In today’s edition:

⚡️ The US Debt Ceiling Deal

🚜 Farming with AI

🌳 Hundreds of new Ocean species discovered

Forwarded on this email by a friend?

⚡️ Energy (1-minute read)

Climate Implications of the Debt Ceiling Deal

What happened: This week’s news has been dominated by the US economy and the debt-ceiling precipice it teeters on. The good news is that a deal was reached, which will avoid the US defaulting and wiping out trillions of dollars from the economy and over 1.5 million jobs within a week. Importantly, the deal protects the Administration's signature climate law - the Inflation Reduction Act, which Republicans wanted to reverse.

The bad news…is that the deal came at a cost to the Biden administration’s progress on climate policy and nature conservation. It will fast-track the long-contested Mountain Valley Pipeline, moving fracking gas from West Virginia to Southern Virginia, overriding several court cases over its environmental implications. Another provision in the debt-limit deal will weaken the US’ first environmental law, The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) - halving the time allowed for reviews of large-scale energy and infrastructure projects.

🚜 AgriTech (1-minute read)

Here Are 3 Big Areas Where AI Is Cropping Up In Agtech

Artificial intelligence (AI) holds promise for transforming food cultivation by enabling the more precise and targeted application of resources like water, fertilisers and pesticides to reduce waste (and cost) while minimising environmental impacts.

• ANIMAL WELFARE: Beewise uses imaging, sensors and mechanics to create a robotic beehive that monitors and adjusts to bee health — reducing mortality rates by 80% to support higher productivity and enhanced bee welfare.

• CROP PROTECTION: Bitwise Agronomy uses computer vision pattern recognition to detect ripeness, frost damage and disease in berry and grape crops to support targeted pesticide use and lower waste.

• WEATHER PREDICTION: Startups such as California-based Jupiter Intelligence warn agriculture workers of potential droughts, wildfires and floods in their area so they can prepare for sudden weather changes.

Mind the Gap: While AI is promising, the majority of the farming world doesn’t have access to the levels of connectivity that allows AI to make acute real-time predictions or automate certain processes … A risk that will hit farmers in low-income economies most. Industry-led investment into their value chains within low-income nations is critical.

🌳 Nature (1-minute read)

A vast stretch of ocean floor earmarked for deep sea mining is home to thousands of oddball sea creatures, most of them unknown to science

What’s happened: Scientists have put together the first full stocktake of species present at the Clarion Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean to help weigh up the risks of deep sea mining to biodiversity. They say more than 5,000 different animals have been found, many of which are entirely new species.

Why Deep Sea Mining? Some believe the minerals found in the seafloor are a promising source of metals such as cobalt and nickel needed for technologies such as wind turbines and EV batteries. The International Seabed Authority (ISA), which regulates activities in the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, had issued contracts to explore deep-sea mineral deposits. equivalent to the size of Mongolia.

Impact: As the deep sea remains understudied, there are many gaps in our understanding of its biodiversity and ecosystems. This makes it difficult to assess the potential impacts of deep-sea mining or to put in place adequate safeguards to protect the marine environment.

💭 Little Bytes

Quote: “Plastic pollution is a waste crisis, a climate nightmare, and a public health disaster in the making.” — Unilever chief executive Paul Polman

Stat: Renewable power capacity is expected to increase by 33% this year – a new record.

Watch: The school teaching students in the metaverse

🗞 In other news…

• A green skills shortage threatens Europe’s climate ambitions, with over 100 companies warning Europe does not have the capacity to deliver these commitments

• European Union member states are eyeing an increase in the amount of critical raw materials processed domestically to better prepare for the clean energy transition

• The EU said on Tuesday it is doubling its aerial firefighting fleet for the summer of 2023, citing challenges such as increasing forest fires due to the climate crisis

• Three more insurance companies have left a United Nations-backed net-zero climate alliance, leaving the group with about half the number of members it counted two months ago as insurers take fright at U.S. political pressure.

• French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies has closed its CVC arm, TotalEnergies Ventures, and sold its portfolio of climate tech startups to Paris-based VC firm Aster.

• Lawmakers in the European Parliament supported new rules requiring companies to identify and address the impact of their activities and value chains on human rights and the environment, as well as a new requirement to adopt and implement climate transition plans.

🎣 Gone Phishing

Three of these stories are true, one we've made up. Guess which:

• A New Zealand airline starts weighing passengers before flights

• Swan stolen from New York park and eaten for memorial day

• Cambodian crocodile farmer killed after falling into enclosure

• Canadian students take racoon into a salon, rabies alert issued

📩 Submit deals, announcements, events & opportunities, or general curiosities for the newsletter here.

Written by Colin and Ollie - Drop us a message!