VEN – Good News on Climate Action – Blog
Geo-engineering research: Stratospheric aerosol injection and AMOC
link to Geo-engineering video Ewa M. Bednarz, Paul Brent Goddard, Douglas G MacMartin, et al. Stratospheric Aerosol Injection could prevent future Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation decline, but injection location is key. ESS Open Archive . December 21, 2024.DOI: 10.22541/essoar.173482135.52320055/v1 link to scientific article in American Geophysical Union Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) can prevent the decline of the Atlantic Meridional…
Read MoreCan “immigrant” corals save Florida’s dying reefs?
Scientists are testing hybrid elkhorn corals bred from Florida and Honduras parents in the wild for the first time. The experiment could reshape both reef survival—and conservation politics. By Warren Cornwall in Anthropocene August 20, 2025 Coral isn’t exactly a migratory species. Many have exoskeletons that seem more like sculptures than living organisms. But right now,…
Read MoreThe backlash paradox of radical climate protests
Extreme actions turn people off the activists behind them—but may leave the broader climate movement stronger than before. By Sarah DeWeerdt in Anthropocene August 26, 2025 Groups that carry out extreme climate protests risk creating antipathy to themselves, but may increase concern about climate change more broadly, according to a new study. The findings add an…
Read MoreUS city orders coal storage to be removed by 2030:
The Portland City Council voted to require all coal that is transported or stored within the city to be stored under a “permanent covering” as of January 1, 2027. The council also voted to ban the transport or storage of more than one ton (907 kilograms) of coal in the city in Maine from December…
Read MoreSea star killer unmasked. Next step recovery.
The culprit behind the largest known marine disease outbreak is now known, giving researchers new tools to protect and reintroduce these keystone predators. By Warren Cornwall in Anthropocene August 13, 2025 For the last dozen years, scientists have been on the hunt for a killer that has claimed billions of lives. They’ve finally found it. In…
Read MoreBiochar yields triple win for cotton: Healthier soil, less water, and 87% less nitrogen runoff
New study shows that applying sugarcane-derived biochar to cotton fields offers a sustainable path forward for one of agriculture’s most resource-hungry crops. By Emma Bryce in Anthropocene magazine August 8, 2025 Adding biochar to the soil not only creates better growing conditions for cotton, but also reduces nitrogen run-off by up to 87%. These findings from…
Read MoreResearchers yoke the sun to distill ammonia fertilizer from wastewater
Making ammonia fertilizer is energy and carbon-intensive. New solar-driven method is a low-cost way to recycle the ammonia in farm and industrial runoff that would otherwise become pollution. By Anthropocene Team August 7, 2025 Sewage is not something most people want to give a second thought to, but it contains a trove of valuable nutrients. One of…
Read MoreRenewable energy will overtake coal to become the world’s top source of electricity “by 2026 at the latest”
from Bob Burton CoalWire Published by Global Energy Monitor IEA forecasts coal demand to plateau in 2025 and 2026: The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the rapid growth in wind and solar capacity is likely to drive renewable generation to exceed coal power “by 2026 at the latest”. The agency’s Electricity Mid-Year Update 2025 estimates that favourable wind and rainfall…
Read MoreArticle from the future about next week’s Economic Reform Roundtable (19 Aug) :
“best chance for breakthrough in climate policy in over a decade” The attached retrospective article from 2050 describes a credible pathway to climate safety that could start with the Roundtable.
Read MoreClean energy subsidies should be replaced with ‘market-based incentives’ from 2030, Australia’s Productivity Commission says
Interim report on investing in cheaper, cleaner energy and the net zero transformation sets out reforms Patrick Commins The Guardian Sun 3 Aug 2025 The Productivity Commission says clean energy subsidy programs should not be extended beyond 2030, and that “market-based incentives” should guide investment in the clean energy transition over the coming decades. The commission’s interim…
Read MoreHow to address wealth concentration to meet cost of living and productivity crises.
‘Neoliberalism lite’ is no solution to Australia’s cost-of-living and productivity crises. We must curb wealth concentration Jo-An Occhipinti, Ante Prodan, John Buchanan The upcoming productivity roundtable must accept this as a systemic risk, and confront it directly. Tue 15 Jul 2025 in The Guardian With a national productivity roundtable on the horizon, Anthony Albanese is seeking answers…
Read MoreAs CO2 rises trees can ‘rewire’ to increase absorption
Root intelligence: How old trees learn to suck more CO2 from the air. New research finds that centuries-old oaks can dynamically rewire how they absorb nutrients—suggesting forests may be more resilient allies in the climate fight than once believed. By Warren Cornwall July 16, 2025 in Anthropocene While greenhouse gas pollution has lots of down sides,…
Read More‘Nano’ fertilizers will reduce problem of excess fertilizer and run-off in farming.
Tiny invention, big solution. Nano fertilizers prove as effective as conventional ones Not only did nano fertilizers grow equally healthy crops as conventional fertilizers, researchers found they also released nutrients more slowly—and more efficiently. By Emma Bryce July 11, 2025 in Anthropocene magazine Nano fertilizers can be just as good at growing crops as regular fertilizers—and…
Read MoreHow can governments be held to account on climate? It’s time for the law to change.
Torres Strait leaders lost their landmark case. Experts and advocates say it’s time for the law to change after judge says matters based on climate policy cannot be decided by courts Lisa Cox Environment and climate correspondent 17 Jul 2025 in the Guardian In the hours after the federal court delivered its judgment in a landmark…
Read MoreBESS (Battery energy storage systems) capacity worldwide has more than doubled every year since 2020
Battery Storage Is Unlocking the True Power of Renewable Energy Written by Weston Wilson for We Don’t Have Time 19 July 2025 For years, solar and wind have been hailed as the cheapest and cleanest sources of electricity on the planet. But there’s always been a catch: they don’t work all the time. The sun sets, the wind…
Read MoreCORPORATE CLIMATE RESPONSIBILITY MONITOR 2025: TECH SECTOR
PUBLICATIONS Publication date 26 Jun 2025 Related materials: DOWNLOAD REPORT Authors: THOMAS DAY t.day@newclimate.org SILKE MOOLDIJK s.mooldijk@newclimate.org SYBRIG SMIT s.smit@newclimate.org Related links: View CCRM 2025 methodology As global emissions from data centres continue to rise – expected to triple by 2030 – major tech companies are facing growing questions about the credibility of their climate strategies.…
Read MoreGreens and independents to push Labor for tougher regulation of political lobbying
Greens leader Larissa Waters and independents Allegra Spender and David Pocock vow to use balance of power to strengthen rules on influence industry Tom McIlroyChief political correspondent Mon 9 Jun 2025 in The Guardian The Greens and prominent crossbenchers will push Labor to toughen regulation of political lobbying, promising to use their balance of power…
Read MoreGrowing viability of ‘adaptation finance’ as a new asset class
From WeDontHaveTime: By operationalizing the principles in its own “Guide for Adaptation and Resilience Finance,” Standard Chartered Bank is turning climate theory into impactful action. Standard Chartered has taken a major step in addressing the economic fallout from extreme weather events by completing its first labelled adaptation finance deal for a corporate client. The milestone…
Read MoreFrom crop waste to clothing: new research takes a first step
Testing wheat straw, oat husks, potatoes and sugar beet, scientists identify promising candidates to make future fibres from farm waste. By Emma Bryce June 20, 2025 Anthropocene magazine One group of researchers have chanced upon a creative solution for agricultural waste: turning it into fabric. In a new study, they explain that agricultural waste streams can…
Read MoreNot all AI prompts are equal. Some emit 50x more carbon than others. Here’s why.
When researchers delved into the tradeoff between AI sustainability and accuracy, they uncovered strategies for greener chatbots. By Sarah DeWeerdt June 24, 2025 in Anthropocene magazine Some AI prompts result in 50 times more carbon emissions than others, according to a new study. The findings suggest that large language models (LLMs)—the technology behind advanced chatbots and…
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