big ideas

Decarbonization 2024.

Nat Bullard is a self-described expert on clean energy and climate finance. He puts together this annual presentation on “the state of decarbonization told with climate, capital markets, technology, and sector data.” It’s very detailed and full of interesting data. […]

big ideas

How to remove carbon from oceans.

“Like on-land carbon capture technologies, which can extract carbon from our air, marine carbon capture harvests the molecules from seawater or the air above. Carbon causes problems for both: Excess carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere creates a kind of […]

big ideas

The tragic belief in “degrowth”.

This was published as a commentary in Nature. It’s titled “Degrowth can work — here’s how science can help.” My opinion is that there’s clearly no requirement to understand economics before submitting for publication. One of their ideas: “This requires cancelling […]

big ideas

Quantum computing’s hard, cold reality check.

“The quantum computer revolution may be further off and more limited than many have been led to believe. That’s the message coming from a small but vocal set of prominent skeptics in and around the emerging quantum computing industry.” ~ learn more

big ideas

How to scale nuclear power.

Venture investor Ryan McEntush writes that the tides are turning for nuclear energy after a long hiatus from building new reactors. Not only does it seem that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is speeding up its review process, but also a […]

big ideas

The renewable energy disaster far more deadly than Chernobyl.

The point here is pro-nuclear, not anti-renewables. In 1975, China’s Banqiao Dam collapsed, “forming a wall of water six meters high and twelve kilometers wide moving up to fifty kilometers per hour. The towering deluge eventually collapsed 62 more dams, […]

big ideas

Recycling un-recyclable plastic.

“The RePlastic project focused on using pyrolysis for chemical recycling. During the process, plastic waste is heated to high temperatures in a nitrogen-filled furnace, triggering a splitting of the chemical components of the plastic materials. Because there is no oxygen […]