Prepare for Change

  https://www.space.com/satellites-discover-huge-undeclared-methane-emissions   The collaboration has proved fruitful. In data gathered over the first two years of Tropomi's operations, scientists discovered major leaks of methane in the oil and gas fields of Turkmenistan, most of which were completely preventable. Oil and gas fields must build flare installations that prevent methane from leaking into the atmosphere, and Aben said that these leaks suggest those installations are not being used properly. "These emissions actually relate to flare installations that are not being flared in the oil and gas industry," said Aben. "Flaring is meant to get rid of the methane gases by burning them. It would obviously be better to capture the gas, but they are not even burning it. It's just methane pouring out, and that is not normal operations." The Tropomi measurements revealed thousands of kilograms (in some cases even tens of thousands of kilograms) of m...

  https://www.grocerydive.com/news/could-unattended-grocery-stores-thrive-in-small-towns/601693/   Main Street Market is not Amazon Go by any stretch. But it follows the same principles of offering convenient access and self-service. The lower-tech approach is also much less costly to operate.  Instead of computer-vision cameras, the store lets shoppers scan items and pay with their phones, or use a self-checkout terminal. Main Street Market offers a selection of mostly conventional goods, including soda, frozen pizza, cold cuts, snacks and sports drinks.    One obvious potential problem is theft. The store has security cameras in place to monitor the aisles, but owner Alex Ostenson said the business mostly relies on the honor system to ensure customers pay for all the items they select. He said he has the ability to disable an account from his phone at any time. “If people buy a year membership for $75, would they really risk losing it by stealing...

  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-11-05/why-american-cities-lost-their-public-bathrooms   As with so many other aspects of American life, Covid-19 exposed and exacerbated the American bathroom gap: While the affluent purchased  increasingly ornate fixtures for their homes, delivery drivers and other essential workers struggled with ever-more-limited options. In cities with high rates of homelessness, efforts to install temporary hygiene facilities during lockdowns often  met resistance  from community members and city officials, even as frustrated local businesses locked their restrooms to prevent use from unhoused individuals.   Toilet co-editor Harvey Molotch,  an emeritus professor of social and cultural analysis and sociology at New York University, also sees the pandemic as an opportunity to reconsider how public restrooms are built — particular with regards to airflow. Modern heating and ve...

  https://www.greenbiz.com/article/what-will-happen-solar-panels-after-their-useful-lives-are-over   Part of the problem is that solar panels are complicated to recycle. They’re made of many materials, some hazardous, and assembled with adhesives and sealants that make breaking them apart challenging. "The longevity of these panels, the way they’re put together and how they make them make it inherently difficult to, to use a term, de-manufacture," said Mark Robards, director of special projects for ECS Refining , one of the largest electronics recyclers in the U.S. The panels are torn apart mechanically and broken down with acids to separate out the crystalline silicon, the semiconducting material used by most photovoltaic manufacturers. Heat systems are used to burn up the adhesives that bind them to their armatures, and acidic hydro-metallurgical systems are used to separate precious metals. * * * * * Oh boy.  Nothing is as easy as it seems.  For a long...

  https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20211020-carbon-farming-a-better-use-for-half-earths-land   "Carbon farming, on the other hand, seeks to capture emissions, not create them. The challenge has been to make this form of regenerative farming financially viable, paying landowners to rejuvenate degraded soils by turning their fields into vast CO2 sponges. Achieving this requires a range of regenerative techniques. Cover cropping is particularly popular – fields blanketed with grasses, cereals, legumes and other plant life that pull carbon from the air during photosynthesis, then store it in the soil below. After a couple of years and some meticulous measurements to show the changing carbon content of the soil, the sequestered carbon is certified and transferred into credits, before being sold. For its proponents, carbon farming promises a bold new agricultural business model – one that tackles climate change, creates jobs and saves farms that might otherwise be unp...

  https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/10/13/electric-vehicles-grid-upgrade/   "Converting the nation’s fleet of automobiles and trucks to electric power is a critical piece of the battle against climate change. The Biden administration wants to see them account for half of all sales by 2030, and New York state has enacted a ban on the sale of internal combustion cars and trucks starting in 2035. But making America’s cars go electric is no longer primarily a story about building the cars. Against this ambitious backdrop, America’s electric grid will be sorely challenged by the need to deliver clean power to those cars. Today, though, it barely functions in times of ordinary stress, and fails altogether too often for comfort, as widespread blackouts in California, Texas, Louisiana and elsewhere have shown." * * * * * Didn't anybody notice this problem?  Are we screwing ourselves with eyes wide open?

  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-05-06/u-s-nuclear-weapons-upgrade-sees-delay-on-leaky-silos-old-tech   Modernizing the nation’s Cold War-era capacity to deliver nuclear weapons by air, land and sea -- the so-called nuclear triad -- remains a key Pentagon priority under the Biden administration after it was jumpstarted by President Barack Obama and continued by President Donald Trump. The effort is expected to cost as much as $1.2 trillion through 2046 for development, purchase and long-term support, the Congressional Budget Office estimated in 2018.  * * * * * I can't understand why we need more than 2 nukes.  Seriously.  So here's a place to save a lot of money!