Orca is, for now, the largest installation in the infant “direct air capture” industry, which aims to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. When sealed underground such CO2 counts as “negative emissions”—an essential but underdeveloped method for tackling global warming. To stop temperatures rising by 1.5°C or even 2°C above pre-industrial averages, as per the Paris climate agreement, hundreds or thousands of billions of tonnes of CO2 will have to be removed from the atmosphere in the second half of the century. https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2021/09/18/the-worlds-biggest-carbon-removal-plant-switches-on
Report warns temperatures likely to rise by more than 1.5C bringing widespread extreme weather. By Fiona Harvey. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/09/humans-have-caused-unprecedented-and-irreversible-change-to-climate-scientists-warn
Argentina is advancing towards the construction of two new nuclear power plants – one with Chinese Hualong technology and another Candu reactor combining national knowhow and Canadian support. By Ariel Stemphelet. https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/economy/argentina-advances-with-plans-to-build-two-new-nuclear-power-plants.phtml
Researchers at Texas A&M and the US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory have partnered with Clean Core Thorium Energy to fabricate a proprietary thorium-based nuclear fuel called Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life (Aneel) for PHWRs https://www.neimagazine.com/features/featureaneel-and-its-appeal-8621195/
An open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, business secretary Alok Sharma, and chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak from Zion Lights, director of Environmental Progress UK, and former editor of The Hourglass newspaper. https://www.cityam.com/an-open-letter-to-the-pm-britain-must-build-sizewell-c-nuclear-sits-at-the-heart-of-a-green-recovery/
New technologies could be ideal for emerging economies, says agency’s director-general. By David Dalton. https://www.nucnet.org/news/iaea-head-tells-ministers-nuclear-is-contributing-massively-7-5-2020
Activists say Democratic climate proposals won’t be able to pass until lawmakers put a stop to oil companies trying to rebrand themselves. By Emily Holden. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/08/oil-companies-climate-crisis-pr-spending
https://www.sealevel.info/1988_Hansen_Senate_Testimony.html
Helpful Resources
To be a great VC you have to hold two conflicting ideas in your head at the same time. On the one hand, you’re over paying for every investment and valuations aren’t rational. On the other hand, the biggest winners will turn out to be much larger than the prices people paid for them and this will happen faster than at any time in human history.
https://bothsidesofthetable.com/the-changing-venture-landscape-6b655c68e631
Kirsty’s Deck, now available on NC at: https://nucleationcapital.com/repowering-coal
DOD Project Pele: https://www.cto.mil/pele_eis/