The hottest Climate Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Science Topics

Civilian Control, 1.5 Degrees, and Your Friendly Neighborhood National Security State

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 65 implied HN points • 16 May 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate
  1. Civilian control of the military is important, but there are concerns about military leaders pushing back against civilian authority. Sometimes people desire military intervention to resolve political issues.
  2. Global warming has surpassed the 1.5°C threshold, which raises alarms about climate change and its impact. Reports show that we might already be facing this critical level of warming.
  3. The security state seems to be increasing its focus on citizens with different opinions. This could lead to targeting individuals who hold views contrary to those in power.

News about DDoSecrets

Distributed Email of Secrets • 531 implied HN points • 11 May 23
🌍 World Politics Climate
  1. DDoSecrets data used in investigations revealed US teacher's pension fund involvement in land-grabbing in Brazil
  2. DDoSecrets data connected to investigations of war crimes in Ukraine involving Putin and Lvova-Belova
  3. DDoSecrets data highlighted investigations into the financial activities and assets of war criminals like Prigozhin

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

MLOps Newsletter • 78 implied HN points • 05 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Climate
  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.
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History of Pigments: Tyrian Purple

Green Graphic Design • 78 implied HN points • 13 Mar 23
💾 History Climate
  1. Tyrian Purple, a pigment from snails, was highly valued in history for its rarity and difficulty to extract.
  2. The process of extracting Tyrian Purple involved crushing snails, soaking them, and boiling for over a week.
  3. Companies are now developing sustainable, animal-free alternatives to traditional Tyrian Purple extraction methods.

Driving A Tank Through Our Climate Budget

Surfing the Future • 39 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🌍 World Politics Climate
  1. Cutting climate spending to boost defense budgets can have negative consequences on addressing the climate and sustainability agenda.
  2. There is a growing concern about new levels of conflict fueled by cyberwarfare and genetic weapons, requiring more engagement with military and intelligence sectors.
  3. Future conflicts could harm the planet directly and shift focus away from crucial efforts to combat climate and biodiversity emergencies.

Why It's So Hard to Build a Collapse Proof Community

OK Doomer • 109 implied HN points • 12 Nov 24
🎭️ Culture Climate
  1. Building a strong community is really difficult. Many people think it can solve a lot of problems, but it requires a lot of effort and resources.
  2. Examples like Babcock Ranch show that creating resilient communities often needs significant investment and planning. It's not just about having a nice neighborhood; it takes money and careful design.
  3. Many efforts to create climate-smart communities are happening globally, but the assumptions about community often overlook the real challenges involved. It's important to be realistic about what it takes to make these ideas work.

Some thoughts on industrial policy and green energy

America in Crisis • 59 implied HN points • 26 Aug 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate
  1. Shifting to green energy entails new products, manufacturing processes, and economic shifts.
  2. Industrial policy includes a range of government actions, such as subsidies, export support, and tariffs to promote specific industries.
  3. A carbon tax could drive a transition to green energy by making fossil fuels cost-prohibitive and encouraging the development of alternative energy sources like hydrogen and solar power.

Compilation Post 2

Extropic Thoughts • 39 implied HN points • 07 Apr 23
🔬 Science Climate
  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
  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.

A Climate Science Textbook

David Friedman’s Substack • 251 implied HN points • 14 Mar 23
🔬 Science Climate
  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.

Best Posts of 2024

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 45 implied HN points • 03 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Climate
  1. The site experienced significant growth in 2024, showing a 250% increase, thanks to support from its followers.
  2. Issues like climate change and the influence of billionaires are critical and concerning topics that need attention in today's world.
  3. The idea of power and control is still relevant, influenced by both government actions and societal dynamics.

Violence and Responsibility in 'Ministry for the Future'

God's Spies by Thomas Neuburger • 40 implied HN points • 22 Nov 24
📚 Literature Climate
  1. The book reveals how violence can be used for political change, which is a complex and often overlooked idea.
  2. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and understanding the responsibilities of those causing harm to others.
  3. These themes are not commonly discussed in regular conversations about climate change, but they are prevalent in climate fiction.

Links #5

Splitting Infinity • 19 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
🔬 Science Climate
  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.

Energy Security Concerns Driving Low Carbon Investments

Helix • 19 implied HN points • 14 Feb 23
💰 Finance Climate
  1. The war in Ukraine has highlighted global energy security risks and increased focus on low carbon investments.
  2. Low carbon investments and M&A activities are rising due to the geopolitical shifts caused by the war
  3. The US Inflation Reduction Act of 2021 promotes green investment and aims to reduce emissions, jobs creation, and economic growth.

In Montenegro on the Adriatic,

Douglass’s Newsletter • 19 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🏝 Travel Climate
  1. Montenegro on the Adriatic is experiencing hot weather and discussions on coping with climate change.
  2. People in Montenegro include a mix of refugees, retirees, young vacationers, and traders.
  3. Observations on the behavior of the wealthy in relation to climate change and high-end consumerism.

I'm launching a syndicate!

Climate Money • 19 implied HN points • 03 Aug 23
💰 Finance Climate
  1. Susan Su is launching a syndicate to share climate-positive deals.
  2. The syndicate will focus on seed stage or earlier opportunities.
  3. Investors in the syndicate can expect curated deals and may invest $1K to $10K or more.

The ocean, the flood

Nick Merrill • 19 implied HN points • 09 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Climate
  1. The internet and AI are interconnected, each influencing and shaping the other.
  2. The relationship between the internet and war is intertwined, with each being a cause and an effect of the other.
  3. Human impact on the climate is tied to the myth of human dominance over nature, reflecting in our actions and environmental consequences.

Freelancing your way to Net Zero

Helix • 19 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
💼 Business Climate
  1. Leafr is a platform connecting businesses with freelance climate talent.
  2. Leafr specializes in climate skills, unlike generic freelancing platforms.
  3. Challenges for Leafr include community building, demand generation, and achieving marketplace liquidity.

How going to Green Energy Can Lead to a More Prosperous America

America in Crisis • 19 implied HN points • 03 Jul 23
🔬 Science Climate
  1. Addressing climate change with green energy can actually boost economic growth by creating new industries and enlarging the leading sector.
  2. Optimal economic culture, sound policy, and unmet demand are essential for strong economic growth.
  3. Implementing a carbon tax can help shift to green energy and create new leading industries, benefiting the economy in the long run.

Power transitions: Britain, America, China

World Game • 9 implied HN points • 07 Jun 25
🌍 World Politics Climate
  1. Geopolitics drives changes in energy sources, and this isn't just about climate; it's about power. The race to find new energy solutions can change global dominance.
  2. Historically, shifts in energy use have transformed world leaders. Britain rose to power with coal and steam, followed by America with electricity and factories.
  3. We may be on the brink of a new energy transition with solar power and AI. This could reshape global power dynamics again, just like past energy revolutions.

✅ Monday briefing: From Ukraine with love, comms response to Ukraine, support independent media, Russian sanctions, job support, climate misinformation, ECM survey, and more…

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 59 implied HN points • 07 Mar 22
🌍 World Politics Climate
  1. Support for Ukraine is important, especially from the global PR community, as they defend their democracy against invasion.
  2. There are efforts to counter misinformation, with resources to help people identify propaganda and support independent media for true information.
  3. Businesses and organizations are taking action during the crisis by providing aid and adjusting their policies to be more inclusive.

F*ck we are collapsing faster than I thought!

Anima Mundi • 41 implied HN points • 03 Feb 24
🔬 Science Climate
  1. The idea of societal collapse is often misconstrued in movies and media; it's not sudden and widespread, but rather a gradual decline over years or decades.
  2. Collapse is not just a one-time global event with mass casualties, but a slow process influenced by overshoot, resource depletion, pollution, and climate crisis.
  3. As society faces challenges like resource shortages and economic decline, individuals may need to rely more on local communities, personal skills, and simplified governance for resilience.

Hair Ice

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 79 implied HN points • 26 Feb 21
🔬 Science Climate
  1. Hair ice is a unique ice formation that looks like fine white hair and is created by a winter-active fungus called Exidiopsis effusa. It grows on decaying wood and is visible in certain cold conditions.
  2. The fungus helps to shape the hair ice by breaking down lignin in the wood, allowing the ice to grow in a delicate, curly form. This process demonstrates a fascinating relationship between nature and fungi.
  3. Hair ice can only be found in a specific northern latitude range and adds beauty to winter walks, reminding us to appreciate the small wonders in nature around us.