Hey team, and welcome back to one5c! I began my career as a gear editor, which means I have lots (and lots) of opinions about the technologies we invite into our homes and pockets. To date myself a bit: I started as a gadget editor a couple months before Steve Jobs showed the world the very first iPhone. In hindsight, that beginning for me was also kinda the beginning of my end. The smartphone refresh cycle as it exists today just plain sucks, and the constant churn of new stuff is what ultimately pushed me out of that world and into this one.
I believe in buying the best thing you can reasonably afford, and keeping it in good working order as long as you possibly can. Which is why I’m always so pleased when repairing our gizmos gets easier—just like it did in Oregon last week. Shreya’s got more on that coming up next. Also today, our newest one5c contributor, Tyler Santora, is digging into solar geoengineering, a climate solution straight out of a Bond movie. —Corinne
WHAT WE’RE INTO THIS WEEK
By Shreya Agrawal
Cause for optimism
Oregon levels up gadgets repair
Through a first-in-the-nation law, Oregon is making the process of repairing electronics much easier—and potentially keeping more gadgets out of an e-waste stream that totaled more than 60 million metric tons of trash in 2022. States like California and New York had previously passed laws requiring manufacturers to provide necessary parts, tools, and documentation to smaller repair shops. But the Oregon law goes even further by banning a practice called “parts pairing,” in which companies deploy software to prevent any repairs by folks outside the company systems. “It’s a refreshing alternative to a ‘throwaway’ system that treats everything as disposable,” Charlie Fisher, director of nonprofit research group OSPIRG, told ArsTechnica.
Weather report
The planet’s largest ocean current is speeding up
Another not-cool thing on the warming front: Scientists say the planet’s largest ocean current system, the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that runs through the seas all around Antarctica, may be getting stronger due to human-caused warming. This would mean a faster melting of the continent’s already endangered ice sheets, according to a recent study in the journal Nature. Researchers looked at more than 5 million years’ worth of historical records and found a direct correlation between the current’s strength and accelerating Antarctic ice melt. Not only could this mean increased sea levels but also a drop in the ocean’s natural ability to absorb carbon from the atmosphere.
Good read
How to sell an EV skeptic
According to several polls, Democrats are more likely to purchase EVs than Republicans, but that doesn’t necessarily mean getting folks on the right side of the aisle off of petrol is impossible. To explore how to bridge that divide, Dan Gearino visited a pair of dealerships in politically opposite communities in Minnesota for Inside Climate News. EV success in Trump country, Gearino found, boils down to a simple idea: Just give one a test drive and notice how smoothly it spins. Focusing on comfort (EVs also heat up more quickly on cold days) and driving experience will get more EV drivers behind the wheel until political differences can fade.
Study guide
A diet to keep climate goals on the menu
Cutting out meat might not be realistic for all climate-conscious eaters, but a new study in the journal Science Advances shows that a global shift toward mostly plant-based eating can reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by about 35% and help stay within 1.5˚C warming goals. A “flexitarian” diet would mean hitting meat consumption limits set by the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet, such as keeping beef intake to one burger’s worth a week and chicken to about two breasts. The study suggests that shifting to a plant-heavy diet can also be friendlier to our wallets, with meals costing up to 34% less in the U.S. If you need inspiration for Meatless Mondays, subscribe to Cool Beans, the sustainable eating newsletter from one5c.
Mic-drop climate stat
The reduction in weed density in native grass plantings compared with popular non-native varieties, according to analysis in the journal Ecological Engineering. Want to turn your turf into a meadow? Follow along in our step-by-step series Lawns Gone Wild.
vocab check
Solar geoengineering: Sci-fi or solution?
By Tyler Santora
Extreme heat is on the rise, and when combined with high humidity, it could threaten the lives of up to three-quarters of the world population by 2100. One potential salve for all this sunlight: solar geoengineering, a method that sends wee particles into the atmosphere to reflect those rays. But this technique has risks, and recently atmospheric scientists have been imploring regulators to slow the roll and consider the caveats of blocking the sun. Here’s what you need to know about the futuristic-sounding concept.
What is solar geoengineering?
Solar geoengineering—technically speaking, “solar radiation modification”—releases aerosols such as sulfur dioxide into the stratosphere, the second layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. This could decrease temperatures quickly by bouncing solar rays away from the surface (about $10 billion a year could lower temps about 1 degree Celsius, according to CNBC). The method imitates the natural cooling effects that atmospheric scientists observe around volcanic gas. According to the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative, it could also have added benefits like reducing extremes in precipitation and slowing Arctic sea ice melt.
Are there downsides?
Atmospheric scientists warn that solar radiation modification is a temporary solution at best. It doesn’t mitigate all climate change harms—and starting, then stopping, the process could even cause temperatures to rise rapidly. It comes with a lot of other risks, too, like regional changes in precipitation, thinning of the ozone layer, excessive cooling, and increased acid rain. It could also threaten global security: Just imagine if one country uses it and causes negative impacts to a neighbor.
But there’s an even bigger issue. Hundreds of scholars from across the world have signed an open letter against the practice. They argue that it distracts from what’s most important: decreasing emissions and removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Is solar geoengineering being used anywhere?
Currently, no country or region is using the technique on a large scale, says Tyler Felgenhauer, a research scientist with the Modeling Environmental Risks and Decisions Group at Duke University. There aren’t any talks of it beyond research experiments either. On a small scale, at least one company is trying it on their own, sending balloons that release “reflective clouds” of sulfur dioxide in the sky. (They even sell $10 “cooling credits” to the public.)
Considering the potential drawbacks, a small group of experts petitioned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in March to strengthen its regulatory grip on the technology. Currently, all a U.S. company or citizen needs to be able to release aerosols into the atmosphere is to submit a single-page form to the NOAA 10 days before, E&E News reports. The petitioners argue that the existing rule was written in the 1970s about weather modification and that NOAA should consider clarifying and expanding reporting regulations for private solar radiation modification efforts.
Is there international oversight for solar geoengineering?
Very little. Although some international treaties and U.N. resolutions bring up solar radiation modification, no international governance is dedicated to its study or regulation. Ideally, there should be a group like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the IPCC for short) for assessing the research on it, Felgenhauer says. An international team is also needed to decide how solar geoengineering could be deployed in the future—and prevent unrest if some areas suffer negative effects.
Reducing the amount of food we waste is among the most-impactful things any person can do in the climate fight. Click here for our best strategies and tips.