The hottest Environmental History Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top History Topics

Chartbook 347 The trouble with transitioning: putting energy history back on its feet.

Chartbook • 1759 implied HN points • 22 Jan 25
🌞 Climate & Environment Energy Policy Climate change Renewable Energy Fossil fuels Environmental History
  1. Traditional views say that moving away from fossil fuels will solve climate issues and that renewable energy will become cheaper. But this view may not be correct.
  2. An analysis of energy use shows that instead of switching from one energy source to another, we tend to use more energy from different sources at the same time.
  3. Decarbonizing our energy systems is a complicated task that is influenced by history and requires new approaches, especially as countries like China play a significant role in renewable energy technologies.

Denny Hill Still Exists

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 79 implied HN points • 22 Sep 22
💾 History Urban History Environmental History
  1. Denny Hill in Seattle is not gone; it's now underwater. You can still find it if you know where to look, like diving into Elliott Bay.
  2. Between 1897 and 1930, they did five big regrades to lower Denny Hill by 100 feet, changing the land right by the water.
  3. Scientists discovered that the underwater area looks different because it has a structure made of dirt from Denny Hill, proving that the hill still exists today.

Selling Kelp

Street Smart Naturalist: Explorations of the Urban Kind • 19 implied HN points • 23 Sep 21
💾 History Economic History Environmental History Cultural History
  1. Kelp was once seen as a valuable resource in America for making potash, especially during a time when the country depended on imports from Germany.
  2. Despite initial excitement and plans for kelp processing plants in Puget Sound, they mostly failed to succeed due to stronger competition and external factors like the end of the war.
  3. Other ventures to use kelp, like creating a candy substitute, also did not meet success, showing that not all ideas for using local resources thrive.

The Origins of Climate Change

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 21 Apr 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Science Environmental History Climate models
  1. Svante Arrhenius was an early scientist who studied how carbon dioxide affects our planet's temperature. He created a model that helped people understand the connection between CO2 and climate change.
  2. He predicted that doubling the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could raise temperatures by around 5 to 6 degrees Celsius. This was a significant insight into how human activities like burning fossil fuels impact the climate.
  3. Although his ideas faced skepticism at first, Arrhenius believed in the potential for better climates due to increased carbon dioxide. He hoped this would lead to more abundant crops and improved conditions for people.

(Almost) Everything You Need to Know About the COP28 Climate Meeting

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 28 Nov 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy International Agreements Sustainability Environmental History Climate Science
  1. COP meetings are important for global climate action. They started in the 1990s and have aimed to create agreements to tackle climate change together.
  2. The 2015 Paris Agreement was a key milestone but many believe the goals set by countries are still not strong enough to combat rising temperatures.
  3. As COP28 approaches, there are concerns about the influence of fossil fuel interests on climate policies, which could hinder real action against climate change.
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George H.W. Bush: “The Environmental President”

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 03 Jan 24
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Policy Environmental History Sustainability Natural resources Global Warming
  1. George H.W. Bush focused on environmental issues during his presidency, aiming to be known as 'the environmental president.' He made promises to tackle climate change and set up new initiatives.
  2. Under Bush's leadership, important laws like the Clean Air Act Amendments were passed, reducing harmful emissions and addressing air pollution from power plants.
  3. Bush also played a key role in international efforts against climate change, supporting agreements like the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, which aimed to unite countries in combating global warming.

Nils Ekholm – The Influence of Man on Climate

The Climate Historian • 0 implied HN points • 18 May 22
🌞 Climate & Environment Climate Science Environmental History Meteorology Human Impact
  1. Nils Ekholm was a key figure in early meteorological studies and participated in important Arctic research, showing that countries could work together on big scientific projects.
  2. He warned about human activities affecting the climate, especially through the burning of fossil fuels that release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
  3. Ekholm's work on climate change was initially overlooked but highlighted that increased carbon dioxide could lead to a rise in Earth's temperatures.