Cement is one in all our hardest challenges, as Brimstone CEO and 2024 innovator Cody Finke will let you know. I wrote about Brimstone and different efforts to reinvent cement earlier this yr.
One other factor
We want an entire lot of metals to handle local weather change, from the copper in transmission strains to the nickel in lithium-ion batteries that energy electrical automobiles. Some researchers assume vegetation would possibly be capable of assist.
Roughly 750 species of vegetation are so-called hyperaccumulators, which means they naturally absorb and tolerate comparatively excessive concentrations of metallic. A brand new program is funding analysis into how we’d use this trait to assist supply nickel, and doubtlessly different metals, sooner or later. Learn the complete story right here.
Maintaining with local weather
A hurricane that just 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 energetic season, the lull in hurricane exercise was shocking. (New Scientist)
Rising sea ranges are one of many signs of a altering local weather, however nailing down precisely what “sea degree” means is extra difficult than you would possibly assume. We’ve gotten higher at measuring sea degree over the previous few centuries, although. (New Yorker)
The US Division of Vitality’s Mortgage Applications Workplace has practically $400 million in lending authority. This yr’s election might shift the main target of that workplace drastically, making it a bellwether of how the outcomes might have an effect on vitality priorities. (Bloomberg)
What if fusion energy finally ends up working, nevertheless it’s too costly to play a major 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 automobiles. Despite the fact that gross sales are rising, uptake is slower than many thought it could be, contributing to the nervous vitality within the trade. (Canary Media)
It’s a troublesome time to be within the enterprise of next-generation batteries. The woes of three startups reveal that troublesome occasions are right here, possible for some time. (The Data)
