Pique Behind the Curtain Vol. 25

A newsletter for those who are interested in climate solutions, media and film production

April 13, 2022

Clean, Green, Metal-Extracting Machine

Welcome back to our weekly newsletter, Pique Behind the Curtain. If you’ve come in search of climate content, new film features, and all-around positive vibes, then you’ve come to the right place.

Nth Cycle

The demand for critical minerals is on the rise - and for a good reason. The technology required for a cleaner and greener economy like EVs, solar panels, and wind turbines require a whole lot of them. But the processes we currently use to recover these minerals from e-waste and mining are dirty, inefficient, and over half a century old.

Let’s be clear - we’re not ragging on electrification. It is a crucial step in the fight against climate change. Unfortunately, we still haven't found a perfect answer to the clean energy question. Every continually evolving and improving option has its tradeoffs. Resource availability, the process of recovering those resources, and how both affect our environment are prime examples.

Nth Cycle Founder and CEO Megan O'Connor recognized this dilemma and decided to take critical mineral recovery one step closer to circular. Rather than use large, dirty furnaces that consume excessive energy and emit greenhouse gasses or harmful acids and solvents that create tons of environmentally-harmful chemical waste, her company has created a different approach.

Their electro-extraction technology is a clean - relying solely on a comparatively minimal amount of electricity - and modular method for reliably recovering critical minerals from e-waste and low-grade mine tailings.

Sneak Pique

Next week we learn about a startup tackling a two-folded problem: there’s too much CO2 in the atmosphere, but not enough in our soil.

Loam Bio is a startup creating technology that captures carbon from the atmosphere on a gigatonne scale and returns it to the soil. This improves soil health and allows farmers to trade a new commodity: carbon offsets

Want to know more? Check back in next week for the full film.

Good Climate News!

This week in good climate news 🌍:

The Climate Curriculum: Medical School Edition

Medical schools across the country are implementing practices to address the effects of climate change in their curriculum. The negative health effects climate-related threats can cause, from growing rates of asthma to issues related to heat exposure and weather disasters, have encouraged this response. The risks are especially high for those living in more deeply affected frontline communities, where smog and pollution can be found in higher quantities. 

Preparing future doctors to care for both the physical and mental effects of climate change on humans is not only an important humanitarian effort but also calls greater attention to the importance of developing climate mitigation and adaptation solutions.

https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2018/10/17/stumped-by-medical-school-a-qa-with-a-learning-specialist/

What We’re Watching, Reading, and Listening to

Searching for more positive climate content? Look no further!