THE BRIEF [Mar 24-30'25]
🧊 When Gods Go Missing: Climate Change's Cultural and Economic Ripples
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Weekly Climate 🎉
References: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] and [6].
Back again. And now I’m also allowed to say why I was so damn busy last week: My startup Elby was in the Danish version of shark tank 😎. If you interested (and speak a Scandinavian language 🙈) check it out here.
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.
🙀 [#seaice]: Global sea ice hits record low, accelerating climate feedback loops and threatening marine ecosystems, tourism, and Indigenous communities.
😻 [#batteries]: Battery recycling innovations are reducing the need for environmentally harmful mining while reclaiming valuable materials for the clean energy transition.
😼 [#culturalimpact]: Japan's Lake Suwa fails to freeze for seven consecutive winters, disrupting a centuries-old religious tradition and serving as a powerful cultural indicator of climate change.
💩 [#subsidies]: Despite increasing in frequency and ambition since 2016, fossil fuel subsidy reforms have become increasingly fragile with only 9% lasting beyond 36 months.
This week’s highlights
This week brings sobering news about record low sea ice levels, highlighting the accelerating impacts of climate change on our planet's ecosystems. On a more positive note, battery recycling innovations offer promising solutions to reduce harmful mining practices. Meanwhile, legal battles over climate accountability intensify, fossil fuel subsidy reforms struggle to gain lasting traction, and the critical intersection of Indigenous rights with the clean energy transition demands our attention.
Global Sea Ice Hits a Record Low
Global sea ice has reached an alarming record low, creating a dangerous feedback loop that accelerates global warming. As ice melts, darker ocean surfaces absorb more heat, leading to further warming and melting. This dramatic decline poses significant risks to marine ecosystems, coastal communities, and Indigenous populations who depend on sea ice for traditional activities. Scientists emphasize the urgent need for continued monitoring and research funding to understand these rapid changes and their implications for global climate systems. Read more...
Battery Recycling Offers Solution to Mining Concerns
As demand for critical minerals surges with the electric vehicle revolution, battery recycling is emerging as a crucial alternative to environmentally harmful mining. Companies like Redwood Materials are pioneering efforts to reclaim valuable materials from used batteries, addressing both environmental and human rights concerns associated with traditional mining practices. While the recycling industry faces challenges in scaling operations and securing sufficient used batteries, it represents a promising path toward more sustainable clean energy technologies. Read more...
Rachel Rothschild's Legal Strategies Target Fossil Fuel Companies
Legal scholar Rachel Rothschild has become both a pioneer and a target for her work developing strategies to hold fossil fuel companies accountable for climate damage. Her legal frameworks have inspired new state laws that could potentially cost these companies billions in damages. Unsurprisingly, she now faces coordinated discrediting campaigns linked to fossil fuel interests. The industry is fighting back with legal challenges claiming these accountability laws are unconstitutional, highlighting the contentious battleground where climate action and corporate interests collide. Read more...
Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reforms Proving Unsustainable
Despite increasing in frequency and ambition since 2016, fossil fuel subsidy reforms are showing alarming fragility. New research reveals that only 30% of these reforms last beyond 12 months, with a mere 9% surviving past 36 months. This troubling trend raises serious questions about the effectiveness of current approaches to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, which remain one of the most significant barriers to meaningful climate action. The findings suggest that more robust policy frameworks and political commitments are needed to ensure lasting reform. Read more...
Indigenous Lands Central to Energy Transition Minerals
More than half of the minerals essential for the global energy transition are located on Indigenous lands, creating a critical intersection of climate solutions and Indigenous rights. As demand for lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements skyrockets, concerns grow about whether mining companies will respect tribal sovereignty and implement proper free, prior, and informed consent protocols. Many Indigenous communities already face disenfranchisement and violence when their rights are ignored, despite international frameworks designed to protect them. This situation highlights the urgent need for just approaches to resource extraction that respect Indigenous self-determination. Read more...
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 👋