?? The Grumpy Optimist #133

Happy Monday. ??

Welcome back to another week of positive climate news. I’ve been struck down with covid for the last two weeks, so my awareness of what’s been happening in the climate world is pretty limited this fortnight. What I would say to you all is to appreciate your health. It turns out it’s pretty essential.

Over the last fortnight, I have found that we do indeed have a government here in the UK that now cares about climate. We are?developing GB Energy, investing billions into producing renewable energy, and removing the effective ban on onshore wind turbines (in a day). That makes me both happy and optimistic.

Anyway, let’s dig in, shall we?

?? Articles to read

????B-Corp kicks out creative agency for working with Shell. Four Havas agencies lost their B Corp status due to the company's work for Shell, highlighting the reputational risks for firms claiming climate leadership while aiding oil and gas companies. This video from Rob Mayhew is hilarious, repeating word for word what he said about working with Shell back in October.

?? Labour government remove the ban on the on-shore wind on day 1. Government rules from 2015 allowed a single objection to halt an onshore wind farm project. As a result, only two turbines have been built in England since 2020. This requirement ended on July 8th, aligning onshore wind applications with other energy proposals. Now, local communities will have more say in decisions and can benefit from hosting renewable energy infrastructure, possibly with lower energy costs or other benefits. Let's build renewables!

?????Ireland's emissions were the lowest in 30 years. In 2023, Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions fell by 6.8%. The energy sector saw the biggest drop, with a 21.6% reduction due to increased imported electricity, a higher share of renewables, and reduced coal, oil, and peat use. Despite these improvements, the EPA states Ireland is still off track to meet 2030 EU and national targets, emphasising the need to maintain and build on current momentum.

???Free roaming Bison double in two years in UK rewilding project. A rewilding project near Canterbury, Kent, has doubled its bison population since July 2022, positively impacting local biodiversity. The bison have turned areas of wasteland into ones teeming with life.

???Lab-grown meat is set for the UK pet food market. The UK has become the first European country to approve lab-grown meat for pet food, allowing Meatly to sell cultivated chicken to manufacturers. With 13.5 million dogs and 12.5 million cats in the UK, that’s a lot of hungry bodies to feed from an agriculture industry that already accounts for 25% of the world’s emissions. Lab-based meat can not only cut emissions but also animal cruelty.

?? Climates X Memes

IYKYK.

This episode was written on a train home from Cornwall, seeing friends before they head to Australia. After two weeks of covid, sleeping 15 hours a day and struggling to get out of bed, it was very much needed and appreciated. You can see said group of legends and a hidden sunset below.

This week, I’ve been listening to a lot of?Wunderhorse?and?Fontaines D.C. I would highly recommend giving them a listen.

George, the Grumpy Optimist ??