🌱 The Grumpy Optimist: What's the climate impact of the clocks going back?

Hello all, happy Monday. 👋

Welcome back to another week of The Grumpy Optimists. As the clocks change here in the UK and the sun sets by 4.30, it is truly starting to feel like winter - our SAD lamps are at the ready!

Fear not, I’ve got some positive climate news to bring you, from Apple’s smart charging to Rishi Sunak reinstating a ban on fracking and a potato company entering the metaverse - yes, this is genuinely good for the planet - this episode is a good one.

Enjoy! 💚 

👀 Articles to read

🏴 Welsh government plans to create a publicly-owned renewable energy company. Initially, the company will develop wind farms on government-owned woodland with the aim to tackle both the cost of living and climate crises.

🤔 Do we really need economic growth? This is an interesting read. Do we really need economic growth in a classical sense or do we accept that the UK is a mature economy and perhaps we need to start thinking differently? After all, not all growth is good.

🔥 Higher than average temperatures recede Europe’s energy nightmare for now. As we go into November temperatures in London hit a balmy 21C. While that signals bad news about our changing climate it has resulted in a 70% reduction in gas prices and storage levels reaching 90%. With warmer temperatures than normal, we’ve reduced our need for heating and can hold off pressure from Putin.

📱Apple is making it easier to charge your phone with low emissions. Through their new ‘Clean Energy Charging’ feature, US citizens will be able to automatically charge their phones when the energy grid has lower emissions due to there being more renewables. This typically occurs during the night so it’s unlikely to change any habits.

🧠 Why it matters. Roughly 80% of Apple’s emissions come from the production of their products but a further 15-20% is from users charging their devices. This presents a big barrier for Apple’s net zero plans, however, moves like this can help the tech giant create changes in the way their consumers use their devices without altering the experience. It’s a fantastic move that can help reduce emissions - which are typically 3X lower during an evening.

🛢️Sunak bans fracking on his first day back in office. In his first PMQs, the UK’s new Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has reinstated a moratorium on fracking, much to the delight of the green MP Caroline Lucas. But Rishi’s record on climate action is under the spotlight as he fails to attend COP27.

🥔 McCain enters the metaverse to educate consumers on regenerative agriculture. The world’s largest potato producer has teamed up with Bored & Hungry to bring a free-to-play game, Farms of the Future, to Roblox. The game allows players to virtually grow potatoes using regenerative methods - rewarding them for behaviour that’s good for the climate. The move is part of its commitment to implement regenerative agriculture practices across 100% of its farms by 2030. Think Farmville, but for regenerative agriculture. I'm a HUGE fan - helping educate the next generation through culture will be a major boost to climate action.

🌴UK rainforest could be revived to 20% of Great Britain. Yes, that is not a typo, GB is indeed home to temperate rainforest, but due to human destruction, it only covers 1% of the UK. However, a new study by the Lost Rainforests of Britain suggests that the area could be restored to 1/5 of the UK. The areas of rainforest are mainly situated on the west coast of the island where mild air and wet weather help create ideal conditions. While we’re always saying we need to protect the Amazon rainforest (true, we do) we also need to realise the damage countries in developed areas have already done.

🛢️ New oil and gas projects are not compatible with 1.5C. It’s almost as if those people sitting on the roads of London are protesting for a reason. New research from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) suggests that any new oil and gas will not allow us to meet the 1.5C target. There are some exceptions worth acknowledging and the report does suggest that without a mass ramp of funding to the tune of $570bn we will continue to need new oil and gas. The case against new oil and towards renewables seems to be becoming pretty clear…

🥱 What are the climate impacts of the clocks going back and does it make sense to change them? For those of you not in the UK, on Saturday night we all got an extra hour in bed as the clocks shifted from British Summer Time to GMT. Whether or not we should move the clocks back is a topic of much debate and an equal number of comments about what the ‘actual time’ is in the days after the event (guilty of doing this).

But what’s the climate impact of moving the clocks back and should we really be getting sunlight when we’re no longer in an agrarian society? Some people are suggesting it could help save 450,000 tonnes of CO2e per year! An interesting point for you to take into your meetings this morning. This article linked is a really interesting read.

📹 Videos to watch

Climate change is not hippy sh*t. That’s the words of Lowercarbon Capital ’s Founder & Managing Partner, Chris Sacca. Watch Chris talk about why climate change affects every line of business. The video starts at 2.00:15.

That’s all for this week folks, have a great week.

George