🌱 Decarbonising steel to demystifying corporate carbon targets
The latest from The Grumpy Optimists looks at decarbonising the steel industry, tripling peatland in Wales and the UK's largest solar park.
Happy Monday 👋
We’re getting back into the swing of our weekly article summaries with a varied mix this week: from revolutionising steel manufacturing to peatland restoration in Wales to social climate justice. Let’s dig in!
👀 Articles to read
🔨 Electra raises $85m from Bill Gates to decarbonise steel.
🧠 Why it matters. Iron and steel production is responsible for around a shocking [7.2%](https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-sector#:~:text=Iron and Steel (7.2%25),oil and gas extraction%2C etc.) of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions, more than the shipping and aviation industry combined. That’s because producing steel requires temperatures of more than 1400°C and lots of coal. Electra has revolutionised this process and uses electricity at just 60°C. The technology is still nascent but the funding will help scale the company's impact. You can listen to the founder explain the company here.
🍂 Wales aims to triple peatland restoration. The plans are intended to protect the Curlew, one of the country’s most celebrated birds, and help sequester carbon and promote biodiversity. Remember, always buy peat-free compost.
🌴 Ecosia adds climate pledge ratings to search. In a world where greenwashing is increasingly hard to spot and brands are taking quasi-climate action, Ecosia is harnessing everyday behaviour, such as search engines to make it easier to see if a company is really walking the walk. Try this example.
☀️ BP venture, Lightsource, launches the UK’s biggest-ever solar project. The project, based in Nottinghamshire will begin next month with an output of 61 MW of power. That’s enough to power roughly 61,000 homes and just a drop in the ocean for Lightsource’s projected output of 25GW by 2025, enough to power 19m homes. While BP is involved, it signals a shift to renewable financing, and that, **we can get behind.
🦘Australia allocates 30% of land mass for the protection of endangered species. In a country known for its dangerous animals, you’d be surprised to know they’re also the mammal extinction capital of the world. The plans are focused on 20 priority areas and 110 species, such as the Koala. With years of being a climate laggard behind them, Australia is catching up on climate action. Good on ya!
✊ People of colour have been shut out of the climate debate. Social justice is the key to a greener world. People of colour often live near the most polluted areas of cities due to the location of the most deprived areas. These issues are often ignored by (white) climate activists in favour of other priorities. The Black Environment Network is trying to change that and get more people of colour into policy positions to make equitable changes.
🎙️ A podcast to check out
Mitch and Greg from ASAPScience explore the pros and cons of engineered carbon capture. Is it a revolutionary solution or a cop-out for the wealthy and a distraction from investing in renewables? As you might expect, the answer is nuanced.
That’s all for this week folks! Any thoughts that the above articles sparked? Comment below and as always, remember to share with a fellow grumpy optimist!
The Grumpy Optimists 💚