Hello from St. Pete, Florida!
Every trip I make here, I'm struck by the size of cars but also the size of food sold in stores, the number of Amazon delivery trucks, what feels like excess waste all over, and a general attitude towards consumption that has no bounds.
But this isn't solely an American attitude. Sure, the USA has done its share to export its 'bigger is better' & instant gratification ideals but the consumer & corporate plight of spiraling carbon footprints & the ramifications thereof know no borders and we're all in this together.
As many of you may know, the COP26, is currently being held in the UK and it is a chance to step up the de-carbonization commitments made during COP21 (the Paris Agreement) back in 2015. I came across this Goldman Sachs (lol, I know) report where they analyze five key themes of change they believe can drive progress:
1) Carbon pricing: "Carbon pricing is a key instrument for de-carbonization, but it also needs to be a fair instrument, prevent carbon leakage, and provide greater confidence and transparency for voluntary offsets."
2) Consumer choice: "Governments could mandate carbon footprint disclosure on products/services and set the standards in a globally coordinated fashion, empowering consumers to choose low carbon goods and manage their carbon budgets."
3) Capital markets pressure: "The rise of ESG [...] needs better instruments to gauge temperature alignment of corporate strategies and more regulatory visibility to accelerate clean-tech investments."
4) Net Zero: "National commitments to Net Zero and further cuts to carbon emissions by 2030 will be at the core of inter-governmental discussions: [...] highlighting the importance of clean tech ecosystems including renewable power, batteries, hydrogen, carbon capture and the circular economy." (more about this below!)
5) Technological innovation: Goldman Sachs expects a cumulative US$56 tn of green infrastructure investments to meet Net Zero by 2050. Elsewhere, I read that carbon taxes generate a vanishingly small amount of revenue & based on existing data concerning greenhouse gas emissions, a global tax of around $100 per tonne would net upwards of $3tn in revenue per annum. (via Exponential View's Charts of the Week #49)
I found this list helpful & clearly the days of ignoring this issue are long since over. So inform yourself & take a stance on this topic! I've shared some links below related to this below as well.
What do you think about the COP26?
thank you, as always, for reading & sharing this newsletter,
Jon
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📷 banner image by Leon van Bon during Twotone's oldest client, 2moso's 'content week' in Belgium a few weeks ago.
Cycling
Letter: Kickstart decarbonisation by taking up cycling | Financial Times
TL;DR: Bikes will save the world!
"There is a quick and relatively simple way to kickstart the reduction of our transport emissions. In Europe, half of all car trips are shorter than 5km. One-third are shorter than 3km. Most people will be able to cover these distances by bicycle or, for the shortest distances, simply on foot. And recently, the rapid advent of the electric bicycle increasingly makes cycling an attractive option for distances of a bit longer. Each kilometre travelled by bicycle instead of by car immediately saves on average 150 grammes of CO2 emissions."
SILCA takes a stand on environmental issues and asks industry to eliminate ‘forever chemicals’ in lubricants
It's time to stop using chemicals that are toxic for humans and the environment. Together with SILCA, we want to start this conversation and see if we can nudge the industry out of being harmful to humans, animals, and the environment.
Thank you Grav Grav for the coverage of Albion´s new Autumn/Winter 2021 collection
Also on Grav Grav: How to get through your first unsupported bikepacking race season.
Startups
Ampler e-bikes raises 7.4 M € to support its expansion plans
Ampler has closed a very impressive equity round & we're prouder than ever to work with this steadily growing ebike brand! One big initial outcome of this round is their Amsterdam showroom coming together as well as a carbon-neutral factory! :D
Percentage of Hacker News job postings that mention a remote option
Working from home is here to stay, in a big way!
Decarbonization by the Numbers (with Michele Della Vigna)
It's this convo with Azeem Azhar that inspired this issues' intro. He & Goldman’s Michele Della Vigna (Carbonomics) talk about the true costs of decarbonization & how bringing the global economy to “net zero” won’t come cheap.
Friends
Jess from Offline Matters in Offscreen
My friend Jess Henderson, author of Offline Matters & the founder of the No Fun site and newsletter was featured in my all-time fave print only publication: Offscreen : )
CLIMATECOMMITMENT by ShiftCyclingCulture
My friend Lian runs Shift & her point is that climate change is not only a future risk, but a current one, which is accelerating before our eyes.
As cyclists, we should press the brands we support tosign the Climate Commitment.
Kik Kong Photography
Outdoors / Studio / Reportage in the Netherlands, Spain & many places in between by my friend & colleague; @kike.molares!
Radness
Great Himalayan Trail (GHT) on Wheels
Mangal Lama is attempting a solo-ride on the high route of the Great Himalayan Trail (GHT), which would be the first-ever mountain biking expedition on the GHT, setting many high-altitude records.
Read more about it here ghtonwheels.com
Thank you for the heads up on this to James of the Torino-Nice Rally!