Dark Matter, Dark Waters Resurfaced, EVs Are Back, and More!

Hey climate heroes! Welcome to The Climate Roundup, where we round up the change, er the news about climate and the environment. As part of the Gen E community, we thank you for making climate action part of everyday life. (Reading this newsletter counts!)

Sign up for The Climate Roundup weekly newsletter here

In Pop Culture:

⬛️ Ponderings: I’ve been watching the show Dark Matter on Apple TV, and it’s my opinion that it has a subtle/not so subtle climate change theme. The overall premise is one that blends the concept of the multiverse with its infinite versions of worlds and therefore ourselves, with the contemplation on how each singular decision in life has the power to take us down an entirely different path. And in the multiverse, all of these alternative versions of our lives exist somewhere out there.

The show takes a micro view of these themes, focusing on the life and alternate lives of the main character, Jason. But Dark Matter also shows us various apocalyptic versions of Earth. While in ‘superposition’, a limbo-state between realities, Jason and another character, Amanda, are faced with infinite doors they could open, each with a different world behind it. So far, several of the doors they’ve opened introduce us to the city of Chicago enduring extreme weather or catastrophe. We see an ice age, a scary-looking blaring star that’s scorched the Earth, and a tsunami wave coming at Chicago!

My takeaway? This is a reminder about how incredibly lucky we are to be living on THIS version of Earth. Because most versions of alt Earth are horrifying. Just imagine if Earth’s position in orbit were closer to or further away from the Sun – if that version of our planet could still sustain life, overall conditions would probably suck. And yet despite the fact that we live on Goldilocks-Earth, humanity has been accelerating its demise. That’s literal suicide. So the message that I’m seeing is: Stop. Stop ruining this Eden that we actually live in. Appreciate and respect the perfect balance of elements and all the beautiful life around us right now. And make damn sure we do whatever we can to maintain it.

In Enviro News:

🧾 Vermont officially became the first state to pass a law requiring fossil fuel companies to pay their fair share of damages caused by climate change (since it’s largely the fault of said companies).

✅ Renewable energy is simply more efficient than fossil fuel energy, finds a new study with lots of great data points, including how a “third of the world’s total energy is wasted in burning fossil fuels in highly inefficient machines”.

🚘 Many EVs with 300 mile ranges now cost less than the average American gas car.

🌶 Climate hero and UN Secretary-General António Guterres slams advertising and PR agencies for ‘aiding and abetting’ the climate crisis by servicing fossil fuel industry clients.

☠️ Read this ProPublica story that exposes even more sickening details behind forever chemicals (PFAS), their ubiquity in human blood, how 3M covered up its knowledge of the chemical’s toxicity and presence in human blood for decades, and how a John Oliver segment inspired a former 3M scientist to speak out.

🏝 Climate migrations have begun for islanders off the coast of Panama, where the country is permanently moving people onto the mainland in anticipation of their low-lying island homes becoming inhabitable as sea levels rise.

☀️ A new study quantifies the potential of floating solar photovoltaic panels on lakes. With 10% surface area coverage, an average of 16% of a country’s energy needs could be met.

A No-Buy Year

Could you challenge yourself to refrain from buying anything new for a year? It’s a trend that’s growing, as people who do it find that life actually gets better when you stop wasting money and mindshare on unnecessary crap. Read about the experiences of a few different people, and their unique reasons and tactics.