The not-so Cold Open

Biden's Bid to be a Wartime President - and no, its not to do with Ukraine

Last week the White House rolled out the American Climate Corps- an effort to equip marines with nukes and heavy artillery to fight climate change in the most American way possible.

Ok JK, -its an initiative aimed at tackling the climate crisis and preparing new workers for skills in the Green Economy. The program plans to enlist over 20,000 young individuals in its inaugural year to work on conserving nature, promoting clean energy, and enhancing community resilience. Participants will gain valuable skills, from restoring wetlands to fight floods to managing forests to prevent wildfires and implementing energy-efficient technologies. As recruitment begins, this program will not only help save the planet but also provide exciting opportunities for young people to make a meaningful impact and build a greener future.

So next time little Jimmy selling solar door to door comes by, don't forget to thank him for his bravery & service.

See more info and sign up here: American Climate Corps

Climate Culture

Nick Offerman Buries Himself Alive for Climate Change

If you need a 50 second laugh this week or still curious as to how regenerative agriculture fights climate change, Nick Offerman and the NRDC have come together to make a handy little video that will be sure to make you smile.

Watch Here: Nick Offerman gets down and dirty for regenerative agriculture

Corporate Climate Chronicles

Lego rebuilding its Climate Strategy, brick by brick

Lego has abandoned its plans to use recycled plastic bottles for making building blocks due to concerns that it won't significantly reduce carbon emissions.

While the toymaker had initially found success with a prototype made from discarded bottles, it now believes that using recycled PET would require too much new production equipment that would inevitably negate any emissions reduction. Instead, Lego will explore other sustainable materials, including different recycled plastics and alternatives like plastics derived from sources such as e-methanol, as part of its commitment to spending over $1.2 billion on sustainability efforts by 2025 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Read more here: Lego’s Climate Pivot

My Take: This highlights one of the many key issues companies will face in pursuing a circular economy for plastics. Although there are some great qualities to plastics, its important to understand the negative - high chance of microplastics production, emissions associated with recycling, complexities and costs with efficient recycling and high costs of procuring recycled plastics due to forecasted demand outstripping supply. The water bottle - to - tee shirt or, in this case lego, model is truly not the most efficient circular strategy and will challenge corporates to rethink their raw materials and production processes significantly if they want to reach their goals. I give props to Lego though for the determination and experimentation with different feedstocks to try and figure out how they will progress in the green economy.

Better Living

If you’re looking for an EV, the market’s getting HOT

BMW i5 & i7:

The new i5 and i7 are building on BMW's electric portfolio that began with the measly i4 and the iX suv. Beefing up the roster with new tech, more mileage, and sleeker looks is a great way to begin winning over customers looking to decarbonize their commutes but still be "that guy" on the highway.

• New BMW i5 starts at around $66,000 with 295 miles of range on a charge
• New BMW i7 starts at around $105,000 with 321 miles of range on a charge

Mercedes Benz EQE SUV:

Mercedes adding to its electric lineup with the SUV equivalent of the EQE sedan- their fifth fully electric model. Targeting the current and top-selling GLE range, Mercedes seems like they're doubling down on the "spaceship vibes" interior and touchscreen interfaces.

- New Mercedes EQE starts at around $78,000 with about 280 miles of range on a single charge

Fisker Ocean:

Yes, you read that right, Henrik Fisker is back with a new smaller-sized SUV, the Fisker Ocean, heralded as the "most sustainable SUV on Earth". Since it's debut, Fisker has launched teasers into its next production models expected to further flesh out Fisker's new attempt at its automotive portfolio offering.

- New Fisker Ocean starts at around $69,000 with about 360 miles of range on a single charge

Other Upcoming Options:

- Audi: Q8 e-tron & e-tron sportback- both starting around $74,000

- Genesis: Electrified GV70- starting around $66,000 with approximately 236 miles of range

- Lexus: RZ 450e- starting around $60,000 with approximately 220 miles of range

A note from Chris:

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter and feel free to provide any feedback on how I can improve. Feel free to share this article, or the newsletter as a whole with anyone you feel may benefit from keeping up with climate news or enjoy my content.

Thanks!