Climate is the overwhelming story of our generation. Each week, this email reports the science, often frightening, and the tech, mostly encouraging. Please share - sign up is free at www.maxaitken.com 

What you need to know

Climate change shortening time itself

WTF? Melting ice alters the planet’s weight distribution, accelerating rotation.
Less time in bed? You’re good - only 6 millionths of a second per year.
Read more: Space.com 

Bad idea a waste of time, says man who knows what’s he’s talking about

eMethane miracle? Noisy US startups can make natural gas from air & water.
Alchemy? No, because physics, says Michael Liebriecht, identifying it as ‘a thermodynamic turd’. Works because subsidies: it’s super expensive.
Read more: Boosters on X; Takedown on Substack

SBTi gets real: carbon credits out, out, out

Why this matters? For years, corporates bought carbon credits like medieval pilgrims buying indulgences. This month SBTi (think: Luther) is clamping down.
This changes things? BIG TIME for corporates with net zero plans. EY have delayed net zero already.
What’s the new path? Cleaning up your own value chain, not just paying for random stuff elsewhere.
Read more: CarbonMarketWatch

One thing to worry about

Fossil use is still going up. CarbonTracker found not one single oil company plans to reduce production in coming decades. This year: 1.22m barrels/day growth (IEA).

We won’t make the Paris goals because of this alone.

One thing to be optimistic about

One reason I write: David Deutsch’s Principle of Optimism: “All evils are caused by insufficient knowledge.” So, spread the word.

UK press nonsense to combat this week:

1. The Times headlined “Electric car demand has fallen sharply”. But the article itself said sales rose by 3.8%. 🤷‍♂️

2. The Telegraph’s Matt Ridley claimed solar on farmland will take us ‘back to the dark ages’. Twitter/X demonstrated it’s utter rubbish. 🤥

A reminder: Solar doesn’t threaten farming (or anything else):

If you’ve got more time, read this…

I like steak. A lot. But should I eat less? Frustratingly, the evidence is yes. Cows eat a lot and emit greenhouse gases through burping and farting.

Some ideas: feeding seaweed or lemongrass. Even trapping cow burps 😳. But all these <20% better - my wife’s bean stew is 95%.

Read Sentient on how bad beef is and nothing much will improve it. Consider hamburgers are destroying the Colarado River, and that New York is suing Big Meat for greenwashing. 😫

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