Sustainable mining - will we fund the required investment?
One of the biggest sustainability transition challenges relates to our ability to mine enough critical minerals to allow the various sustainable industries to scale up the (already known) solutions.
What caught our eye - three key stories (week 6, 2024)
Positive story about coal mines; wee test for bowel cancer?; will European supply chain regs work?
Sunday Brunch: good faith is no defence for lack of foresight
Are directors properly discharging their fiduciary duty by taking into account the changing landscape in which they operate?
Tracking concrete technology developments
Among the various organisations interested in lower carbon concrete is, unsurprisingly, the Institution of Structural Engineers. Concrete is a massively important building material. But, as they say "publicly available information about these technologies is often limited and inconsistent, making it difficult to draw comparisons with conventional concrete." Which
Electricity ducks being seen in Spain
Solar electricity generation offers the potential for low electricity prices, at least when the sun is shining. Data shows that there is a decent correlation between the market price of electricity and what is called the residual load (demand minus supply contributions from wind and solar). The best way to
Radical food system overhaul could deliver US$10 trillion per year in benefits
A report from the Food System Economics Commission (FSEC) argues that the current set up of food systems globally (i.e. what food we grow, how we grow it and how we distribute it to people) has a cost far bigger than their contribution to global prosperity and is on
Easing the perceived pain of retrofitting payback
The simple payback period calculation for retrofitting (amount spent / annual savings) misses nuance
What caught our eye - three key stories (week 5, 2024)
Food system overhaul brings $10tn pa benefits; Spanish electricity ducks; tracking concrete tech developments
Sunday Brunch: Who pays matters
Funding sustainability cannot just be a debate about which funding source - we also need to understand how willing the end consumer is to foot the bill. Or putting it in simple terms, who pays. Because someone has to. And who gains? Is it always the same 'person' that pays?
An 'Industrial Revolution' for efficient buildings?
The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive could create a massive investment opportunity.
The 5% rate and other untruths about battery recycling.
In a LinkedIn article, Hans Eric Melin, Managing Director of Circular Energy Storage Research and Consulting, addressed a 'well documented fact' about battery recycling: only 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled; 95% of batteries go to landfill. Other claims about batteries from their energy intensive production and associated
Blood test could revolutionise Alzheimer's diagnosis
An existing commercially available blood test could identify Alzheimer's risk early.
