Cement is considered one of our hardest challenges, as Brimstone CEO and 2024 innovator Cody Finke will inform you. I wrote about Brimstone and different efforts to reinvent cement earlier this yr.
One other factor
We want an entire lot of metals to handle local weather change, from the copper in transmission traces to the nickel in lithium-ion batteries that energy electrical autos. Some researchers assume crops would possibly be capable to assist.
Roughly 750 species of crops are so-called hyperaccumulators, that means they naturally take in and tolerate comparatively excessive concentrations of metallic. A brand new program is funding analysis into how we would use this trait to assist supply nickel, and doubtlessly different metals, sooner or later. Learn the complete story right here.
Maintaining with local weather
A hurricane that just lately 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 stunning. (New Scientist)
Rising sea ranges are one of many signs of a altering local weather, however nailing down precisely what “sea degree” means is extra difficult than you would possibly assume. We’ve gotten higher at measuring sea degree over the previous few centuries, although. (New Yorker)
The US Division of Power’s Mortgage Applications Workplace has practically $400 million in lending authority. This yr’s election might shift the main target of that workplace drastically, making it a bellwether of how the outcomes might have an effect on vitality priorities. (Bloomberg)
What if fusion energy finally ends up working, but it surely’s too costly to play a major function 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 objectives on zero-emissions autos. Though gross sales are rising, uptake is slower than many thought it might be, contributing to the nervous vitality within the trade. (Canary Media)
It’s a tricky time to be within the enterprise of next-generation batteries. The woes of three startups reveal that troublesome instances are right here, seemingly for some time. (The Data)