creation of wildlife crossing structures. Oregon Wild
Landmark legislation in Western Australia will end native logging and secure 400,000 hectares of one of the most diverse native forests on earth. Activists campaigned for 50 years to protect these forests, containing rare tingle, jarrah, karri, marri, tuart, and wandoo trees which have been radically depleted by logging since the 1800s. ABC
The Sentinel Landscapes Partnership will conserve 3.1 million hectares of forests, farms, and wildlife habitat around the Eglin Airforce Base in northwest Florida. The partnership is a unique collaboration between all levels of government, environmental groups, and landowners to advance sustainable practices around military installations. Defenders of Wildlife
Belgium has officially ended its fur trade, closing all 17 remaining fur farms a year ahead of its 2023 deadline. The victory follows decades of work from animal rights organisations and reflects major shifts in consumer demand. Belgium joins Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia, and the UK who have also ended the practice. PETA
A court in Montana has invalidated hundreds of oil and gas leases sold by the Trump administration, to protect the habitat of the iconic sage-grouse. After populations plummeted in recent decades, a historic effort by conservationists and government officials resulted in a conservation plan in 2015. Although the plan was 'reinterpreted' by the last administration, these new measures will ensure the bird’s future protection. Earth Justice
Our public lands belong to us all, and we shouldn’t be putting our iconic species at risk for fossil fuel industry profits.
Michael Freeman, Earth Justice, Senior Attorney
The Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation has allocated an additional $300 million toward its Andes-Amazon Initiative to fund conservation until 2031. In the past 20 years the initiative has conserved 400 million ha, 50% of its original plan, and is on track to reach its 70% threshold. Funding will go toward ensuring that 50 million ha of Indigenous and local community territories, and another 50 million ha of freshwater and forest ecosystems, are effectively managed. Mongabay
Indistinguishable from magic
Google just unveiled Ithaca, a deep neural network trained on the largest digital dataset of ancient Greek inscriptions. It achieves 62% accuracy in restoring damaged texts, 71% accuracy in identifying their original location, and can date them to within 30 years of their creation. Historians have already used the tool to reevaluate significant periods in Greek history.
Nature is honestly amazing. Say hello to Chitofoam, a styrofoam replacement made from the exoskeletons of mealworms that have been fed um, styrofoam (so that's what they mean they talk about a circular economy). "It started off as a tank with 1,000 mealworms in which we put our waste foam." Dezeen
For the first time, the FDA has approved CRISPR-edited cattle for human consumption. The cattle have been given an extra gene that allows them to grow a short, slick-hair coat, which comes from their counterparts raised in tropical or subtropical environments. Freethink
Researchers from Australia, the UK and Israel have developed a DNA test that can accurately identify over 50 neurological and neuromuscular diseases caused by unusually long DNA sequences in a person’s genes. This includes Huntington’s disease, fragile X syndrome, hereditary cerebellar ataxias, myotonic dystrophies, myoclonic epilepsies, motor neuron disease, and more. Sci Tech
A Swedish company has unveiled a fully electric hydrofoil speedboat, which instantly became its most ordered electric boat ever. At 16 knots, it lifts off and flies above the water, achieving a cruising speed of 20 knots. The boat has a range of 50 nautical miles, and the drivetrain is rated for 3,000 hours of service-free use, equivalent to 50 years of recreational boating. CleanTechnica
Information superhighway
Theology isn't usually our thing, but Abraham Riesman's essay in Slate on the Book of Job really struck a chord. "In the face of all that appears to be in front of the world today, amid all the calamities we are hurtling toward or already enduring, I’ve found no choice but to share Job’s outraged honesty. Job provides a framework for why it’s worth it to keep on going."
Have you heard about The Battle of Voznesensk yet? On the 2nd and 3rd of March Ukrainian forces, comprising mostly volunteers and infantry, dealt Russia one of its most decisive losses, routing an entire battalion who left behind nearly 30 tanks, armored personnel carriers, multiple-rocket launchers and trucks—as well as a downed Mi-24 attack helicopter. There's going to be a movie of this one day.
Writer and poet Rachel Spence, on swimming outdoors after her mother passed away. "Mornings when the river felt like a chapel. The trees no longer witnesses but priests. I swam close to the bank. Eavesdropped on seances of alder, foxglove, bullrushes, hawthorn (...) I feel my mother’s body map mine on the other side, as if we are articulating our own shadow topography." London Magazine
FC regular Mariana Mazzacutto says we need a new definition of value; a global society that spends 44 times more on war than on ending a pandemic shouldn't be considered sane. Matt Levine on a related track, arguing that the war in Ukraine puts the nail in the coffin of the old-school idea that the duty of a public company is to maximize shareholder value.
The empire of Ancient Mali is having a bit of a cultural moment (if you don't believe us, keep your eyes out and we promise you'll suddenly start seeing it everywhere). Here's a great example: Google just made 40,000 texts rescued from Timbuktu available online, and has surround them with a ton of great stories and resources. Mali Magic
Putin's war is not good news for China. Check out this astonishing analysis from Hu Wei, a renowned foreign policy expert in China (it's been banned inside the country). If you're looking for more context, Gideon Rachman has a great overview in the Financial Times, including this brilliant, Winnie the Pooh-inspired cartoon. Long story short: China's in a very, very sticky place.
Humankind
The other ‘Vladimir’
Meet Vladimir Slivyak, one of Russia's most prominent environmentalists, who has spent three decades igniting grassroots campaigns against climate change and spurring on a new generation of activists in the face of formidable opposition from authorities.
The work of an environmental activist is never easy, but in Russia the job comes with an extremely high risk of imprisonment, a lack of resources and a government that refuses to take global warming seriously. Against these odds, in 1989 Vladimir cofounded Ecodefense in the city of Kaliningrad and became one of the country's leading voices for environmental protection. In 2013 he led Russia's first anti-coal campaign. Uniting local communities around the country, it led to a rapid growth of anti-coal protests, proving grassroots campaigns can challenge coal even when it's backed by a powerful government.
For Vladimir, education and youth are his most powerful weapons. Since 1995 he has conducted environmental education programmes for over 10,000 students and 1,000 teachers. Today, Ecodefense remains a reliable source of information on Russian environmental issues and boasts an incredible track record of successful campaigns. In 2014 Ecodefense became the first environmental group to be listed as a ‘foreign agent’ by the government. Undeterred, Vladimir relocated staff to different parts of Europe to ensure the work continued and that his co-workers were safe.
Despite the risks and the incredible odds stacked against him, Vladimir is committed to ushering in a more sustainable future for his homeland and for the world. “There are much bigger things than our fear. If you start to work on things like protecting the environment against climate change, you shouldn’t really stop. Activism is what changes the world.”
That's it for this edition, thanks for reading!
We'll see you next week.
Gus, Amy and the rest of the FC team