Progress, Urgency, and Disasters
Good news on power generation, the continued need for urgency, and adapting to increasing weather volatility
One of the main reasons I started writing this newsletter is that I saw an enormous divide between what I saw on the evening news about climate change and what I was learning about technology related to climate change. The news mostly covers horrible, devastating stories that leave me feeling like there’s no point in bothering—we’ve killed the planet, temperature rise is baked in and we are doomed.
The reality is (as it always is) much more complicated and nuanced. Amazing advances have happened in the past decade that most people don’t really know about at all:
In 2023, for the first time ever, solar power accounted for more than 50% of new electricity capacity added to the grid.
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the biggest investment ever made in slowing climate change, and it’s having a tangible, positive impact.
Batteries are the key to using clean energy sources like solar and wind, and battery technology has improved significantly. California is using large-scale battery storage to stabilize the grid. Here’s a summary of a NYT article about the surprising news.
Equally importantly, it’s possible to recycle 95% of the mineral components of lithium ion batteries, which means that eventually, batteries will represent a true circular economy.
I don’t want this issue to be another list of facts, but these positive kinds of stories need to be more widely spread, because it’s the antidote to the feeling that we can’t do anything about climate change. The fact is we can, and we are doing something about it. The evening news doesn’t feature stories about batteries or policy issues that hold up new solar developments, and that makes sense, but most people don’t have time to dig deep into climate news.
And, of course, it’s not all good news. Since the Paris Accords, the goal has been to keep the global temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees above preindustrial temperatures. Right now, there’s a very strong possibility that we are already on track to pass that threshold. In other words, even if we got to net zero tomorrow, we’ll still surpass 1.5 degrees.
Decarbonizing, as quickly as possible, remains urgent. At the same time, we need to start adapting. This week, violent storms raged across the US, taking lives and homes, and causing billions of dollars in damage.
Billion dollar disasters happen much more frequently now than they did in the past. 2023 was both the most expensive and deadliest year of weather and climate-related disasters. Talking about things like floods and tornadoes in an economic way is one thing, but seeing neighbors, friends, and family members lose their homes or even lives is an entirely different thing. What can we do, on a personal level, in the face of unpredictable storms?
Like all facets of climate change, adaptability seems like an overwhelming challenge, but there are some real things to think about, like insurance coverage (the insurance industry plays a surprising role in climate change policy), storm shelters, building codes, and many others.
Over the next few weeks I’m going to continue researching adaptability and what kinds of things regular folks should be thinking about.