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’d like a complete lot of metals to handle local weather change, from the copper in transmission traces to the nickel in lithium-ion batteries that energy electrical automobiles. Some researchers assume crops may be capable of assist.
Roughly 750 species of crops are so-called hyperaccumulators, that 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 probably different metals, sooner or later. Learn the total story right here.
Maintaining with local weather
A hurricane that not too long ago 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 shocking. (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 difficult than you may assume. We’ve gotten higher at measuring sea stage 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 may shift the main target of that workplace drastically, making it a bellwether of how the outcomes may 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 expertise will stay costly and will come too late to make a dent in emissions. (Heatmap)
Electrical-vehicle gross sales are up total, however some main automakers are backing away from targets on zero-emissions automobiles. Although gross sales are growing, 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 tough occasions are right here, seemingly for some time. (The Info)
