And just like that, it's a new year

Hi friend,

Happy 2024!

I’ve spent a lot of time on the couch doing nothing, I don’t know what day it is, and it’s wonderful.

For two glorious weeks, I’ve ignored the headlines, deleted newsletters without reading them, and pretended the world outside my bubble didn’t exist. I watched the entire series of The Night Agent, started and finished a puzzle, and finished and started two books. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.

I think I have four days (or is it three 🤔) until I have to face real life, get back into a routine, and wield my metaphorical pickaxe to get more people to think differently about their role in creating and stopping the climate crisis.

So, this newsletter is a slow start to the new year. An oiling of my gears (har har), if you will.

This year, let’s try to be a little kinder to ourselves, each other, and the planet. Commit to doing one small thing – like saying no to single-use plastic whenever you can, eating less meat, or buying recycled toilet paper – to take some pressure off the Earth.

— Tarryn ✌️

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This week's climate and sustainability news worth noting

🪨 Spain’s worst drought in decades revealed a prehistoric stone circle in a dam whose waterline has receded. The Dolmen of Guadalperal is a circle of dozens of megalithic stones believed to date back to 5000 BC. First discovered in 1926, this is only the fourth time that “the Spanish Stonehenge” has become fully visible.

🌧️ Pakistan used cloud seeding to produce artificial rain in an attempt to reduce pollution. The experiment only produced a few millimetres of rain but improved the Air Quality Index from 300 to 189. But scientists have warned that cloud seeding could have unpredictable consequences and does not address the root cause of pollution.

🇩🇰 Denmark has a new king. Prince Frederik is a staunch supporter in the fight against climate change, saying in the past that it’s his personal duty to speak out on environmental issues. He has attended UN climate summits and given speeches and interviews underlining the urgency to act and to use capital in ways that address global warming. That said, it’s hard to ignore the irony of royal family members calling for emissions reductions while living in castles and travelling on private planes.

🍴 Restaurants and cafes in Canada are no longer allowed to offer plastic straws, food containers, plastic packets, and cutlery to customers.

🇺🇸 The Biden administration unveiled new environmental regulations for household appliances, including energy efficiency standards for fridges and freezers, and proposed standards for fans and blowers. It says the move will eliminate 420 million metric tonnes of CO2 over the next 30 years and reduce household energy bills.

🔬 Scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a process that converts carbon dioxide into a powdery substance that could be converted into clean electricity. The powder – sodium formate – can be safely stored for decades.

🌀 Wild weather:

• 🇦🇺 Flash floods in Australia.

• 🇺🇸 Monster waves and floods in California.

And in business news

🚦 Google is using AI to help Seattle reduce traffic and emissions. Project Green Light uses AI to optimise traffic lights and suggest changes to city engineers that they can implement in five minutes. Half of vehicle emissions at intersections come from cars stopping and starting. Google says the project could reduce stop-and-go traffic by up to 30% and “intersection emissions” by 10%. It’s being tested out at 70 intersections in 13 cities around the world.

One small thing you can do

Sell, donate, or toss something every day for a week.

Did you know that every product we buy accounts for about 6.3 times its weight in carbon emissions? Or that clutter is linked to stress, anxiety, and depression?

Before you buy something, take a moment to ask yourself if you really need it or if you already have something that performs a similar function.

Before you can do that though, you need to know what you have. To jumpstart your decluttering, find something every day for the next week that you can sell, donate, or throw away.

Your mind will be happy you did.

Because lots of little actions combined can add up to something remarkable.

I'll leave you on this happy note...

Neil the seal terrorises residents in Tasmania, Australia.

joanna.j3

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