What mattered this week

Britain is burning extra gas. For years. To save some fish.

Sorry, what? Natural England is demanding new nuke at Hinkley Point be delayed two years until they build a salt marsh. To protect fish.

Hasn't EDF already done that? £700m on fish protection so far. £50m on an acoustic deterrent that works 93% of the time. Not enough, apparently.

Is this why we can’t have nice things? Yes. Two more years of gas. Two more years of foreign dependence. For the fish.

Read more: Sam Dumitriu on Substack ‘Natural England is a threat to Britain’s Energy Security’

Thai farmers just gave up.

Wait, what? Thai farmers entering planting season are leaving land fallow. The reporter who went to document it says it's worse than she expected.

Why? Fertiliser and fuel up due to Iran . Farmers can't afford to plant.

Where does this end up? Less rice planted = higher rice prices across Asia.

Read more: WaPo (£); Rebecca Tan on X

New Zealand: Actually, you can’t sue the fossil boys

But I want revenge. Sorry. NZ rewriting law: companies won’t be liable for climate harm.

And… why now? Six big emitters - including dairy giant Fonterra - are about to go on trial. So the government is killing the case 🤔.

Read more: The Conversation 

One thing to worry about

India is now so hot, so regularly, that they are building public AC shelters for outdoor workers to cool down (DeBriefed).

This is adaptation. When you’re hitting 46°C on a regular basis - you’re literally cooked 🍳 (Independent)

One thing to be optimistic about

Quaise has a new angle on geothermal energy: Drill further than anyone else. 15–20km down, you hit 500°C rocks - everywhere.

They are using mm-wave radiation to vaporise rocks into plasma. Nice.

There's so much we haven't tried yet. Imagine what else is still to come.

Back humanity. (New Atlas)

If you’ve got more time…

OK, this is the strategic one: Michael Liebreich just published the Electrification Staircase - successor to his famous Hydrogen Ladder.

His line: "Electrify Everything is dead. Long live Electrify Almost Everything."

Translation: the question isn't whether to electrify - it's which sectors go first (cars, heat pumps, low-temp industrial heat — bottom of the stairs, easy and now), which go later (high-temp industrial process, regional aviation - middle), and which need something else entirely (ocean shipping, aviation).

If you read one thing on energy strategy this month, make it this.