#76: A Global Plastics Treaty is likely coming soon

Hey! Quick storytime.

This past April, my parents were visiting NYC during Earth Day. One of my clients tabled at an event in a park in the heart of Manhattan, and I went for a little while to help. Afterward, we walked around and saw what other sustainable organizations were there, displaying their solutions.

One of the booths had this really intriguing contraption to attach to your bike and make it electric.

It had a pretty big crowd so we didn't stay too long, but a few months later at a New York Climate Week event where I was displaying some climate art, I ran into them again. This time, I was able to learn more about the company CLIP and see how cool the attachment is up close.

Finally, a few weeks ago CLIP reached out to me and asked if I wanted to come by and try it out for myself. An immediate yes and some coordination later, I was able to meet their team yesterday, learn all about how they've managed to create something that turns any old bike into a zooming e-bike in about 5 seconds, and we collaborated on a video all about it!

Their team was so lovely (they even bought me pizza) and I think this clip-on battery is a great solution to combat the hefty prices of an e-bike and upgrade your current ride for a better commute or just a fun time. I know I'm gonna be using mine a lot!

If you're at all interested, they hooked us up with a discount code and priority shipping: *Check out CLIP and use the code JS2023 for $100 off.

Drop a comment below and let us know what you think about it too.

But enough about me, here's all the good news from the week...

The good from Friday, November 10

Michigan ambitiously passed a bill that will mandate 100% carbon-free power by 2040 to help reduce costs and meet climate goals. (Canary)

Two plant species have been declared fully recovered – a Dudleya & a Galium found on California’s Channel Islands and nowhere else on earth – by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and conservation partners. (FWS)

Illinois approved a bill that will transition state government vehicles to electric models by 2030, and now just needs the governor’s signature to become law. (wrex)

Congo has approved the expansion of a national park and new marine protections by about 3,000 square kilometers where sea turtles, dolphins, and humpback whales live. (Afrik21)

The good from Monday, November 13

150 countries are gathered in Kenya right now to hash out a legally binding UN treaty to address the plastic crisis and hopefully end the 400 million tons of fossil fuel-derived plastic waste created every year. (Reuters)

Eugenia Kargbo is an icon who has become Sierra Leone's first chief heat officer and is protecting women and vulnerable groups like market vendors from extreme heat with shade covers and coating rooftops with reflective film. (BBC)

China has seen a boom in renewable energy so large that it’s likely generating enough to cleanly power all of France and if this continues their emissions will peak years before their target of 2030. (Bloomberg)

Several large-scale insect farms are in the works that will grow insects on food waste and process their bodies into more sustainable protein and oil. (Washington Post)

The good from Tuesday, November 14

The EU has agreed on binding targets in the Nature Restoration Law to restore degraded habitats, absorb carbon, and support wildlife. (The Guardian)

An unprecedented $1.7 trillion dollars will be invested in clean energy projects this year as they’re now getting nearly two dollars for every one dollar spent on fossil fuels. (Canary Media)

Oregon’s first electric garbage truck weighs 66,000 pounds and joins 48 other zero-emissions refuse trucks in the US that are cheaper to maintain and often relieve communities exposed to higher levels of diesel pollution. (Canary Media)

30,000 acres of ancestral forest are being returned to the Penobscot Nation in Maine after being taken in the 1800s which will now be restored and protected. (WBUR)

The good from Wednesday, November 15

AI-powered robots are helping coral reefs survive by detecting heat stress, attaching coral frames to damaged reefs, and creating seed banks for longevity. (Bloomberg)

Deforestation in Colombia is down an impressive 70% this year compared to last thanks to new forest protection policies like paying locals to conserve lands and habitats. (Yale e360)

As Global Plastic Treaty debates continue in Nairobi, dozens of international scientists submitted a plan that includes ending plastic subsidies and banning all products with unnecessary plastic by 2030. (Daily Climate)

A new category of startups called “firetech” has emerged to mitigate wildfires and restore forests with at least 50 startups just in the U.S. focused on safe prescribed burns, drone and satellite monitoring, and reforestation plans. (Canary Media)

The good from Thursday, November 16

CLIP invented a way to make any bicycle an e-bike in 5 seconds, helping reduce pollution and make e-biking more affordable and accessible for all via a plug-and-play attachment which can help urban commuters remove 5% of global CO2 emissions each year. (Jacobsimonsays)

The US published its 5th National Climate Assessment saying we need to do more, yet, every state is actively reducing its emissions, and conversations have progressed forward largely thanks to people like us continuing to put on the pressure. (Grist)

Biking on major roads and paths in Paris has doubled this year from last, with some roads seeing more bikes than cars during rush hours thus reducing traffic and pollution. (La Monde)

Swedish researchers developed a method to recover 100% of the aluminum and 98% of the lithium in an EV battery by using a plant-based acid extraction. (GNN)

Bonus stories

Thankfully, there are too many good stories to include them all in my daily roundups. I try to cover a wide range of topics each day, so these are still just as great as the rest but didn't fit in well with other stories I was covering.

See you again soon,

Jacob

P.S. some important info:

• *: I get a commission from these links at no additional expense to you (usually, you'll get a discount!).
• I write and publish this newsletter using Ghost, and I truly love the platform. If you want to start your own newsletter, consider Ghost* (and let me know – I'll be your first subscriber!)
• This is an independent publication that relies on reader feedback to continuously improve. Never hesitate to reach out with comments or questions.