The hottest Climate & Environment Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Climate & Environment Topics

Agents of Erosion

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 219 implied HN points • 26 Jan 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Urban Ecology Geology Environmental Impact
  1. Everyone contributes to erosion in our environment, even just by walking on steps. Our shoes cause tiny bits of stone to wear away over time.
  2. Winter weather leads to more potholes because water expands when it freezes, damaging roads. It's a reminder that even annoying things can have a positive side for nature.
  3. Roots from trees can push up sidewalks and create obstacles in urban areas. This shows how nature constantly interacts with our built environment and can cause challenges.

Degrowth Movement Would Abort Renewables Revolution

Japan Economy Watch • 259 implied HN points • 28 Sep 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy Economic Growth Carbon Emissions
  1. Renewable energy provides a big opportunity due to its cost advantage over traditional fuels, allowing poorer countries to leapfrog over coal and oil.
  2. As countries get richer, they emit less CO2, as seen in the correlation between GDP increase and carbon emissions decrease.
  3. Technological progress, driven by growth, leads to declining emissions per GDP, per person, and eventually in total, with services being less carbon-intensive than manufacturing.

The IPCC and the Gates-Kerry-Gore axis of smug, jet-setting pseudoscience aren't interested in CO2 reduction. They're tyrannical zealots bent on reducing human thriving

Beck of the Pack • 58 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Global Warming Environmental Impact Climate Policy
  1. The IPCC and certain renowned figures are seen as zealots focused on controlling human thriving instead of reducing CO2
  2. Disillusionment led to questioning established truths in various fields such as pharma, 9/11, and the green agenda
  3. Climate change may be influenced more by natural factors like fluctuations in sunlight and planetary dynamics rather than human actions

Path to 100% Green Hydrogen

Warming Up to Climate Tech • 98 implied HN points • 30 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment
  1. Hydrogen has been explored as a fuel since the 1800s, with the market predicted to grow to over 2.5 trillion USD by 2050.
  2. Green hydrogen production through electrolysis is crucial for decarbonization efforts, but cost remains a significant challenge.
  3. Hydrogen color ratings like green, gray, and black represent different production methods, with green hydrogen being the most environmentally friendly.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

The Community of Air

Field Guide to the Anthropocene • 98 implied HN points • 10 Mar 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Conservation Activism Nature Pollution Sustainability
  1. The documentary 'All That Breathes' highlights the powerful connection between empathy and ethics in caring for wounded birds.
  2. Noticing the suffering of the natural world is a crucial step in understanding our place in the Anthropocene era.
  3. The High Seas Treaty signals a transformative shift by regulating human activity to protect ecosystems in the deep oceans.

Good Grief

Field Guide to the Anthropocene • 98 implied HN points • 17 Mar 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Conservation Emissions Biodiversity
  1. The Anthropocene is a period of irreversible ecological disruptions caused by humans, requiring acceptance of losses and a commitment to stabilizing the environment.
  2. In the face of global-scale grief and loss in the Anthropocene, finding small but vital lights of hope is crucial.
  3. Individuals making dedicated efforts to protect and heal ecosystems and species offer paths forward in the challenging Anthropocene era.

Building the Future by Hand

Field Guide to the Anthropocene • 98 implied HN points • 05 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Conservation Renewable Energy Ecology Climate Crisis
  1. The Green Revolution Requires a Blue-Collar Revelation - Trades jobs are in high demand for the clean energy transition.
  2. If You Go to College, Study the Real World - Encouraging students to study practical skills, even alongside a college degree.
  3. Future Career Advice for Students - Emphasizing the importance of hands-on work and making a meaningful impact on the world.

Solar and market prices: focus on Southeast Europe

GEM Energy Analytics • 139 implied HN points • 25 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy Solar Power Market Analysis Energy Policy
  1. Southeast Europe has a lot of potential for solar energy, especially in Greece, which could become a major supplier of green electricity to Europe.
  2. Solar energy production is expected to grow rapidly in the region, leading to high price fluctuations in day-ahead markets due to varying solar output.
  3. Greece is pushing for better electricity connections with neighboring countries to export its excess solar energy and support the transition away from fossil fuels.

Free Hong

The Crucial Years • 597 implied HN points • 06 Jun 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Activism Renewable Energy Environmental justice Fossil fuels
  1. Hong Thi Minh is a brave climate activist from Vietnam who faced arrest for speaking out about climate crisis and coal use.
  2. Telling the truth about climate crisis can be dangerous in countries with oppressive governments, leading to arrests of activists.
  3. Supporting brave activists like Hong through global advocacy and pressure on governments is crucial for protecting human rights and advancing climate action.

Street Smart Naturalist: 2022 in Review

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 219 implied HN points • 05 Jan 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Natural History Urban Ecology Wildlife Community Engagement
  1. The newsletter author focuses on diverse topics related to nature, urban life, and history to engage readers and spark curiosity. They enjoy sharing new discoveries and fun facts.
  2. The most popular newsletters of the year include stories about coyotes in Seattle, urban geography, and local wildlife, showing a blend of personal experiences and broader observations.
  3. The author appreciates feedback from readers and plans to continue creating engaging content in 2023. They invite suggestions for future topics and express gratitude for the support received.

Solar Panels for Collapse, Are They Worth It? Here's an Honest Answer.

OK Doomer • 114 implied HN points • 06 Feb 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Energy Disaster Community Property
  1. Installing solar panels can be a smart move during power outages or natural disasters. They helped one family during a tornado, allowing them to stay in their home instead of facing a difficult situation.
  2. While solar panels can add value to a home and provide energy security, they also come with risks. It's important to consider whether they are truly worth the investment based on individual needs and local conditions.
  3. Finding scalable and adaptable solutions, rather than just relying on expensive setups, is key. Community support and cheaper options may be more beneficial in the long run.

Who is this for anyways?

cleanenergyreview • 19 implied HN points • 10 May 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Clean Energy Climate change
  1. Public-facing writing on climate and clean energy faces challenges due to varying levels of expertise and intent in the audience.
  2. It's important to focus on questions like under what conditions assertions are true and how things may change in the future for better reporting and thinking on energy topics.
  3. The author aims to use their platform to clarify their thinking on energy-related topics by focusing on key questions often not covered by others.

How the German energy transition has committed taxpayers to paying billions of Euros for the sun to shine

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 169 implied HN points • 25 Oct 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy Renewables Climate change Environmental Economics Sustainability
  1. Germany's energy transition has made taxpayers pay billions for solar energy, even when supply exceeds demand. This means people are paying producers for electricity that isn't really needed.
  2. The costs for solar feed-in tariffs are rising every year, and future projections expect them to reach even higher levels. This could lead to major budget issues for the government.
  3. New rules for solar subsidies aim to prevent overproduction from larger solar farms, but smaller operators remain a problem without a clear solution. Many small solar users may not benefit from these changes.

The cost of wind, the price of wind, the value of wind

Jérôme à Paris • 510 implied HN points • 08 Aug 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy Carbon Emissions Energy Market Environmental Impact Sustainability
  1. Cost, price, and value of wind power are different concepts in the energy market, with costs being related to production, prices driven by market forces, and value including externalities like pollution and carbon emissions.
  2. Wind power has fixed costs, zero marginal cost, and can lower electricity prices for consumers, making it an attractive option compared to fossil fuel-based generation.
  3. Externalities like intermittency, carbon emissions, and security of supply contribute to the overall value proposition of wind power, impacting its role in the system and the pricing mechanisms in place.

Why real environmental action is so hard

Technology, Environment, and Art • 39 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Capitalism Science Consumerism Sustainability
  1. The global capitalistic-consumerist system is fundamentally destructive and promotes unsustainable practices, causing cognitive dissonance in individuals.
  2. Efforts to address environmental issues are often evaluated based on their ability to further global consumerism rather than their actual impact.
  3. To truly make a difference, we need to challenge the current industrial and capitalistic systems, reassess our reliance on technology, and make significant lifestyle changes to prioritize sustainability over convenience.

Underestimating climate damage

Klement on Investing • 2 implied HN points • 02 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Economic Impacts Climate Modeling Extreme Weather Risk Assessment
  1. Models that only use average temperature changes miss important effects and tend to underestimate economic damage from climate change.
  2. Higher average temperatures increase the chance of extreme heat waves and heavy precipitation, and these extreme events cause most of the economic harm.
  3. Including within-year temperature variation raises estimated damages a lot—roughly 13% more in temperate regions and about 47% more in continental climates—showing impacts differ greatly by region.

Recasting climate change as an ethical problem

The Global Jigsaw • 79 implied HN points • 17 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Ethics Global impact
  1. Climate change is an ethical issue, especially concerning the historical emissions of rich Western countries.
  2. Ethical considerations suggest equal per capita carbon emissions for a fair global policy, but this faces challenges.
  3. Climate change requires a global moral obligation beyond typical social circles and questions political interests over moral responsibility.

It’s February, and I am writing about… heat waves

Klement on Investing • 1 implied HN point • 16 Feb 26
🌞 Climate & Environment Extreme Weather Adaptation Public Health Infrastructure
  1. Heat waves are already interfering with people’s ability to work. They’re even pushing households in traditionally cool climates to install air conditioning.
  2. Sick leave rises as heat waves lengthen, and people with circulatory problems are particularly likely to fall ill. Outdoor occupations like transport, logistics, agriculture, and construction are hit hardest.
  3. A single heat wave causes measurable lost wages and higher health costs, and while the GDP impact per event may seem small, repeated and worsening heat waves mean investing in adaptation (like cooling) is needed to limit future economic and health losses.

Japan Unlikely To Meet 2030 Goal For Emissions Reduction

Japan Economy Watch • 219 implied HN points • 04 Oct 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Emissions Reduction Renewable Energy Carbon Emissions Greenhouse Gases Environmental policies
  1. Achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 requires strong government measures, as economic growth and renewable energy price reduction alone are insufficient.
  2. Decarbonizing energy is crucial but challenging, especially for richer countries as their per capita energy consumption increases.
  3. Japan faces hurdles in meeting emission reduction goals by 2030, like relying on coal and natural gas due to nuclear power challenges, and not fully maximizing opportunities in renewable energy and decarbonization sectors.

Renewables Mania And Woke Dogma Behind Hawaii Fire, Not Climate Change

Public • 469 implied HN points • 17 Aug 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Wildfires Renewable Energy Environmental Policy Disinformation
  1. Climate change may not have directly caused the Hawaii fire, as the strong winds from Hurricane Dora played a significant role.
  2. Human-made changes to the landscape, including the growth of invasive grasses due to former sugar cane farms, contributed to the fire's intensity.
  3. Issues like failure to clear flammable grasses around electric wires and delayed release of water by a state official also played crucial roles in the Hawaii fire.

Electric Vehicle Myths

Diane Francis • 519 implied HN points • 22 Nov 21
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy Sustainability Renewable Energy Electric Vehicles Environmental Impact
  1. Electric vehicles are not fully green unless their electricity comes from clean sources. It's important to consider where the power to charge them is generated.
  2. The true environmental impact of electric vehicles depends on the electricity used to recharge them, not just the vehicles themselves.
  3. To make electric vehicles truly eco-friendly, we need to ensure a shift towards renewable energy for electricity production.

Help Bill Weihl Take LEAD On Climate Policy

Surfing the Future • 39 implied HN points • 13 Feb 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy Sustainability Climate Crisis
  1. Bill Weihl advocates for companies to play a stronger role in climate policy.
  2. Weihl uses AI-generated audio to communicate due to ALS, highlighting the importance of sustainability professionals' collective voice.
  3. The LEAD statement calls for companies to leave obstructing trade associations, elevate climate policy, advocate for specific climate policies, and commit to transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Why Global Warming Has Accelerated: Hansen's Lay Explanation

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 100 implied HN points • 14 Feb 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Global Warming Climate Science Environmental Policy Sustainability Climate change
  1. Cleaning up air pollution from shipping is leading to more warming because fewer clouds are blocking sunlight. It’s like removing a blanket that kept our planet cooler.
  2. Recent findings suggest that the climate is more sensitive to CO2 than previously thought, meaning small increases in CO2 could lead to bigger temperature rises.
  3. If warming continues, it could disrupt ocean currents, leading to severe weather changes and rising sea levels as ice melts. This could change the climate in places like Europe drastically.

Running From Zombies in The Snow: A Guide to The Arctic Apocalypse

OK Doomer • 109 implied HN points • 16 Jan 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate change Weather Patterns Environmental Science Sustainability Disaster Preparedness
  1. Weather is becoming more unpredictable due to climate change, with extreme cold temperatures affecting areas not used to such conditions. It's important to understand that climate collapse means more chaotic weather patterns.
  2. Even if people talk about climate change, many are not willing to make real changes to combat it. The impact of our actions now will be felt by future generations.
  3. Everyone should be prepared for sudden weather changes, whether it's hot or cold, dry or wet. It's smart to have necessary supplies and warm clothing ready, no matter where you live.

How the European Union passed a brave new law to protect our planet's forests, only to realise that it is a logistical and bureaucratic nightmare that nobody wants

eugyppius: a plague chronicle • 158 implied HN points • 08 Oct 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Environmental Policy Legislation Bureaucracy Sustainability Trade Relations
  1. The EU passed a new law to protect forests, but many people now think it's too complicated and doesn't really help anyone.
  2. The law could hurt trade relationships, especially with countries in South America, affecting a lot of local economies.
  3. Even the lawmakers who supported this regulation are now realizing it may be unworkable and possibly damaging to their own industries.

5 Cities Taking Nature Seriously

The New Urban Order • 79 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Cities
  1. Cities are increasingly focusing on nature-based solutions to combat climate change and improve urban life.
  2. Efforts include dedicating large areas to biodiversity, adding green spaces to streets, and investing significant funds in new parks.
  3. Local governments and private citizens are joining forces in these bold initiatives, setting examples for sustainability and resilience.

Not So Silent Spring

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 139 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Biodiversity Conservation Ecology Sustainability Wildlife
  1. The sounds of spring are important, with creatures like Pacific chorus frogs and Steller's Jays making their presence known through their calls. These sounds are not just pleasant but also play crucial roles in their behaviors and interactions.
  2. Sound has a long history on Earth, with many natural noises existing for billions of years. Most modern sounds from animals, however, are relatively recent developments in Earth’s timeline.
  3. There's a growing concern about a 'sonic crisis,' where humans are losing touch with the sounds of nature. It's important for us to listen to these sounds to appreciate and protect our environment.

Stored Hydropower: an overlooked battery storage solution

WeBeGreen • 79 implied HN points • 31 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Renewable Energy Energy Storage Sustainability
  1. Stored Hydropower is an efficient and cost-effective solution to the intermittency of renewables, offering a massive energy reservoir that can provide reliable backup energy to the grid.
  2. The inefficiency of traditional fossil fuel systems, which waste a significant amount of energy as heat, contrasts with the direct supply of electricity from solar and wind energy systems, making the transition to renewables more feasible than perceived.
  3. The advancement of renewable energy technologies, coupled with innovative energy storage solutions like Pumped Hydro Storage, signifies a shift towards a sustainable future and the potential to move away from fossil fuels.

Low-carbon energy does not have the same energy security risks as fossil fuels

Sustainability by numbers • 284 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Minerals Transition Security Geopolitics
  1. Low-carbon energy is more secure compared to fossil fuels due to different risk factors.
  2. Fossil fuel supplies pose an energy security risk due to being fuels that can be cut off or become expensive, impacting a country's energy security.
  3. Mineral inequities for clean energy transition are a separate issue, as expensive minerals may slow down the transition but do not impact the operation of existing technologies.

Environmental Readings To Start Your Week

crimeandpunishment • 78 implied HN points • 22 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Environmental Issues Climate change Fossil fuels Renewable Energy
  1. Reading about environmental issues can help fill gaps in our knowledge and understanding.
  2. With the current climate crisis, we need to shift towards a more proactive and holistic approach to protecting our planet.
  3. Reading reliable sources can educate us on environmental issues and empower us to advocate for necessary changes.

How do I Choose an a Sustainable Forestry Certification?

Green Graphic Design • 78 implied HN points • 04 Jul 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Certifications Forestry Sustainability Ecosystems Deforestation
  1. To choose a sustainable forestry certification, prioritize those that consider both environmental and human impact
  2. Consider forest conservation and Indigenous land rights when selecting a forestry certifier
  3. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a global certification to look for due to its considerations for biodiversity and Indigenous rights