Cement is one in every of our hardest challenges, as Brimstone CEO and 2024 innovator Cody Finke will inform you. I wrote about Brimstone and different efforts to reinvent cement earlier this 12 months.
One other factor
We want a complete lot of metals to deal with local weather change, from the copper in transmission traces to the nickel in lithium-ion batteries that energy electrical autos. Some researchers assume crops would possibly be capable to assist.
Roughly 750 species of crops are so-called hyperaccumulators, that means they naturally absorb and tolerate comparatively excessive concentrations of steel. A brand new program is funding analysis into how we would use this trait to assist supply nickel, and probably different metals, sooner or later. Learn the total story right here.
Maintaining with local weather
A hurricane that lately fashioned within the Gulf of Mexico is headed for Louisiana, ending an eerily quiet few weeks of the season. (Scientific American)
→ After forecasters predicted a very lively season, the lull in hurricane exercise was stunning. (New Scientist)
Rising sea ranges are one of many signs of a altering local weather, however nailing down precisely what “sea stage” means is extra sophisticated than you would possibly assume. We’ve gotten higher at measuring sea stage over the previous few centuries, although. (New Yorker)
The US Division of Power’s Mortgage Applications Workplace has practically $400 million in lending authority. This 12 months’s election might shift the main target of that workplace drastically, making it a bellwether of how the outcomes might have an effect on power priorities. (Bloomberg)
What if fusion energy finally ends up working, however it’s too costly to play a big position on the grid? Some modelers assume the know-how will stay costly and will come too late to make a dent in emissions. (Heatmap)
Electrical-vehicle gross sales are up general, however some main automakers are backing away from objectives on zero-emissions autos. Though gross sales are rising, uptake is slower than many thought it might be, contributing to the nervous power within the trade. (Canary Media)
It’s a tricky time to be within the enterprise of next-generation batteries. The woes of three startups reveal that tough occasions are right here, possible for some time. (The Data)
