Climate is the overwhelming story of our generation. Each week, this email reports the science, often frightening, and the tech, mostly encouraging. Please share to help others appreciate the problem, and that we have solutions. Free sign up at www.maxaitken.com 

What you need to know

Nothing to see here. Gas prices normal. Until the next £25bn bill.

Why this matters? Two years after the Ukraine war, gas prices are normal.
But it cost us? The UK paid an extra £25bn for gas in the last two years.
Decarbonisation would have helped? Yes, could have saved £87bn since 2010. But didn’t, government said it was ‘green crap’.
Read more: ECIU - The Cost of NOT Zero in 2023

Super awesome British tech: not something you hear often, but truly massive

Why this matters? Sheffield Forgemasters created Electron Beam Welding. One year’s work, now in one day. Mega-revolutionary for nukes & wind.
Malthus spinning in grave? Yes. As always: believe in humans, we do cool stuff.
Read more: Good long geeky thread from Jordan Taylor 

Big Mike drops mike

Why this matters? Michael Liebreich: best UK writer on climate, dropped a new essay. This one’s a doozy: he’s optimistic, mostly.
10 Second version please, I promise I’ll read it. He’s all about the good stuff with “Five Superheroes of the Transition”:

1. New tech growing exponentially, faster than the models predict

2. We have systems, so can solve sun not shining/wind not blowing

3. We’re solving the truly hard problems like steel and cement

4. Recycling works: we need less minerals than people think

5. The Primary Energy fallacy. Fossils waste energy as heat: a renewable system needs less energy overall

Bottom line: these five mean we may keep below 2ºC if not 1.5ºC, and by 2070 not 2050.

Read it: “Net Zero Will Be Harder Than You Think – And Easier”

One thing to worry about

Temperatures: 194 countries broke records this month. Scary data from Extreme Temperatures Around the World.

February records broken in the last 48 hours:

• Jakarta, Bangkok and Vientiane: Hottest night

• Japan: Hottest day in a record-breaking heatwave

• Western Shanghai: First-ever snow

• 26 locations in China broke lowest temperatures

• Dar es Salaam’s min temp 28.3C, fifth time record broken this month

• Honduras recorded the lowest & highest temperature on the same day

Not normal.

Two things to be optimistic about

Stupendous EV & battery news this week.

• 🚙 Electric cars: BYD announced a full-size 300-mile EV for $15,000 (in China). VW is toast; aims to combine Euro autos into ‘Airbus of EVs’

• 🔋Car battery prices to fall by 50% - this year. Not hype from a start-up: CATL is the world’s largest battery maker. 🤯 

If we get out of this climate thing, we’ll all be writing thank-you letters to Xi Jinping 🙌  💌 🇨🇳

If you’ve got more time, read this…

Climate change is wrecking our planet. We are not taking it seriously.

Why?

Peter Sainsbury attempted to answer in ‘Climate Change - A tragedy in 3 parts’:

• The Tragedy of the Commons: Individuals, acting in their own self-interest, over-exploit a scarce resource, contrary to the common good.

• The Tragedy of the Horizon: We prioritise those alive today (us) over those born tomorrow (our kids).

• The Tragedy of Inertia: Highly complex economies with massive embedded interests are almost impossible to change

Answers? On a postcard, please.

If you like this newsletter, please forward to friends or colleagues who might appreciate it. Sign up at maxaitken.com - it’s free.

My new business is Beaverbrook Energy - supporting commercial & industrial companies in the energy transition. Follow us on LinkedIn ahead of our 2024 launch.