🌱 The Grumpy Optimists - Is EasyJet’s decision to stop offsets the right one?
From the UK government relaxing onshore wind planning to a city banning plastic grass, there’s a lot to be positive about this week.
Happy Monday 👋
This week we’re recapping the last fortnight after missing last week’s newsletter due to a serious bout of (man) flu, sorry not sorry.
Despite the shocking impact of hurricane Ian in the US and the UK lifting the ban on fracking, there’s a lot to be positive about as we head into a new week.
Let’s dig in 👇
👀 Articles to read
💨 UK government relaxes onshore wind planning. It’s good news for climate change and UK energy independence as the government makes it easier to develop onshore wind projects. It comes after the UK grid was powered by wind by up to 62% yesterday. Good news for decarbonisation and for consumers!
🛫 EasyJet ditches carbon offsets to focus on carbon reductions. The budget airline was one of the first airlines to offset its emissions in 2019 but has now turned its focus to investing in carbon reductions such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This comes as the US pushes for cuts to aviation emissions.
🧠 Why it matters. Aviation is currently responsible for 2% of global GHG emissions. However, this percentage is likely to rise in the coming years due to the complexity of decarbonising planes. Instead, companies like EasyJet and Delta are switching their attention to SAF, a biomass-based fuel with 85% lower emissions than traditional jet fuel. The news is great in theory with offsets often costing as little as $2-5 dollars per tonne, making a return flight to New York cost as little as $5. SAF is a lot more expensive, between $200-300/ per tonne of GHG emissions, but it’s currently in short supply with the global supply of SAF only enough to fuel one days worth of flights for Delta. In our opinion, this is a good move and signal that offsets can’t solve all of our problems and that deep decarbonisation is crucial for all industries.
🪧Court shifts ruling in favour of preventing new plastic plant in ‘Cancer Valley’. The industrial region in Louisiana is known as cancer valley thanks to the 95% increased risk of cancer due to poor air quality. Residents have been battling against a new Formusa plastic plant for years, and when a judge removed their air permits, the projects look dead in the water. It’s good news for a community that is a victim of our obsession with plastic.
🌱 Super moss to help slow flooding, scientists think. Sphagnum moss has been found to significantly reduce the risk and severity of flooding simply by reducing the flow of water into rivers by up to 65%. With the risk of flooding increasing due to climate change, nature-based forms of adaptation are a huge boost in our arsenal.
🌾 Boston bans artificial grass due to forever chemicals. In a move that should take place everywhere in the world, Boston has banned artificial grass due to its dangerous use of chemicals. It could equally be banned for the fact that it is absolutely gross (personal opinion but truth).
🌡️ 130,000 low-income homes in the UK get help with insulation. Nearly £1.5bn has been earmarked for insulation and energy efficiency under the new government plans. With 46% of energy in homes being used for space heating it’s crucial to retrofit homes, saving energy and cash. As someone with an E-rated rented house, I encourage this behaviour.
📹 Video to watch
Drought and water stress are becoming major issues across the west coast of the US. Some have blamed celebrities like the Kardashians and Kevin Hart for their excessive water use, but where does the water really go and how can the problem be solved? Probably by eating less beef.
That’s all for this week folks!
The Grumpy Optimists 💚