Let's balance out

It isn't as bad as you think. Or maybe it is.

Another week has passed and we're back with the climate updates! This is "Let's balance out" and you'll read one good news and one bad news about the climate crisis. Shall we begin?

So what do you want first? The good news or the bad news?

The consequences of the temperatures rising are many, and one of them is that great amounts of water could be released in the sea. UK scientists say that if global temperatures rise to 4C above pre-industrial levels the ice surrounding Antarctica could melt and release water all over the place. The research also shows that such a rise of temperatures could put 34% of the area of the Antarctic ice at risk of collapsing.

If we manage to keep the temperature rise to 2C the area at risk would be halved and the problem solved.
Again this stresses the importance of the Paris Agreement, whose goal is to keep the rise of temperatures under 2C.

Just last week we talked about how a small group of frequent fliers causes the majority of the climate damage that comes from aviation, and one of the responses to this was that the solution should not be to cut flights, but to make them more sustainable.

Well, it looks like that is finally possible! As reported by the BBC, a hydrogen plane has taken off in the UK, and more are planned to be produced. It is produced by ZeroAvia and it's called HyFlyer. Hydrogen seems to be the solution to keep flying without damaging the climate: it packs three times more energy per unit of mass than conventional jet fuel and its only waste product is clean water.

There are plans to start its production in the whole of Europe, and hydrogen fuelled aircraft will represent the future of sustainable flying.