Welcome to this week’s edition of AppropriateFuture, a weekly review of the convergence of technology, sustainability, innovation, and public policy.
Portions of the Amazon rainforest are now emitting more carbon dioxide than they absorb: deforestation and an accelerating warming trend have contributed to change in the carbon balance. [John Schwartz in The New York Times] (emphasis mine)
In recent years, a growing number of studies have suggested that the region’s ability to remove carbon from the air and store it so it won’t contribute to rising global temperatures, is being degraded. A 30-year study in the journal Nature published in 2015 found that the Amazon’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide is showing “a long-term decreasing trend of carbon accumulation,” in part because of greater climate variability and earlier deaths of trees.
And a 2018 essay in the journal Science Advances warned that the combination of deforestation, climate change and burning have caused parts of the rainforest to shift to savanna: “The precious Amazon is teetering on the edge of functional destruction and, with it, so are we,” the authors wrote, adding, “we stand exactly in a moment of destiny: The tipping point is here, it is now.”
Probably unrelated: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro hospitalized after 10 days of hiccups. [Sammy Westfall, WaPo]
Sustainability
◦ Sustainability execs speak out: BlackRock's former chief investment officer Tariq Fancy says he was rebuked by a colleague for not sticking to the talking points of simply saying their low-carbon funds are a way for clients to contribute to the fight against climate change, even though there wasn’t an explanation of how. [Saijel Kishan in Bloomberg Green]
◦ Direct air capture (DAC) is getting closer to reality, but realistically must be powered by clean energy sources because it requires so much energy. Power costs remain a significant stumbling block to broad deployment. [Karin Rives in S&P Global]
◦ South Africa is facing some of the worst blackouts on record. The proposed twenty year, US$13.3 billion dollar solution is five power ships operating on liquified natural gas. The deal's proposed 20-year contract could lead to higher emissions. [TechXplore]
◦ Solar power faces a fundamental challenge that could halt the industry's breakneck growth. The more solar you add to the grid, the less valuable it becomes. California is already experiencing what's known as solar value deflation for the first time in its history. [James Temple in MIT Tech Review]
◦ "The iron and steel industry is responsible for 11% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and will need to change rapidly to align with the world’s climate goals." Caitlin Swalec, a research analyst at Global Energy Monitor. [Lloyd Alter in Tree Hugger]
◦ The Sea of Marmara in Istanbul found itself suffocated by mucilage, a naturally produced phytoplankton slime usually consumed by jellyfish and sea cucumbers. [Carlotta Gall in The New York Times]
Innovation
◦ MIT professor Asegun Henry has a plans for a "sun-in-a-box" system, which would serve as a rechargeable battery. Currently he is building a lab-scale version of the system which could supply electricity on cloudy days. [Jennifer Chu via MIT News Office]
◦ Gaming company Razer is working with ocean waste cleaning enterprise ClearBot to tackle marine plastic pollution with an AI robot that will be able to identify different kinds of plastic and collect them for proper disposal. [Tanuvi Joe in Green Queen]
◦ Vaayu is a carbon tracking platform aimed at retailers. The Berlin based company has raised $1.57 million in pre-seed funding from CapitalT, Atomico and several angels. [Mike Butcher in TechCrunch]
◦ Mighty Buildings has raised an additional $22M to accelerate their carbon neutrality roadmap. They are a construction technology company using 3D printing, advanced materials, and robotic automation to build homes. [PRNewswire]
◦ Energy as a service (EaaS) is the combination of technology and energy that operates as a subscription service. The customer pays for a bundle of energy technologies, rather than the amount of electricity it consumes. [Kate Zerrenner in Triple Pundit]
◦ Atlanta-based startup Cloverly announces a $2.1 million seed round. The company, which provides an API that helps companies measure and then offset their carbon emission, has hired former eBay exec Jason Rubottom as CEO. [Ron Miller in TechCrunch]
◦ Sea6 Energy has secured $9 million in funding. Their SeaCombine can harvest and replant seaweed in deep ocean waters. [The Fish Site]
Technology
◦ Developers must work with people to create a product that is 'human intuitive' and not 'machine intuitive', according to a report written by the UK’s former surveillance camera commissioner. [Sebastian Kovig Skelton in Computer Weekly]
◦ China tightens rules about computer vulnerabilities. New rules, in effect Sept. 1st, will ban private sector experts who find "zero day" security weaknesses from selling that information. [Joe McDonald, ABC News]
◦ Israeli digital intelligence firm, Cellebrite, is going public. What do they say they do? The tech "may be used by customers in a way that is, or that is perceived to be, incompatible with human rights." [Shoshanna Solomon in Times of Israel]
Public Policy
◦ US Department of Commerce sanctions 14 Chinese tech companies over human rights abuses, including a firm backed by Sequoia Capital. DeepGlint co-founded a facial recognition lab with Chinese authorities in Urumqi. [Dave Gershgorn in The Verge]
◦ The European Union plans to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by more than half by 2035. Big, big impact on businesses: Steel producers, cement makers will pay for every ton of carbon dioxide their factories emit; Cargo ships may not be able to dock in Rotterdam or Hamburg unless they run on clean fuels. [Jack Ewing, Stanley Reed and Liz Alderman in The New York Times]
◦ New York plans to explore the potential role of green hydrogen (hydrogen produced using renewable energy, including wind, solar, and hydroelectricity) as part of the State's comprehensive decarbonization strategy. $12.5 million will be made available for long duration energy storage technologies and demonstration projects that may include green hydrogen. [New York State]
◦ About 13,000 renewable energy projects in nearly 50 countries are waiting for finance - and could create up to 10 million green jobs. The biggest impact would be for workers in China and the US. [Megan Rowling in the World Economic Forum]
◦ Found by FOIA: Last year, representatives from ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Equinor and BP met with the then UK trade minister for a private dinner in Texas where natural gas was championed as a “vital part of the solution” to tackling climate change — seeking a gas ‘compromise’ ahead of COP26. [Siobhan Kennedy in 4 News]
◦ The Circular Car Initiative aims to create a circular economy in the automotive industry by 2030. The initiative involves materials suppliers, fleet operators, manufacturers, recyclers and data platforms. [Antonella Ilaria Totaro in Green Biz]
And Finally, The Good Link: In case you missed flying over the last year, you don’t have to rush to the airport to get a taste of it.