Recipes of the week
Here are the recipes I’m planning for next week. (click on each link to access the recipe on Notion).
Click here to access the list of groceries for the week.
Recipe #1 - Risotto - Spinach, Goat cheese & hazelnuts
Recipe via Frichti
Recipe #2 - Roasted pumpkin soup
Recipe by Bianca Zapatka
Recipe #3 - Vegetable crumble
Recipe by Rutabago
Climate news
Join over 15,000 employees in Australia and strike for the climate this coming Friday May 21st - Employees are encouraged to strike as part of the Not Business As Usual movement to demand government action on Australia’s clean energy transition.
-> After all, Leo’s girlfriend deserves a future.
A paper on big oil propaganda by Harvard Science highlights how companies like ExxonMobile have been playing the exact same playbook as tobacco companies to shift the blame for climate change onto individuals over the years. (Kate Yoder for Grist)
-> There is a pattern here. Keep in mind, BP was first to come up with the concept of the carbon footprint more than 15 years ago. Not to say that individuals don’t have a responsibility in solving climate change, they certainly do and that’s the reason I’m writing this newsletter. But a radical, systemic political and economical transformation is also needed.
By the way, Big Meat and Big Dairy are doing the exact same thing.
IEA says no to new fossil fuels developments - The International Energy Agency released their new roadmap to Net Zero and - for the very first time - highlights that there is no place for new fossil fuels investments if the world is to reach net zero by 2050. (Nick O’Maley for the SMH)
-> This is big news because the IEA is known for being traditionally very conservative in its models. For Australia, the report means an obligation to reach net zero emissions earlier than 2050, and should phase out coal-fired power stations by 2030.
However there are a lot uncertainties around the report, such as:
The reliance on technologies that are far from being proven and scalable, such as carbon capture and storage technologies (CCS) or “green” hydrogen.
The minimal part (4%) given to behavioural changes by individuals in the emission reductions.
The IEA is forecasting a decline in global energy demand by 8% whilst global population is expected to increase by 2 Billion 🤷
John Kerry Interview - In an interview British journalist Andrew Marr, which aired on the BBC on Sunday, John Kerry said that 50 percent of future emissions reductions will come from technology that hasn’t been invented yet.
-> Greta Thunberg’s reaction says it all - “I spoke to Harry Potter and he said he will team up with Gandalf, Sherlock Holmes & The Avengers and get started right away!
or, my take on it - for my French subscribers only sorry - “et la marmotte, elle met le chocolat dans le papier d’alu”
The carbon footprint of…coffee
In Australia, we are very serious about our coffee. And if we care about the environment, we might be part of the movement to curb single-use coffee cups. I never go anywhere without my KeepCup, it’s become part of my routine.
But, when it comes to the climate, how do you think the emissions are broken down?
The answer might come as a surprise. The biggest sinner in a cafe latte is actually…the milk, which represents almost half (48,6%) of the emissions.
Next comes the coffee beans (23,7%). Even the electricity for the espresso machine (17%) pollutes more than the paper cup. At the bottom comes the paper cup incl. handling it end of life (10,11%).
So, next time you grab a coffee, go for #plantbased milk or just an espresso ☕️