⏳ 10-Second Climate

There must be some kind of way out of here / Jimi Hendrix

Climate & energy are changing everything.

This is the fastest way to keep up.

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What mattered this week

Metals vs Food: That molecule in your EV is also growing your food

Um, what? Sulphuric acid: 57% goes to fertiliser, for food production. 43% refines copper, nickel, uranium - metals the energy transition needs.

And we still have plenty, right? No. Hormuz closure cut seaborne sulphur loadings 31% in March. China banned all by-product acid exports on 1 May. Indonesian nickel +$4,000/t. Chile's spot acid up 44% in a month.

Where does this end up? Governments always feed their people first. Mines wait. And your EV delivery slows down because of it.

Read more: Craig Tindale's 4,500-word piece on the metals-vs-food paradox and his fun new Reagent Brittleness Index 🤩 

The next fight: Food vs AI. Gas grows half the world's food. And AI wants a piece.

Sorry, what? Ammonia. Nitrogen fertiliser. Half the planet's food calories run through it - all from natural gas. ~3% of global gas → ~50% of humanity's nutrition.

AI wants a bit. 100 UK data centres are saying they want gas. And they can pay. Can the farmer?

A solution? Build 50 nuclear reactors at the same time. If you can.

I’m guessing China can. Correct. They just announced the industrial capability. 60 reactors running. 36 in build. 7 switching on before December.

And now to 50 at a time? Standardised designs. Integrated supply chains. They own the chokepoints, including the 90% of global critical mineral processing.

So while the West… fights over fish rights (see last week)

One thing to worry about

August weather. In May.

Parts of Spain and Portugal will touch 40°C next week.

Yes, it’s still May, and usually under 30°. This is record territory for July or August. (Peter Dynes)

One thing to be optimistic about

New IEA report on EVs: 30% of cars sold globally this year will be electric.

100 countries set new EV records in 2025. Southeast Asia +80% in Q1. Half of global car sales electric by 2035.

Not policy. Good cars. (IEA Global EV Outlook)

If you’ve got more time…

If you live in Britain, ask yourself: “Am I okay in a warming world?”

Britain: Cooked

The UK’s Climate Change Committee just published A Well-Adapted UK — the most comprehensive review of how ready Britain is for the change we’re already seeing.

Their answer: not really.

  • Your house. Built for a country that doesn't exist any more. No shading, no cross-ventilation, difficult to add AC.

  • Your water bill. Water stress is here. Yes, in England. Result: Higher bills.

  • Your power. Network resilience under extreme weather: We didn’t build for that.

  • Your food. Supply chains running through Spain, Italy, Morocco. All heating faster than we are.

  • Your insurance. Being quietly increased as we speak.

The CCC's line: "It is time for change."

My take: it's later than you think, and we're behind.

Climate change is undermining the UK’s security and prosperity. We are already experiencing serious impacts now, and further impacts are inevitable. By the middle of the century, the UK’s climate will be much more extreme than today. Hotter heatwaves could see 92% of existing homes overheat, creating dangerous conditions for vulnerable people. Peak river flows will be up to 45% higher, last longer, and be seen more frequently, driving increased flooding. Drier summers will mean shortfalls in water supply could reach over five billion litres per day, making drought more widespread. Without global emissions reductions, these risks may go past the point where the UK can protect itself with adaptation measures.

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