THE BRIEF [April 22-28'24]
THE BRIEF [April 22-28'24]
Record warm start to 2024, fossil fuel reaches new low in UK, 27 law firms needed and remember the US election
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Weekly Climate 🎉
References: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] and [6].
If you’re only getting The Brief but want to get the full version of the newsletter be sure to upgrade your plan to paid. Check out the preview that you will receive to see why more than 30 people think it’s worth paying for. And see a recent week’s full newsletter for details for why I decided to go paid.
If you’re getting both: Thank you so much for deciding to upgrade to go paid 🙏. And thanks to everybody for reading my newsletter regardless of which version you read 🤗.
‼️News you can’t miss
Here’s one important scary/bad (🙀), good (😻), interesting (😼) and fossil (💩) news item.
🙀 State of the climate 2024 is off to a record warm start
😻 Fossil fuels fall to record-low 2.4% of British electricity
😼 “You need 27 law firms to figure out the rules of working in industries related to climate change”
💩 Remember that the US election is going to be critical for solving the climate crisis
This week’s highlights
[#EVoutlook] — The IEA 2024 Global EV Outlook report highlights the progress of electric cars becoming a mass market product in several countries. Electric car sales grew by around 25% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, with the market share of electric cars projected to reach up to 45% in China, 25% in Europe, and over 11% in the United States. The report also discusses the sales of heavy-duty electric vehicles, trends in charging infrastructure, battery demand, and the effect of electric vehicles on emissions. An important detail of that report is that global battery rollout doubled last year, but it needs to be six times faster to meet renewable energy targets, according to the IEA. The report highlights the need for 1,500GW of energy storage, including 1,200GW from batteries, by the end of the decade. While batteries have seen significant cost reductions and growth due to electric vehicles, further cost reductions and diversification of supply chains are necessary. A battery boom could unlock transformations in renewable energy uptake and the introduction of electric vehicles. Global investment in batteries reached $150bn last year, with strong growth expected in electric car sales and their role in power grids.
[#eupolicymess] — European policymakers have created rules for the region's energy transition based on a 2050 scenario, which are not suitable for the current situation. This approach is hindering progress and causing confusion, as multiple strategies and conflicting rules make it difficult for industries and investors to navigate. There is a need to focus on step-by-step progress and adaptability rather than being bound by rules that may not be relevant until 2050 (P.S. This article seem to be quite fossil fuel friendly as it spends the middle 3rd talking about how the issue is specifically problematic for fossil fuel industry. But I decided to include it since I do believe the issue of complex regulation is a huge issue in the climate change debate that is being given way too little attention. In my own startup Elby.co we’re feeling this issue very directly).
[#plastictreaty] — The global plastics treaty is currently being negotiated to address plastic pollution. The treaty aims to set ambitious targets, such as banning the export and incineration of plastic waste and implementing a "polluter pays" principle. However, negotiations have been challenging, with competing interests and disagreements over production limits. The treaty also seeks to address public health concerns associated with plastics. While details are still being finalized, the treaty is considered a significant international environmental deal with the potential to have a major impact on plastic pollutio
That’s it for this week folks!
If you want more details or simply think my newsletter rocks remember that you can always go paid to get the full version of the Weekly Climate. But before you do, ask yourself this question: Does it provide you with 1.25$ worth of value every week? Obviously I think it does. In fact I really hope that just the time alone I save you should easily cover those 1.25$. Don’t hesitate to ping me on michael@weeklyclimate.com or comment below with any questions, feedback or comments regarding this.
Remember if you’re feeling down, angry or sad from some of the news in this newsletter one cure is to act. And one way you can always act that also happens to be one of the most powerful things you can do is to talk about it. That also works if what you just read made you hopeful or happy btw.
If you enjoyed this newsletter don’t forget to share it with your friends, coworkers or other people you think could benefit from getting it. If you got directed here by a friend or another link on the Internet don’t forget to subscribe!
See you all next week 👋