Archive - Sustainability by numbers

My new book — Clearing the Air — is coming out in September!

A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change — in 50 Questions and Answers.

4 hrs ago •

June 2025

How does geothermal energy work, and why don’t we use it more?

A primer on geothermal energy, and why it provides just 0.3% of the world's electricity.

Jun 30 •

How big is the generational divide on climate change?

The generational divide on belief and concern about climate change is small; there are slightly bigger gaps in what to do about it.

Jun 19 •

Under-the-hood of writing on Substack

Subscribers, revenue, and why more people should write long-form.

Jun 11 •

Eating wild animals might be sustainable for the few, but not for the many

Some back-of-the-envelope calculations on how many it could feed.

Jun 2 •

May 2025

Why are solar panels and batteries from China so cheap?

It's more to do with automation and state-of-the art manufacturing processes than cheap labour.

May 15 •

What's the carbon footprint of using ChatGPT?

Very small compared to most of the other stuff you do.

May 6 •

April 2025

Do imports of cheap solar panel and other technologies help or hurt domestic jobs in clean energy?

Without a comparative advantage, cheaper energy imports often help domestic jobs.

Apr 21 •

Many second-hand electric cars are cheaper up-front than their petrol equivalents

And no, it's not just for old ones that have done lots of miles.

Apr 3 •

March 2025

Could whales be a solution to climate change? Probably only a very small one.

The numbers don’t live up to some of the hype.

Mar 24 •

Some key insights from the UK Climate Change Committee’s Seventh Carbon Budget

What would it take for the UK to get to net-zero by 2050?

Mar 6 •

How big were wildfires in 2024?

Global burned area was about average, but it was a big year for South America.

Mar 3 •

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