Rewind: What More Can I Do?

If you’re a climate-conscious person, you likely already know some of the main ways you can reduce your contribution to greenhouse gasses: buy less, eat less meat, ride your bike. But there are other, less obvious methods we don’t always think of: voting, having climate conversations, engaging with your local government, changing where your money is invested. And while our role as individuals does matter, we’re more powerful when we work together in collective action.I 

Jon Foley

Executive Director, Project Drawdown

Eliza Nemser

Executive Director, Climate Changemakers

Leah Stokes: 2024 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science 
December 9, 2024 | 6:00 p.m.
Climate One is delighted to present the 2024 Stephen H. Schneider Award for Outstanding Climate Science Communication to political scientist Leah Stokes.

Stokes is an expert in climate and energy policy. As both an academic and a mobilizer, she focuses on implementing policies that drive widespread decarbonization. Her rare ability to communicate complex information to both academic audiences and the general public has established her as one of the most influential voices in climate action and clean energy policy. Recognized on the 2022 TIME100 Next and Business Insider's Climate Action 30 lists, she also co-hosts the podcast “A Matter of Degrees.”

Join Climate One for this special in-person conversation with Leah Stokes, policy expert, climate communicator, and the Anton Vonk Associate Professor of Environmental Politics at UC Santa Barbara.

Between 5 and 19 million tons of previously undiscovered lithium lies under Arkansas. The United States Geological Survey (USGS), a federal agency dedicated to energy and mineral resources, announced the finding this week.

Lithium is an essential component of the green energy transition, as it is a key portion of the batteries used for electric vehicles and energy storage. At present, much of the lithium used in EVs is mined in Australia and South America and processed in China before being imported into the United States. By mining and refining more lithium domestically, U.S. battery manufacturing will further reduce its carbon output by reducing freight-related emissions.

However, some residents and environmental justice activists are concerned about the potential Arkansas lithium boom. The lithium is located in the Smackover Formation, an expansive region of mineral deposits buried in brine far underground, and extracting the valuable resource from brine will require the use of a hazardous technique known as deep lithium extraction. This process is mechanically similar to fracking, which saw extensive use in the Smackover Formation for oil production. The USGS itself reports that fracking has led to an increase in earthquakes and risks to water supplies. Similar efforts to use deep lithium extraction are underway in California’s Salton Sea, creating job and resource opportunities — and similar environmental concerns.  

PLUS:

While the expansive lithium reserves in Arkansas may solve the supply crunch for manufacturers of new batteries, there is still the problem of what to do with batteries after their charge runs low. Nevada-based company Redwood Materials believes it has the solution.

Like the newspapers and soda cans we recycle in our homes, the lithium batteries used for electric vehicles and energy storage can also be recycled. But until recently, the battery recycling process was thought to be cost prohibitive. Founder of Redwood Materials JB Straubel sat down with Greg Dalton last summer for a wide-ranging discussion of the future of battery recycling, his past work with Tesla Motors, and the need to make our supply chains as efficient as possible to reduce emissions.

Source: Climate Central

In addition to our regular episode this week, Climate One also partnered with Bay City News and Northern California Public Media to publish a special bonus episode on the Delta Conveyance Project.

The climate crisis requires extensive infrastructure projects, and the 45-mile expansion of the state’s massive aqueduct system is one of the most ambitious water infrastructure expansions in the world. Bay City News reporter Ruth Dusseault and Stanford’s Felicia Marcus traveled up and down the state conducting interviews and learning all about the project. You can listen to their work wherever you get your podcasts.