Hey everyone!
With Earth Day on Thursday, I’ve been thinking a lot about the climate. A number of governments announced new laws and commitments to address climate change and I realized that I’m feeling cautiously hopeful that we’ll be able to actually do something about climate change on a global scale. I included some of the most notable announcements below along with a particularly thought-provoking read about the future of artificial intelligence. Enjoy!
-Joe
Thought-Provoking Data Viz
We’ve all seen graphs of the Earth getting warmer, but when was the last time you were able to interact with the data?
Bonus. The report compares warming between the northern and southern hemispheres. Can you guess which one is warming more quickly?
Earth News
🌴 Saudi Arabia unveiled two tree-planting initiatives to step up their environmental game
Quick Hits. As a part of a wider Green Initiative, Saudi Arabia plans to plant 10 billion trees in Saudi Arabia and 50 billion across the Middle East.
My Thoughts. This is a huge reforestation effort, but small considering that there are an estimated 3.04 trillion trees on earth. An increase of 60 billion trees is only a 2% increase (which is something!). Now if only Saudi Arabia (and the US) would stop producing huge amounts of oil. 🤷♂️
💰 New Zealand will require financial institutions to report the impacts of climate change on their business
Quick Hits. The law would "...mandate that financial firms report on the environmental impact and exposure of their investments. From 2023, companies must report on how their lending and investments effect ongoing efforts to reduce carbon emissions."
My Thoughts. I laud this effort. In order to make a substantial impact on fighting climate change, especially this late in the game, we need to 1) understand how every aspect of our lives affects the climate and 2) reimagine these aspects to become more climate-friendly. I'm hopeful this legislation passes and it's used as a role model for legislation across the globe.
Space News
🚁 Ingenuity Flies on Mars—Twice!
Quick Hits. The Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, successfully flew on Mars twice! NASA is testing the concept with increasingly challenging maneuvers, with the next flight scheduled for today, April 25. For consistent updates on Ingenuity, see NASA's devoted webpage.
My Thoughts. This is huge news considering the only equipment we've had on Mars up until this point are slow rovers. Completing successful tests of helicopter flight opens up a world (pun intended) of opportunity to explore the red planet. We are transforming from being a slow-moving turtle to a graceful, flying bird.
🚀 Amazon announced the AWS Space Accelerator program
Quick Hits. With Amazon becoming more involved in the space industry through its Kuiper internet constellation, they are aiming to help drive adoption of AWS within space startups and generally have a hand in how space startups develop.
My Thoughts. Despite Amazon’s concerning business practices (there's literally a long Wikipedia article about the topic), I'm begrudgingly excited about this news because it will spur further development in space exploration.
Things that make you think
🦾 The AI Revolution: The Road to Superintelligence (Part 1, Part 2)
Quick Hits. Tim Urban breaks down the future of AI in a way people can understand. Essentially, experts posit there will be a race to Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) (human-level AI) and Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) (god-level AI) could arrive shortly thereafter, completely changing our lives for the better (immortality) or worse (extinction).
My Thoughts. I’m hesitant to make predictions about the future because we hardly ever get predictions right. However, almost all experts agree that AGI and ASI are in our future (assuming humanity doesn’t destroy itself before then) and they’re potentially coming this century. That means that I could see the human race go extinct or become immortal in my lifetime, which is the most thrilling thing I could think of.
Future-Thinking Companies
🌿 Hempitecture. They produce sustainable building materials with hemp.
🥤 RecyclEye (UK-based) and AMP Robotics (US-based). Two unrelated companies tackling the issue of processing recycled goods with the help of AI.