5 minute read: Op-Ed Grief sparked by “Don’t Look Up”, Indonesia & Japan decarbonisation technology, IBM & Envizi, Lego carbon neutral factory – from the desk of The Green Link’s team .
Op-Ed_
Grief Sparked by “Don’t Look Up” | It’s just too real [SPOILER ALERT]
In the past couple weeks thought leaders, activists, and movie buffs alike have shared outpourings of grief, frustration, relatability, and accuracy in how it so clearly depicts a satirical metaphor for the way the climate crisis was handled during the Trump administration in the United States.
Of course, other governments have equally willfully ignored the crisis, choosing instead to continue extracting fossil fuels, underinvesting in transition costs, and ignoring activists, investors, and citizen pleas for change.
In a last-ditch effort to escape the asteroid heading for Earth, Meryl Streep (playing a character likening Trump) and co-star Mark Rylance (playing opportunistic tech entrepreneur) escape to a cryptogenic spaceship where their bodies are preserved for thousands of years. The end scene shows Meryl and Mark in the nude, walking into a colourful, bright, restored Earth. Meryl is promptly attacked and killed by a new species. Ironic, isn’t it?
When did we forget that we’re not invincible?
As we come into 2022, COVID-19 enduring, school closures run anew, and widespread global burnout running rampant, financial commitments, marginally more impressive policy promises, and global innovation challenges come in stale. When did we forget that we’re not invincible?
What’s giving us energy this week are the companies investing in technologies, playing a role as first clients and funding gap participants, ensuring that new technologies to meet our decarbonization deadlines aren’t left in a valley of death between research and development funding rounds.
Some of the companies signing on to this kind of change include:
- Shopify’s Sustainability Fund
- Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund
- Google’s ambitious renewable energy plans which have lead to acquiring FervoEnergy, a startup working on a novel approach to geothermal
So what can you do?
If you’re part of a company that intends to be part of the action – that is, you’ve made your commitments and strategy, but don’t know what’s next, contact us. The Green Linkprocures clean technology from around the world. We use specialized language-enabled AI to find and review clean technologies that match your company’s needs.
In the news_
[Indonesia and Japan]
Have announced that they will be working together on decarbonisation technology such as hydrogen, ammonia and carbon capture and storage (CCS), to transition to clean energy.
[IBM]
Has acquired Australian startup Envizi to add to its package of ESG (environmental, social and governance) offerings to help measure environmental impact up and down the supply chain.
[Lego]
Has announced the building of their first carbon neutral factory. The building will feature rooftop solar panels & nearby supplementary solar sources to provide for all of the factory’s energy needs. And it will meet LEED Gold standards for energy consumption, water and waste.
