Notices by Akshat Rathi (akshatrathi@mastodon.green)

"America has the most prosperous economy in world history, and it is no coincidence that it was built on a relatively impersonal, rules-based system. If it’s destroyed, it may prove near impossible to rebuild."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-28/what-happens-to-an-economy-when-deals-replace-rules?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc0MzI1OTQ2NSwiZXhwIjoxNzQzODY0MjY1LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJTVFU1NDBEV1JHRzAwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIwQzg4NkY0NTI0NzY0RUE0OEY2QTk4RTk1NDc5RTI2NSJ9.tVhhSv27eai9pCARH7fFGjDhXNNwoHugZlDzUJZGW-U

India's electric two-wheeler company Ola has faced many problems in the past year. Nonetheless this opening of 3,200 stores in a single day speaks what kind of scale India can work on if executed well. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-25/ola-electric-opens-3-200-stores-amid-year-of-consumer-complaint-woes?srnd=undefined&sref=jjXJRDFv

One of the greatest tragedies of our time is that climate change means our future is one of fewer better possibilities than one where we would have tackled this problem sooner. It's not just a different future, but a diminished one. Still, what we do now can stem that diminishment.

If done right: "A study published late last year found that insect abundance had tripled over five years on test plots at two other Minnesota solar sites. The abundance of native bees grew twentyfold."
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/05/climate/solar-power-pollinators-wildlife.html

The thing that is most surprising to me on this chart is that the UK government had a recommended limit on takeout meals at 600 calories. https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/22/some-takeaway-meals-more-calories-daily-limit-uk-study

I'm reliving the past six months of extreme weather for a Bloomberg Green story. The photos of destruction are stunning, and still this photo of a Ferrari suffering as a result Dubai floods stands out. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-20/dubai-floods-expose-weakness-to-climate-change-after-uae-heavy-rains

For 1,000 Burundian francs ($0.35), people will carry well-dressed citizens on their backs to keep them from stepping in the mud. “I earn 50,000 Burundian francs a day because of my back,” said Mozes Kagabo. “I feed my family like that.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-05-14/east-africa-floods-heavy-rains-send-lake-tanganyika-water-level-to-record?sref=jjXJRDFv

2020: Microsoft sets goal to be carbon negative by end of the decade.

2023: Microsoft's emissions are 30% higher than in 2020.

Main cause? The relentless push to meet AI demand, which requires new data centers built out of carbon-intensive steel, cement, chips.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-05-15/microsoft-s-ai-investment-imperils-climate-goal-as-emissions-jump-30

But the consensus is that climate won't be an issue in the 2024 US election (likely the hottest year on record), right?

John Kerry is the Forrest Gump of climate.

The opening of Zero podcast conversation with Biden's first climate envoy who steps down this week. https://omny.fm/shows/zero/john-kerry-the-forrest-gump-of-climate-bows-out