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environmental science
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Daily Alchemy: a question to think on together
10h ago“When science says your neighborhood is the most polluted, does that finally get things fixed, or does it just make the map official?”
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- Arun...
A future I love is more village than city.
Perhaps there's a sci-fi version here where humans become much much better at cities, but the version I like at the moment is Village 2.0. I want to keep networked, light-speed global communication, so knowledge can continue to evolve, enrich, and compound.... Looks like H2 gas dissolved in water. Here’s a literature review: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10816294/.
What cool new technologies are you seeing emerge? How do we know we can trust them?
Curious about all, but I'd especially love to see non-AI versions, like: New batteries for solar: storing heat in big piles of dirt A while back Tommy mentioned cowfart backpacks Maybe it's something old for you, but we're not in your field so we don't know about it yet Even... Can the economy grow forever on a finite planet?: The Story
Two answers at once In 2023, solar photovoltaic electricity became the cheapest new power source in every major market on Earth. The same year, global material extraction — every ton of ore, grain, fossil fuel, and mineral hauled from the ground — hit 100 billion tons, up from 27... The pros/cons of alarmism are interesting. I think that if the argument is framed as "global warming is fake" or "it’s too late we’re fucked", the reaction is the same: indifference, inaction.... Global Warming as a natural phenomenon
I grew up in West Texas with a geologist Dad who supported our family with a career in the oil industry. This has always led to some dissonance for me re: global warming and environmental stakes generally.... A More Humble Humanity
There are moments in our lives where we harmonize with the things that are around us. It happens when what truly matters to us individually finds its way into the deepest layer of our core being. Softly it whispers to the soul, signaling a connection to humanity.... Can the economy grow forever on a finite planet?: Decouplers
Molecules into stone In September 2021, Climeworks activated Orca on a lava field outside Reykjavik. It pulls 4,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually and mineralizes it into basalt. Permanent removal. Not an offset. Molecules extracted from the sky and locked into rock.... Can the economy grow forever on a finite planet?: Cornucopians
The check In 1980, Ehrlich chose five metals and bet they would get scarcer. In 1990, every single one was cheaper. He mailed Simon a check for $576.07 and spent the next three decades explaining why he was still right despite being completely wrong.... I don’t understand why we can’t get health and ecology into alignment. It seems like there’s a ton of room to figure out how to best make food that’s good for us that can feed everybody that makes the soil healthy.... This is the first I’ve heard of it. Sounds dubious to me, but people have been researching it which is a good start. Whether or not it works, goddamn it’s woo adjacent.... - Shera JoyCry...
Love the "this" as it seems the dominating narratives are very far from this very encompassing list. What does this list "this" actually translate to? Can I speak/type without the rage trickling or dominating the energy of the ideas.... I’d love to hear more about this. Seems like a few of yall all were able to admit worry about microplatics. My wife is also worried about this, and has replaced all our kids’ plastic dishware with either metal or glass.... Can the economy grow forever on a finite planet?: Degrowth
Underground The Ogallala Aquifer stretches beneath eight American states. It irrigates $20 billion in crops annually. It took the last ice age to fill. In parts of western Kansas, the water table has dropped over 150 feet since 1950. Some wells have gone dry.... What would it take to clean up the air and water?: The Story
Two numbers Seven million people die early every year from the air they breathe — more than malaria, tuberculosis, and car crashes combined. In the same world, the air over American cities is cleaner than at any point since anyone thought to measure it: the six most common... - candyISdandy...
So far, WAR is entirely destructive and humans can't help themselves but to be power motivated. 100 million Tons of chemical warfare agents dumped into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and even some in the Baltic and Norwegian regions.... Is material abundance actually possible?: Resource realists
Page 11 In 2021, the IEA published a chart that should have ended several careers’ worth of optimism. To decarbonize by 2040: six times more lithium, three times more cobalt, four times more nickel than 2020 extraction....