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Pique Behind the Curtain Vol. 43
A newsletter for those who are interested in climate solutions, media and film production
Oh, So That’s How to Beat LA Traffic?
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. If you’re enjoying this, don’t just keep it all for yourself. Please share it with a friend!
But First…We’re Hiring!
Do you know your audience?
We're hiring a Director of Social & Audience growth. Whether you've always been passionate about saving the planet or are just now considering making the switch to #workinclimate, come join us! (Not for you but know someone perfect for the job? Feel free to pass along our invitation.)
Check out this latest and greatest earth-saving opportunity here.
Sublime Systems
Humanity produces a staggering four billion tons of cement every year - and all that product is the foundation upon which the modern world is built. Unfortunately, its environmental toll is equally as astonishing. At a whopping 8% of global emissions, the cement industry is one of the biggest global GHG emitters - not to mention the most abundant man-made material on the planet. Decarbonizing this sector is crucial if we are ever going to make meaningful progress on climate change.
Sublime Systems Co-Founders Yet-Ming Chiang and Leah Ellis, who was named an Active Fellow in 2020, just might have the solution. Sublime is fully electrifying cement production by leveraging cheap renewables and chemical storage to make carbon-free lime. Their electrochemical approach replaces an extremely energy- and heat-intensive production process with one that runs at room temperature. By applying proven industrial electrochemical concepts, they’re creating a platform to sustainably scale the world’s demand for this building material.
Watch the full film here.
Do You Have to Be Jet-Zero to be an Environmental Hero?
Ugh. Not Taylor Swift. PLEASE drag anyone but her.
If you’re not hip to Swift’s musical genius, I bear no judgment towards you. I simply ask you to imagine your own public hero (whomever they may be) featured in a headline that accuses them of undeniable carelessness concerning the climate.
Taylor Swift is the most recent in a string of celebrities accused of abusing their private jet privileges with no regard for the way sky travel significantly contributes to emissions.
And as with most pop-culture splashes, it aaallllll started with the Kardashians. After Kylie Jenner posted an Instagram with significant other Travis Scott, their jets, and the caption, “you wanna take mine or yours?” the internet went bonkers. Since then, data has come out revealing that the average celebrity in 2022 has emitted 3376.64 tonnes of CO2 emissions in just their private jets so far - that’s more than 482 times the average person’s annual emissions. (To be fair, the report is not peer-reviewed and features a prominent disclaimer about its analysis. But ALSO to be fair, The Washington Post cited it in this article. Do with that what you will.)
The analysis of flight data called out celebrities like Jenner and other popular artists like Drake for logging emissions-spewing trips as short as 17 and 14 minutes, respectively. And though it pains me to say it, according to this data Taylor is the worst of them all racking up some 22,000 minutes in the air so far this year. There’s a lot to be said about this - and not just because I’m a swiftie. On the one hand, travel is kind of a non-negotiable of the world-tour rockstar gig. I don’t blame celebrities who value privacy for taking measures to avoid being harassed by fans on public flights. The conversation gets a bit murkier, however, when we take into account the incredibly short flights that could have been traveled by another mode of private transportation with not too much time lost.
A quick flight on a private jet emphasizes the least efficient parts of the plane’s duty cycle, being that a large amount of fuel burns and is used to taxi, warm up the engine, and get the plane off the ground. According to Peter DeCarlo, an associate professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University, blasting a giant tube of metal into the sky for short distances instead of taking a car has an enormous comparative carbon footprint.
As the world quite literally burns and floods, it’s important to remember that an individual’s actions can’t save the climate. A ban on private jet travel isn’t the solution - and if we’re being honest, it’s super unrealistic. But calling attention to the importance of a societal shift towards conservation has never been more relevant.
People - celebrities and role models for younger generations especially - must learn to consider the environmental impact of their actions. In the context of climate, owning a private jet is not a swoon-worthy status symbol, but rather a mark of irresponsibility. Individual choices have little impact on climate change, but those choices can add up and begin to have a collective impact on our habits - and that matters.
Good Climate News!
This week in good climate news 🌍:
Nature is a Natural Born Right
This past week, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to adopt a historic resolution that recognizes that a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is a fundamental human right.
The declaration acknowledges climate change and its associated environmental turmoil as one of the most pressing threats to both people and the natural world. While the resolution is not legally binding on the 193 countries that belong to the UN, advocates of the resolution are hopeful for a trick-down effect that will motivate member states into action.
But, why is the right to a healthy environment a big deal?
The WHO predicts that climate change will cause around 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050. The factors contributing to this statistic include malnutrition, malaria, and heat stress - the costs of which could reach $2-4 billion per year by 2030. With more than a fifth of the global population relying on forests for their livelihoods and 1.2 billion people in tropical countries that rely on nature for their basic needs, prioritizing the preservation of ecological resources and processes has never been more important.
Despite laws around the world requiring businesses to remedy any adverse environmental impacts they may cause, insufficient government regulatory processes causes the enforcement of these policies to be… lacking. To say the least.
With this decision, however, the U.N. is actively encouraging nations around the world to codify the right to a healthy environment into their constitutions. This would give environment advocates more support to stand against ecologically damaging policies and projects.
The U.N. Secretary-General, António Guterres, said that the decision will help countries accelerate the implementation of their environmental rights commitments - but also their human rights obligations. “The international community has given universal recognition to this right and brought us closer to making it a reality for all.”
What We’re Watching, Reading, and Listening to
Searching for more positive climate content? Look no further!
Stay tuned with us on social to get a first listen of our Founder & CEO, Kip Pastor, discussing the power of storytelling and climate action on the MCJ Podcast tomorrow!
Verge 2022
We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leverage the power of technology to address the climate crisis and build a clean economy. We are proud to be Community Partners at VERGE 22: The leading climate tech event.
Join thousands of leaders — from business, government, solution providers and startups — working together to address the climate crisis across six strategic areas: clean energy, sustainable transportation, carbon removal, regenerative food systems, net-zero buildings and the startup ecosystem.
Register todayand use the code V22PIQACTION at registration for 10% off of the pass type of your choice:https://bit.ly/3nRXhdm
