US most damaging, a hot topic and fun on the water
In this issue:
A qualified coal win
New South Wales has banned the opening of new coal mines although is continuing to permit the expansion and extension of existing mines, despite its climate agency suggesting expansions and extensions are inconsistent with the state’s legislated emissions targets. The ban probably changes little. No new sites have been applied for in several years, but the state has seen at least eight expansion or extension approvals since the 2023 election.
US is most damaging
A new study on the economic cost of climate damage out of Stanford has concluded the US has inflicted US$10 trillion (NZ$17trn) of climate damage on the world since 1990, 25% of that inflicted on itself. While the US is no longer the top emitter, it remains the top emitter across history. The calculation is based on an assessment of how much global heating has constrained GDP growth. The current top emitter, China, is deemed as having cost the world US$9 trillion (NZ$15.6) and counting.
Sustainability reporting dips
Sustainability reporting among US corporates slumped 17% in 2025 according to an analysis by The Conference Board, which collects data covering 3,000 US corporates. In 2025, 1,444 companies (48%) published sustainability reports, down from 1,739 the previous year. The slump was mainly driven by smaller and medium sized firms opting not to report activities. Among larger, S&P 500 corporates the decrease was 4%. The decrease was the first reported downturn in five years of analysis.
UK passes key new building standards – should we follow?
The UK government approved new building standards this week, most notably including provisions for all new dwellings to have solar energy and heat pumps installed and for embodied carbon to be taken account of in builds. The aim is for a 75% cut in emissions across dwellings’ lifespans. In general, the regulations require solar panel coverage equivalent to at least 40% of the floor area of the dwelling. There are some exceptions around tree coverage and on the heating requirement. Dwellings connected to heating networks will be exempt the heat pump requirement and some properties will be allowed wood burners as an alternative.
A hot topic
Fourth Power, an MIT spin-off, is developing a thermal storage system that operates at 2,400C. Instead of the more normal use of gases or molten salt moving through metal pipes, the new process uses molten tin stored in carbon blocks. The underlying research found doubling the absolute temperature of a material, to the point where it glows white-hot, causes it to emit 16 times the light. The light emitted at this temperature is harvested through thermophotovoltaic cells, converting it to electricity with 40% efficiency, meaning the stored energy can be used for electricity generation or directly as heat. Using its combination of carbon and tin, the system suffers little wear and loses only 1% of stored heat per day, making it suitable for long term storage.
Did you know …..
You can buy an electric jet ski for just under $2,000, excluding shipping? Marketed by Swedish company, Roxen, the units weigh only 93Kg (including battery), use swappable batteries to keep the fun going and can reach up to 55Km/h. The units are priced at €990, although the website currently shows this wave of production is sold out (pun intended).