The hottest Climate Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Science Topics

A Climate Science Textbook

David Friedman’s Substack • 251 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🔬 Science Climate Effects Consensus Consequences
  1. The book highlights the uncertainty and differing opinions around the net effects of climate change.
  2. An example of potential error in climate science education is presented through conflicting claims of heat-related mortality.
  3. The importance of considering both positive and negative impacts of climate change is emphasized, pointing out potential misconceptions from only focusing on negative effects.

Is AI a Silver Bullet for our Climate Problems?

This Week in MCJ (My Climate Journey) • 216 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
🔬 Science Climate AI Data Education Energy
  1. AI solutions in climate problems can be biased towards easily accessible data, encouraging broader solution development is crucial.
  2. AI must quantify its confidence in recommendations for climate problem-solving due to the high cost of mistakes.
  3. Encouraging new datasets and AI methods with confidence measurement can lead to more successful projects in addressing climate challenges.
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What's got my attention this week #11

The Shift With Sam Baker • 139 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
🎭️ Culture Fashion Mental health Climate Sports Literature
  1. The post discusses various interesting topics to read, watch, and listen to over the weekend, from reflections on personal experiences to societal discussions like climate change and women's football.
  2. It highlights noteworthy articles on diverse subjects like sleep requirements, adult autism diagnosis, impact of Viagra on foreplay, packing advice, and climate change emotions.
  3. The content is tailored for paid subscribers, encouraging them to explore a range of thought-provoking and informative articles.

On clouds: where they come from, where they go

Climate Water Project • 176 implied HN points • 08 May 23
🔬 Science Climate Atmosphere Weather Ecosystems Research
  1. Clouds are formed by multiple global processes like atmospheric circulation patterns and wind movements.
  2. Jet streams in the upper atmosphere play a role in cloud formation and rain patterns.
  3. Land degradation, like deforestation, can impact cloud formation and the occurrence of extreme weather events like atmospheric rivers and hurricanes.

The Wake-Up Call

Field Guide to the Anthropocene • 157 implied HN points • 09 Jun 23
🔬 Science Nature Research Climate Education
  1. Awe is important for our well-being and can lead to happiness, kindness, and connection with others and the natural world.
  2. Experiencing awe is about being aware and open-hearted to the mysteries of existence, it's about feeling connected to something greater.
  3. Awe can be found in everyday experiences and can have positive effects on mental and physical health, encouraging altruism and reducing egocentrism.

If you're worried about having kids because they will contribute to climate change, you shouldn't be

Philosophy bear • 55 implied HN points • 07 Nov 23
📖 Philosophy Climate Ethics Parenting Civilization Humanitarian
  1. Having children who care about climate change can be impactful politically.
  2. Parents who worry about climate change are more likely to have children working on technological solutions.
  3. Even if there's no solution to climate change, it's better to have more far-sighted and humanitarian humans.

Gavin Newsom is an admirer of China’s success, according to Beijing

Wenhao’s news blog • 58 implied HN points • 26 Oct 23
🌍 World Politics China U.S. Human Rights Diplomacy Climate
  1. Gavin Newsom admires China's success and has shown support for Xi Jinping's agenda.
  2. Newsom's visit to China signals a cooperative tone, focusing on climate issues, economic relationships, and cultural ties.
  3. China's state media portrays Newsom as a rare American politician who endorses China's success and engagement on China's terms.

How does rain turn into floods? A chaos theory perspective.

Climate Water Project • 157 implied HN points • 07 Apr 23
🔬 Science Climate
  1. Different landscapes affect how rain turns into floods, with vegetation leading to less correlated rates of runoff.
  2. Study of river runoff patterns suggests chaotic behavior, where small changes in rain amount could lead to significantly different runoff levels.
  3. River floods and earthquakes exhibit similar power scaling laws, suggesting fractal behavior in river flow sizes.

The Climate Justice of AI Safety

Daniel's Corner • 157 implied HN points • 13 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Climate Safety Ethics
  1. There are two main groups discussing AI safety: doomers and boomers.
  2. Debates on AI safety can be like theology discussions, but it's more productive to focus on specific concerns and solutions.
  3. It's important to move from vague terms to concrete benchmarks when addressing AI safety.

Peter and the Basilisk

Banana Peel Pirouette • 118 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
📖 Philosophy History Religion Technology Climate Politics
  1. Western cultures have a deep-rooted belief in prophecy, with expectations of history culminating in certain ways.
  2. Marx's economic theories remain relevant, but his prophetic visions of global communism are more an issue of faith than science.
  3. The clash between tech utopianism and eco-pessimism highlights how different ideologies shape views of the future, from Singularity to climate crisis.

XGen, a 7B LLM trained on up to 8K sequence length from SalesForce

MLOps Newsletter • 78 implied HN points • 05 Aug 23
🕹 Technology AI/ML Weather Climate Models Libraries
  1. ClimaX is a deep learning model designed for weather and climate tasks like forecasting temperature and predicting extreme weather events.
  2. XGen is a 7B LLM trained on up to 8K sequence length, achieving state-of-the-art results in tasks like MMLU, QA, and HumanEval.
  3. GPT-4 API from OpenAI provides easy access to a powerful language model capable of generating text, translating languages, and answering questions.

What They’re Still Not Telling Us About the UFOs They Shot Down

theconnector • 117 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Government Policy Space Regulation Climate
  1. The US government has limited information about UFOs shot down in American airspace, leading to various speculations.
  2. There is a focus on militarizing space and colonizing other planets instead of pursuing sustainable and peaceful initiatives.
  3. The push for corporate colonization of space, supported by massive government funding, is driven by destructive myths rather than practical priorities.

Possible states the earth can evolve to

Climate Water Project • 117 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🔬 Science Climate Ecosystems Physics
  1. There are different stable states that the ecosystem+hydrological system can evolve to, given large enough perturbations.
  2. Vegetation affects the climate and vice versa, leading to different stable states like forests or grasslands.
  3. The earth can have metastable states with ice or more vegetation, flipping between them due to factors like sunlight and noise in the climate system.

How to think about blowing up a pipeline

What's Left • 117 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Film Activism Politics Art Climate
  1. The movie 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline' challenges viewers with the question of whether property destruction is a justifiable tactic for climate activism.
  2. The film is inspired by a book advocating for radical climate action through sabotage to make mainstream advocacy seem more moderate by comparison.
  3. The director emphasizes the importance of storytelling in bringing academic discussions on climate activism to a broader audience.

'War on drugs has failed': At UN, Colombia condemns 'addiction to money and oil'

Geopolitical Economy Report • 219 implied HN points • 27 Sep 22
🌍 World Politics Peace Climate Justice Capitalism
  1. Colombia's President declared 'The war on drugs has failed,' pointing out that drug addiction is a social issue linked to capitalism's 'addiction to money and oil.'
  2. Gustavo Petro emphasized that peace with the planet is necessary for peace between nations, condemning the Global North for its treatment of refugees and migrants.
  3. Petro warned that the focus on profit and irrational power is leading to environmental destruction and climate disaster, calling for an end to the war on drugs and all conflicts.

Sustainable Papers, Printers, and How to Evaluate Climate Solutions

Green Graphic Design • 78 implied HN points • 06 Jun 23
🪑 Design Climate Packaging Creativity
  1. Canopy's Eco-Paper Database lists thousands of international stock options ranked by eco-friendly standards.
  2. Canopy ranks printers in North America, providing a starting point for finding a sustainable printer.
  3. A Better Source offers resources for sustainable packaging design, including experimental solutions and smaller-scale suppliers.

Links #5

Splitting Infinity • 19 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
🔬 Science Technology Climate Biology Physics Health
  1. Developing countries like Nigeria and Rwanda are adopting advanced technologies like cryptocurrency and drone networks, showcasing potential for growth.
  2. Innovative solutions like pneumatic canopies for climate control are being considered for equatorial megacities facing heatwaves due to climate change.
  3. Advancements in technology such as gondola systems for cities and improved desalination methods show promise for future urban development and sustainability.

My climate fiction reading list for 2024

storyvoyager • 9 implied HN points • 07 Jan 24
📚 Literature Climate Fiction Reading List Book recommendations Author
  1. The importance of aiming to hold global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and the urgent need for global action to achieve this goal.
  2. The impact of climate change on younger generations' mental health and the importance of taking action to address climate anxiety.
  3. The value of reading and educating oneself about climate change to inspire hope and contribute to a better future for the planet.

In This Best of All Possible Worlds

The Unabashed Observer • 1 HN point • 05 Apr 24
🔬 Science Technology Health History Climate Education
  1. Modern life is filled with miracles we often overlook, like the exponential growth in computing power and the decreasing cost of technology.
  2. Access to a variety of fresh produce throughout the year at affordable prices showcases the advancements in global supply chains and the decrease in food costs over time.
  3. Advancements in medicine, transportation, and overall quality of life have led to longer and healthier lives for many, showcasing the progress humanity has made over the centuries.

WindBorne Systems

next big thing • 34 implied HN points • 22 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Climate Climate tech Venture Capital Tech startups
  1. Accurate weather data is crucial for making informed decisions and mitigating costs associated with severe weather events.
  2. Improvements in weather technology are needed due to gaps in weather observations globally.
  3. WindBorne Systems received a $6M Seed round investment led by Footwork for their work in providing detailed weather observations to improve forecasting and reduce carbon emissions.

Compilation Post 2

Extropic Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 07 Apr 23
🔬 Science AI Climate Population Medicine Energy
  1. The AI industry is rapidly evolving and impacting various sectors, with a rise in incidents of misuse and growing demand for AI-related skills.
  2. Different perspectives on regulating AI and the importance of considering equilibrium and feedback mechanisms in AI development.
  3. Climate and energy topics like the declining cost of cultivated meat and the impact of global warming on temperature-related deaths are being discussed.

The Great Climate Tech Debate – “Digital” or “Frontier”?

Equal Ventures • 39 implied HN points • 04 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Climate Investing Digital Startups
  1. The capital flow and returns in the cleantech market show that digital investments have outperformed frontier investments, with digital returning close to 3x the capital invested.
  2. Frontier tech companies in cleantech have faced challenges with manufacturing, production delays, and advancing technologies, leading to significant failures and losses.
  3. Successful companies in the cleantech bubble focused on digital and consumer products, leveraged existing technology for better user experience, and built strong brand relationships.