The Planet Today

The Planet Today

by Matt Norden and Nick Gennusa

COP27 mini-update, record high carbon emissions in 2022, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about what can we expect from the end of COP27 today (COP27 Climate Talks Inch Toward 'Loss And Damage' Showdown | Barron's (barrons.com)), 2022’s record-breaking pace for global carbon emissions (Data Shows Carbon Dioxide Emissions Likely to Reach Record High in 2022 - The New York Times (nytimes.com)), A new Washington state law for heat pumps instead of furnaces in all new homes (New dwellings in Washington state must be warmed by heat pumps, rather than furnaces, beginning in July, state board rules Friday | The Spokesman-Review), Deforestation in the Congo Basin (The next Amazon? Congo Basin faces rising deforestation threat | Context), And France requiring solar canopies for all large parking lots (France to require all large parking lots to be covered by solar panels (electrek.co))! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Guest Interview: Bahruz Mammadov (Berkm)

Matt interviews Bahruz Mammadov, the CEO and co-Founder of Berkm, which aims to create change in the plastics industry at the manufacturing level. 74 billion pounds of plastic end up in the environment each year, largely because of our overdependence on single use plastics. While many programs tend to focus on consumers of plastic packaged goods, Bahruz and Berkm look to change the way that plastics are produced. Their use of cutting edge chemistry can reduce the amount of plastic needed in manufacturing by between 8-20%. They discuss how Berkm is using a clay additive in plastic production, Bahruz’s love for chemistry that led to the founding of Berkm, how Berkm can improve plastic recycling, and the single use plastic problem in general. You can reach for any further questions at bahruz@berkm.com

Coal plants contaminating groundwater, life in prison for an ivory dealer, & more!

Matt, Nick and Giselle talk about Coal’s impact on groundwater (Report: 90% of all U.S. coal plants are contaminating groundwater | Grist), A seaweed farm helping to curb climate change (Climate change: Can an enormous seaweed farm help curb it? - BBC News), An illegal ivory deal getting life imprisonment in Uganda (Uganda gives ivory dealer life imprisonment in “landmark” case - WildAid), And little being done to uphold COP26’s deforestation pledge (Last year's deforestation pledge is off to a slow start | Reuters)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Monday minisode: the EU’s gas-powered car ban by 2035 and proper disposal of fallen leaves!

Matt and Nick discuss the European Union banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035 (EU reaches deal to ban new combustion engine cars by 2035 – DW – 10/27/2022) And why we should stop raking our leaves into bags when they fall off trees (Why experts say you shouldn't bag your leaves this fall : NPR)! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Kitcaster with a special offer for friends of our show to become guests on other podcasts.

Brazil’s election, broken methane emissions in the EU, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about the US Environmental Protection Agency’s lawsuit over not regulating polluted waters due to factory farming (EPA sued over lack of plan to regulate water pollution from factory farms | Environment | The Guardian), Three United Nations reports stating that the world is falling short in its plans to fight climate change ("Untold human suffering" is in the near future as U.N. warns climate change is pushing Earth closer to extreme warming - CBS News), Emmanuel Macron’s plans to replenish some of the forests France lost to wildfire (Macron wants to replant 10% of French forest after summer wildfires | Reuters), The EU is not on progress to achieve its goal of cutting methane emissions by 30% (EU on track to break pledge to cut methane emissions by 30%, warns report | Greenhouse gas emissions | The Guardian), And what Brazil’s election of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva means for the Amazon rainforest and the world (Brazil Elects Lula, a Leftist Former Leader, in a Rebuke of Bolsonaro - The New York Times (nytimes.com))! Make sure to check out our sponsor for today’s episode at Vala Alta and use promo code “TPT” for 15% off.

Halloween’s Sustainability!

Matt and Nick talk about Halloween! Which candies are more sustainable than some of the common ones we probably buy for trick-or-treaters? How much waste is generated from “fun-sized” candy? How unsustainable is the costume industry? The guys also have some fun with this and talk about their favorite Halloween movies, traditions, costumes, and more! Today’s sources: Halloween generates frightening amounts of plastic waste each year (inhabitat.com) Halloween Costume Waste in the US | RTS Sustainable & Environmentally-Friendly Candy Options (naturalcandystore.com) Climate Candy

Alaskan Snow Crabs, a massive Chinese offshore wind farm, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about Alaskan Snow Crabs rapidly dying off this year (Warming waters cited as "key culprit" in mass die-off of Alaska snow crabs - CBS News), Drought in British Columbia extending from this summer into the fall (B.C. news: Low rainfall levels recorded | CTV News), 2% of the Grevy Zebra have died in the past two years because of drought (Two per cent of the world's rarest zebras wiped out | CTV News), A massive offshore wind farm planned for Chaozhou, China (A city in China is planning an offshore wind farm so big that it could power all of Norway (electrek.co)), And a plan to restore one-fifth of Great Britain’s temperate rainforests (Lost rainforest could be revived across 20% of Great Britain | Environment | The Guardian)!

The Building Sector: consumption, emissions, and recycling!

Matt and Nick cover one topic today: the building sector. The New York Times published a piece (final link below) about recycling office buildings to reduce the building sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. With the building sector accounting for nearly 40% of the world’s carbon emissions, reductions here could - and should - be a major consideration for reducing global emissions. The guys get into the article, titled How to Recycle a 14-Story Office Tower, but first discuss why buildings consume so much energy, why they emit so many greenhouse gasses, and how recycling buildings and their components can offset some of this. Source material: Understanding Building Emissions - Building Innovation Hub Growing building sector carbon emissions threaten 2050 net-zero goal, report warns | Utility Dive Construction industry accounts for 38% of CO2 emissions - EnvironmentJournal How buildings contribute to climate change - Curbed New Ways To Produce And Sell Cement Can Help Reduce Emissions And Build Brand Identity (forbes.com) How to Recycle a 14-Story Office Tower - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Wildlife populations declining, drought updates for the Mississippi and Colorado Rivers, & more!

Matt and Nick talk about the major decline in global wildlife populations over the last 50 years (Global wildlife populations have sunk 69% since 1970 - WWF report | Reuters), Protections for the longest-living vertebrates on Earth (Greenland shark, world’s longest-living vertebrate, gets long-awaited protection (mongabay.com)), Fast evolution happening due to Chernobyl’s nuclear fallout (Chernobyl black frogs reveal evolution in action (phys.org)), Shipping issues caused by the Mississippi River’s drought (Mississippi River water levels are critically low, bringing some shipping to a halt - The Washington Post), And a follow up to last week - the Biden Administration’s plan to help cut water usage along the Colorado River (Colorado River water users will be paid to slash usage as crisis looms, Biden administration announces | CNN Politics)!

Guest Interview: Anastasios Arima (IperionX)

Matt interviews Anastasios Arima, the CEO of IperionX, where they are developing low carbon, sustainable critical minerals and metals. IperionX has breakthrough titanium technologies that have demonstrated the potential to produce titanium products that are sustainable, 100% recyclable, low carbon intensity, and at product qualities that exceed current industry standards. Anastasios previously served as a non-executive director at Piedmont Lithium Limited, a $1B+ lithium mining company that also aims to play a big part in creating a clean energy economy in the US. He is highly regarded in the investment community for his ability to identify and develop new commodity projects. They discuss the world’s search for cleaner sources of energy to help reduce carbon emissions, how the Russian-Ukraine war is adding pressure to titanium global supplies and highlighting the need for domestic production in the U.S. (the world’s biggest consumer of titanium), and the electric vehicle transition.

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