[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 and landed a nice investment 😎. If you interested (and speak a Scandinavian language 🙈) check it out here.

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‼️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.

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👩‍⚕️ Status: Climate & Science

Let's look at how we're doing this week!

[#science] — Scientists are exploring unconventional methods for mining critical minerals, such as extracting metals from seawater using algae, utilizing hyperaccumulator plants like Odontarrhena chalcidica for nickel, and investigating the potential of mining waste and even asteroids to meet growing demands sustainably. These innovative approaches aim to reduce environmental impacts associated with traditional mining practices.

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📰 The 7 Grand Challenges

⚡️Decarbonize Electricity

Clean electricity is the one do-or-die challenge we must solve.

[#wind] — The U.S. offshore wind industry faces challenges due to a moratorium on new leases under the Trump administration, high interest rates, and past accidents. Despite these hurdles, experts believe there are still opportunities for progress, particularly with state-level commitments to renewable energy and ongoing projects under construction.

🏘 Reduce impact of urban and rural areas

Lowering the impact of urban and rural areas.

[#batteries] — Battery recycling can significantly reduce the need for environmentally harmful mining of critical minerals like lithium and cobalt, as demand for these resources surges with the rise of electric vehicles. Companies like Redwood Materials are leading efforts in recycling, aiming to reclaim valuable materials while addressing human rights and environmental concerns associated with mining. However, challenges remain in scaling up recycling operations and ensuring sufficient supply of used batteries for processing.