This week, the future got a little greener, and more inventive. For the first time ever, wind and solar together produced more power than coal worldwide, with solar meeting a whopping 83% of new electricity demand in early 2025. Meanwhile, French scientists are coaxing nickel out of the ground with genetically modified daisies, promising up to 14 times the world’s current nickel production with almost zero mining scars. And while Europe’s plant-based meat market is sizzling, set to quadruple to $9.5 billion by 2033, over half of flexitarian eaters are pledging to cut back on meat for health and the planet. Curious how we can take these breakthroughs even further? Our Deep Dive reveals how our cities themselves could soon “eat” CO2, permanently ⬇️

🌍 Renewables Outpace Coal 2025

Key initiative: For the first half of 2025, global wind and solar generation produced more electricity than coal, driven by rapid solar expansion and steady wind growth

The world’s power mix hit a milestone in H1 2025 as renewables , led by solar and wind , generated more electricity than coal for the first time, according to Ember. Solar output jumped “almost a third” compared with H1 2024, while wind rose by just over 7%, together meeting the bulk of rising electricity demand.

Renewables supplied 83% of the global increase in electricity demand in that period, allowing a small overall decline in coal and gas use worldwide. Growth was concentrated in China and India: China added more renewable generation than the rest of the world combined, helping its fossil fuel use fall by 2% versus the same months in 2024. India expanded renewables far faster than its modest demand growth, cutting coal use by 3.1% and gas use by 34%.

By contrast, the US saw electricity demand outpace renewables and recorded a 17% rise in coal generation. In the EU, weather-reduced wind and hydro meant solar gains couldn’t prevent gas and coal generation increasing by 14% and 1.1% respectively. The IEA projects renewables could more than double by 2030, with around 80% of new capacity coming from solar PV. (theguardian.com)

Quantified benefit: Solar power met 83% of the global increase in electricity demand in early 2025.

🌍 Daisies Extract Metals for EVs

Key Discovery: French startup Genomines is developing bioengineered plants capable of extracting nickel from soil, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional mining.

Genomines utilizes genetically modified "hyperaccumulator" plants, such as daisies, to absorb metals like nickel from the soil through their roots, storing them in stems and leaves. This process, known as phytomining, transforms non-productive land into valuable resources, potentially reducing the environmental and social impacts associated with conventional mining. The company has secured over $ 45 million in funding from investors, including Hyundai and Tata, to scale this technology. Genomines estimates that 30 to 40 million hectares of land worldwide could be utilized for phytomining, potentially yielding 7 to 14 times the current global nickel production. (electrek.co)

Quantified Benefit: Phytomining could produce up to 14 times the current global nickel output.

🌍 European Plant-Based Meat Market is Booming

Key discovery: A ResearchAndMarkets report finds Europe’s plant-based meat market rising from USD 2.47 billion in 2024 to USD 9.54 billion by 2033, propelled by health awareness, sustainability concerns and changing consumer habits.

Plant-based meat, products made from soy, peas, mushrooms and other plant proteins to mimic conventional meat, is becoming mainstream across European households, restaurants and fast-food chains. Demand is strongest in Germany, the UK, France and the Netherlands, led by younger and flexitarian consumers who are more open to innovation and ethical consumption.

Health drivers such as obesity and cardiovascular concerns, plus environmental worries about livestock’s footprint, are pushing consumers toward alternatives. A 2021 Smart Protein Project survey cited in the report found flexitarians make up 30% of Europe’s population (rising to 40% when vegetarians and pescatarians are included), and 57% of respondents want to reduce meat in their diets.

Retail expansion, private-label launches and product innovation, from improved textures to new protein sources, are widening choice. Investment activity supports this: Project Eaden raised €15 million in a Jan 2025 Series A (total funding €27 million). Major challenges remain: higher retail prices versus traditional meat and ongoing taste/texture gaps, especially in regions with strong culinary traditions and price sensitivity. (vegconomist.com)

Quantified benefit: Market projected to grow from USD 2.47 billion (2024) to USD 9.54 billion by 2033 , a CAGR of 16.2%.

📖 Deep Dive: Turning Our Buildings into CO2 Sponges

A groundbreaking partnership is pioneering a revolutionary climate solution: pulling CO2 directly from the air and permanently locking it away as stone within the foundations of our cities.

1. Problem Solved (The Big Idea): This technology solves the enormous challenge of what to do with captured carbon by creating a scalable, permanent, and immediate storage solution, turning concrete, the world's most common building material, into a vast carbon sink.

2. The "Self-Seasoning Soup" (A Food Metaphor): What does this process actually look like? Imagine you’ve cooked up a huge pot of soup (our atmosphere) and accidentally made it way too salty (too much CO2). You need to get that excess salt out. Planting trees is like slowly adding potatoes to absorb the salt over many years, effective, but slow. This new technology, championed by companies like Heirloom and CarbonCure, is entirely different.

First, they use a special ingredient, powdered limestone, that is naturally "hungry" for salt. They essentially "supercharge" this limestone in a renewable-powered oven, making it incredibly thirsty for CO2. This powder then acts like a sponge, soaking up CO2 from the air in just a few days, a process that would naturally take years.

But where do you put the salt you've captured? Instead of just burying it, they dissolve this captured CO2 into the water used to make concrete. As the concrete hardens, the CO2 mineralizes, turning back into stone and becoming a permanent, solid part of a building's foundation. It’s like the soup automatically seasoning itself perfectly, the excess "salt" is not just removed but transformed into a useful ingredient that even makes the final dish stronger.

3. Global Potential (The Sobering Metrics): The potential here is staggering. We need to remove billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually by 2050 to meet our climate goals. While the technology is still young, Heirloom's first commercial plant in California can capture up to 1,000 tons of CO2 per year. Their planned facilities in Louisiana are aiming to capture nearly 320,000 tons annually, creating hundreds of permanent and construction jobs in the process. By turning a ubiquitous material like concrete into a carbon storage solution, we create a ready-made, global network for sequestration. The CO2 is safely locked away for centuries, even if the building is demolished.

4. Wisdom from the Source: Shashank Samala, the CEO of Heirloom, captures the incredible potential of this technology: “This first commercial direct air capture facility is the closest thing on Earth that we have to a time machine, because it can turn back the clock on climate change by removing carbon dioxide that has already been emitted into our atmosphere.”

Why is this important for you? This innovation shows that the building blocks of our modern world can be reimagined as tools for healing the planet. It reframes the climate fight, moving beyond simply reducing emissions to actively cleaning up the excess carbon already in the air. When you support policies that fund this kind of carbon removal or choose sustainable building materials, you are helping to scale a solution with gigaton potential. It’s the ultimate "eat a salad, want to hit the gym" effect: by building one green building, we create the demand and infrastructure that makes the next hundred green buildings cheaper and easier, creating a virtuous cycle that can actually reverse climate damage.

Search Sources
➡️ heirloomcarbon.com
➡️ heirloomcarbon.com
➡️ opportunitylouisiana.gov
➡️ carboncure.com
➡️ heirloomcarbon.com
➡️ autodesk.com
➡️ dezeen.com
➡️ youtube.com
➡️ karmactive.com

💡 5 Quick Wins

🔌 Raise Your AC to 25°C (77°F) and Switch On a Ceiling Fan: Saves ~200kg CO₂/year
A 2°C increase on your thermostat can cut cooling energy by roughly 10–14%. A ceiling fan uses the electricity of a small light bulb but makes you feel 2–3°C cooler, so comfort stays the same. Why is this important? In warm climates, cooling is the biggest household energy load, small thermostat nudges pay off fast.

🔌 Wash Your Split-AC Filters Monthly: Saves ~120kg CO₂/year
Dusty filters choke airflow and push compressors to work harder. A 10-minute rinse can improve efficiency by 5–15%. What does it mean for you? Quieter operation, faster cooling, lower bills, and your unit lasts longer.

🔌 Put Your Electric Water Heater on a 2‑Hour Daily Timer: Saves ~90kg CO₂/year
Storage heaters bleed heat all day. Heating only before showers (or during your main hot‑water window) trims standby losses without sacrificing comfort. Why is this important? Water heating is a top-3 home energy use, timing it turns “set-and-forget” into steady savings.

🥦 Swap Rice for Potatoes or Pasta One Dinner per Week: Saves ~70kg CO₂/year (household of 2–3)
Paddy rice emits methane during cultivation. Trading one rice-based meal weekly for lower‑footprint staples like potatoes, pasta, or couscous adds up across the year. Bonus: quicker cooking and more variety on your plate.

✈️ Remove Roof Racks/Boxes When Not in Use: Saves ~150kg CO₂/year (for regular highway drivers)
Empty racks and cargo boxes create aerodynamic drag that can raise fuel use by 5–15% at speed. Taking them off between trips is a 10‑minute job with outsized impact. Why is this important? It’s pure “free efficiency”, same car, same routes, less fuel.

Pro tip: Results vary by home size, climate, and driving distance, but the direction and order of magnitude hold. Start with one, stack a second next month, and watch your footprint drop.

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