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Reposted by Brendan McEwen

Auke Hoekstra @aukehoekstra.bsky.social · 3d

We just made this graph showing most people in the world could get by on just some solar panels and batteries.

The X axis is basically latitude, but we filled in how many people live between the equator and a certain latitude.
The Y axis shows the amount of solar and batteries needed

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 8d

Likely true, but to comply with electrical codes in USA & Canada (which could otherwise oblige you to upgrade service, sometimes at considerable $) you’ll need a power control system (see UL 3141) that actively controls between loads

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 9d

Also, having the battery in a device already being installed significantly reduce the cost of storage… so much of the cost of residential battery storage is the labour, sales and permitting…

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 9d

In addition to the value created by shifting off peak at the wholesale & utility distribution scale, battery integrated appliances could also coordinate to avoid peaks on building systems.

Like all the HPs in MURB could coordinate across a mesh network to not exceed capacity of building…

Canary Media Inc. @canarymedia.com · 9d

Legacy air-conditioning giant Carrier has a simple solution to ACs stressing the grid: Pair them with a battery that charges up when power demand is low.

Here’s how it’s testing the concept.

Carrier wants to pair batteries with air conditioners to help the grid

Utilities are struggling to meet demand as AI data centers surge. Equipping air conditioners with batteries could be an easy and hugely scalable way to…

www.canarymedia.com

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Chris Bataille @chrisbataille.bsky.social · 11d

If this keeps up, if the air stays toxic due to constant flaring, you’ll see local support for LNG expansion in the Prince Rupert and Kitimat area vanish very rapidly.

Chris Bataille @chrisbataille.bsky.social · 11d

This isn’t great, sounds like break-in flaring at LNG Canada is becoming routine. And your regular reminder if a flare is yellow the methane isn’t being fully combusted - if so it would be blue. That means VOCs, CO, PM2.5&10, etc. thenarwhal.ca/kitimat-lng-...

Noise, smoke from LNG Canada plagues residents of Kitimat, B.C. | The Narwhal

Residents near LNG Canada in Kitimat, B.C., say the constant noise and toxic smoke is ‘hell’ — and threatens serious health impacts

thenarwhal.ca

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Seth Klein @sethdklein.bsky.social · 9d

BC friends, important piece by @iglikaivanova.bsky.social

She writes: BC’s own source revenue—taxes, fees & royalties—has plummeted from 19.2% to 15.4% of GDP over 25 years. This drop represents $16.8 billion in foregone revenues annually."

Tax cuts drive the deficit; progressive tax ⬆️ needed 👇

Seth Klein @sethdklein.bsky.social · 10d

BC folks! Outstanding piece here by @iglikaivanova.bsky.social, co-ED of @bcpolicy.bsky.social.

BC has a revenue problem, not a spending problem

The solution to BC’s fiscal challenges isn’t spending cuts. Instead, BC needs progressive revenue measures.

Read on 👇
vancouversun.com/opinion/op-e...

Opinion: B.C. has a revenue problem, not a spending problem

Experience from early 2000s shows that underfunding public services and failing to address poverty leads to higher economic and social costs

vancouversun.com

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WuTangIsForTheChildren @wutangforchildren.bsky.social · Apr 13

Will just leave this clip here of Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings talking about what’s wrong with America from a 1991 interview and it’s still all very true today

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 10d

I feel like all these people with way tidier homes than mine are committing micro-aggressions…

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 10d

This is brilliant:

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 10d

All the Pretty Horses

The God of Small Things

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 10d

Other strategies to “square it”:

plant a pollinator garden to help the insects where there was previously monoculture grass.

Give $ spent on organic to nature conservation / farm workers advocacy, esp migrants (they need it these days)

Etc etc. 🙂

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 10d

I used to buy organic… now I generally dont. I think it is largely a marketing hustle intended to separate those with means from their $. And a net bad, given yield impacts.

I do wish there was an independent food labeling scheme growers could apply to that had good contextual criteria.

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Seth Klein @sethdklein.bsky.social · 13d

Youth unemployment isn’t just a statistic. As these testimonials indicate, it’s a crisis shaping the lives & futures of young people.

A Youth Climate Corps could put thousands to work while supporting climate & community. Take action below 👇

Climate Emergency Unit @climateunit.bsky.social · 13d

The voices of young people are clear: Youth unemployment isn’t just a statistic, it’s a crisis shaping their lives & futures.

A Youth Climate Corps could put thousands to work while supporting climate & community.

Tell Carney: Listen to youth & act for a YCC: www.goodgreenjobsforall.ca/tell-carney

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Richard Waite @waiterich.bsky.social · 14d

If the world diverts tens or hundreds of millions of hectares of additional cropland to biofuels, it would lead to large-scale deforestation and ecosystem conversion, and would be a disaster for our efforts to fight climate change and biodiversity loss. It would also lead to higher food prices.

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Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 14d

This is a great short piece worth thinking about when it comes to transportation & urbanism.

“We cannot optimise both proximity and mobility. Proximity and Mobility cannot be friends. We settle into one of two worlds: (a) high proximity, low mobility or (b) high mobility, low proximity.”

What we mean be high proximity/low mobility verses high mobility/low proximity.

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 15d

"Common decency stigmatizes people that do not participate in it—removes them from voluntary association. We indeed have to live with one another, but terms and conditions apply."

me on why Ezra Klein should be ashamed / why shame is Good Actually

www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...

How Can We Live Together? - Boston Review

Ezra Klein is wrong: shame is essential.

www.bostonreview.net

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 15d

there is this notion that electrification is driving car bloat - I really don't see it! Sure EVs are lower cost to operate, but trend towards the (very dangerous) large pickups & SUVs is predominantly driven by North American automakers selling ICE

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 15d

As @cleanenergycanada.org documents, Europeans have access to lower cost EVs. The Federal govt of Canada should enable access.

What really strikes me about these cars is their modest size! So much safer for pedestrians, etc.

cleanenergycanada.org/report/missi...

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Barbara Kaskosz @kaskosz.bsky.social · 16d

“The announcement on autism was the greatest display of ignorance, unfounded blather, dangerous advice, recycled old nonsense and outright malpractice advice since Trump recommended bleach for Covid,” Arthur Caplan, professor of medical ethics at NYU.

www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...

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Brendan McEwen @brendanmcewen.bsky.social · 16d

this is such a fun/exciting/important list... if you know any entrepreneurial or scientifically-minded people (esp. young people) trying to figure out what to devote their career to, this would be a good list to consult!

kudos @energyinnovation.org

thepowerline.substack.com/p/30-clean-t...

30 Clean Tech “Moonshots” Could Unlock Net Zero Energy Breakthroughs

New Climate Tech Atlas highlights opportunities for a net zero future

thepowerline.substack.com

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Tamar Haspel @tamarhaspel.bsky.social · 16d

Vertical solar panels didn't decrease wheat yields at all.

Although exposure to sunlight was decreased, wind protection seemed to make up for it.

Everybody wins.
techxplore.com/news/2025-09...

techxplore.com

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Brendan Haley @brhaley.bsky.social · 16d

I'm writing something on why Canada develops megaprojects instead of innovation systems

In 1957 staple theorist WT Easterbrook wrote Canada puts "a high premium on bigness in entrepreneurship" - that our capitalists seek security in gov't infrastructure projects.

#cdnhist #cdnpoli #elbowsup

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Paavo Ritala @paavoritala.bsky.social · 28d

I see AI-generated text everywhere in academic writing. And it's making me a bit sad.

It feels like all the argumentation is homogenized, and stylistically represents a consulting report (McKinsey style), with a lot of empty strawman arguments and other logical/intellectual blunders.

#GenerativeAI

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Zeke Hausfather @hausfath.bsky.social · 17d

This is the primary contributor to the acceleration in global warming in recent years. Cutting air pollution saves lives and is unequivocally worth doing, but it is also driving about a quarter (~0.14C) of the approximately 0.5C warming the world has experienced between 2007 and 2024.

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Zeke Hausfather @hausfath.bsky.social · 17d

I have a new @nytimes.com guest essay w/ @davidkeith.bsky.social about sunlight reflection. We note its not a solution for climate change and at best a band aid to treat systems, and suggest if its ever done it should only be to replace the cooling from air pollution today:

Opinion | A Responsible Way to Cool the Planet

A small, carefully scaled geoengineering program could compensate for the loss of cooling as we eliminate sulfur pollution.

www.nytimes.com

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