#18. 🌍 COP27 Week 1 | 🇨🇦 Canada’s Clean Energy & Hydrogen | 🇯🇵 Japanese autonomous trucking company

🌡 CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate change is fueling a public health crisis. Doctors need to address this (long read)

This article is an opinion peace by an otolaryngologist highlighting the need for the medical community to focus on and plan for climate change’s adverse impacts on health. One example given is a six-year old boy whose asthma attacks are exacerbated by increased ground level ozone; yet the medical encoding for his ailment is merely “J45.901,” i.e., a standard asthma attack, without any additional data about the increased ozone.

All the COP27 news from week 1 and other top climate change stories (long read)

The first week of COP27 has come and gone, and this article highlights some of the key points including India’s goals to reach net-zero by 2070; scientists’ revised forecast for yet further increases in global CO2 emissions; and more.

Forests could absorb nearly all New England’s carbon, report says (quick read)

New England is home to 32 million acres of forests that cover 75% of the region’s land; these forests could capture 100% of the region’s six states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Techniques to maximize the forests’ carbon capture include reducing forest destruction; designating as “forever wild” at least 10% of all forest land; protecting more old-life trees which capture more carbon; making improvements to forest management generally; using timber instead of concrete and steel where possible; and increasing the use of tree canopies in both cities and suburbs.

🔋 CLEAN ENERGY

Canada announces major investment incentives for clean energy and hydrogen (long read)

Canada has announced a proposed tax credit of up to 30% for clean energy technologies; the focus is on net-zero and battery storage as well as so-called “small modular reactors” (SMRs) as well as large-scale nuclear power. Clean hydrogen power will get a 40% tax credit under the new proposals.

IBM announced clean energy as second cohort of its sustainability accelerator (long read)

IBM’s cloud and AI technologies will be available to companies in its Sustainability Accelerator to ramp up solutions for environmentally fragile populations that face imminent risk from extreme weather and pollution.

World’s largest floating offshore wind farm is now online (quick read)

Norway’s Equinor power company just activated the world’s largest floating wind farm, the Hywind Tampen. It includes 11 turbines that each output 8.6 MW of power, and is located 140 km (87 mi) at a water depth of 260-300 m (853-984 feet). Ironically, it will be the first floating wind farm in the world used to power oil and gas platforms.

🚗 AUTONOMOUS & ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Here’s what we know about Porsche’s first electric SUV, the 2024 Macan (quick read)

Company-wide, Porsche expects at least 50% of its sales to come from EVs by 2025, and 80% by 2030; to wit, its first EV, the Taycan, already outsold the 911 Carrera, its flagship sports car. The Macan will ride on a platform co-developed with Audi; it will support an 800V electrical system and be paired with 100 kWh battery packs. Recharge times will be less than 25 minutes to go from 5% to 80%.

A quick autonomous vehicle rollout would reduce inflation (long read)

This opinion piece suggests that a fast deployment of autonomous trucks will help drive down inflation by reducing the workforce of truck drivers that currently make up 2% of the entire US population.

Japan’s Mitusi to begin self-driving truck transport business (quick read)

Following a new law in Japan that allows L4 AVs on public roads, Mitsui will launch a new logistics business utilizing L4 autonomous trucks in 2026 on the highway between Tokyo and Osaka.