top of page
Abstract Paper Craft

Daily Personalized Newsletter

Earth Catalyst gathers & hand-filters the most recent updates from over 1,000 green tech and sustainability organizations. Here are all of the updates; if you subscribe to our free newsletter, we'll send you 3 each weekday we think will be meaningful to you.

Insights and Ambition in the Face of Complexity

Writer's picture: Andrea GonzalesAndrea Gonzales

The famous essayist H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) once wrote:

"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong."

How can we most effectively embrace the complexity of many of our challenges?


I read from Stephen J Pyne's 1982 history Fire in America this weekend about how wildfires are radically multivariate, emergent phenomena. And yet people don't just say "it's complicated" and throw up their hands. They learn to understand and work with that complexity.


You may find yourself dealing with a complex situation or two.

I want to share one of my favorite models for dealing with such circumstances. I learned this model from astro-informaticist Kirk Borne, who says he briefed Donald Rumsfeld on the concept of "unknown unknowns" the week before Rumsfeld so famously used the phrase publicly.


Cinny Little, executive coach and data storyteller, has also said this model is a good way to derive insights from complex data.


Ask yourself three questions: Which part of this situation is most descriptive of the whole, which part is most explanatory, and which part is most predictive.


I'll show you how I do it. Let's apply this model to the most-talked about story in sustainability today: Human case of avian flu detected in England as virus spreads among birds


Descriptive detail

A human in England caught the bird flu after being in contact with a large number of infected birds; it's only the 2nd such infection since 2022.


Explanatory detail

Bird flu is very contagious among birds but (so far) requires close contact between infected humans and birds, which is why health officials continue to describe the risk as "very low."


Predictive detail

That may be the case, but the British government says it recently added vaccines to protect against the bird flu to its vaccine stockpile.


 Descriptive, explanatory, predictive. I find that model very useful. I also try to apply systems thinking, iterative/adaptive thinking, and stakeholder engagement and knowledge incorporation. More about those at another time.

 

Ok, I hope this is useful to you - and I hope to surface some exciting opportunities for you below.


It's go time.



-Marshall Kirkpatrick

Earth Catalyst: We'll support your work with our experience, network, and technology

 
Today and every day, our system scans over 1,000 green tech and sustainability organizations for updates. Below, you'll find:

  • A Visual of the Day

  • A digest-style Table of Contents for 44 selected updates from around the green tech and sustainability world

  • (If you subscribe by email) 3 personalized selections just for you and your work

 

PS. you're invited to join us on Zoom for three calls coming up, Startup Sessions, Activism Hour, and our Q2 kick off in April. Let us know if you know other people we should invite!


Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Welcome! You can subscribe here and get your own personal recommendations each day.

 


Visual of the Day

Who's really cute and weighs less than two paperclips?

Look at this little buddy! The Mount Lyell shrew, photographed alive for the first time by three student scientists in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, represents a critical moment for wildlife documentation in an era of rapid climate change. The photo was captured by University of California Berkeley and University of Arizona students at 7,000 feet elevation, showing this tiny mammal - weighing less than two paper clips - whose high-altitude habitat could shrink by up to 90% by 2080 due to global warming, highlighting the urgency of documenting and protecting vulnerable species before they disappear.



Today's Updates

Table of Contents

  • Agriculture (3 stories) - Kenyan community farms, Aral Sea restoration, and Manamuz Electric's solar cold storage network tackle agricultural challenges across Africa and Asia


  • Carbon (3 stories) - Rising global emissions persist despite net-zero pledges, as Arctic carbon sinks flip to sources and China's industrial demand drives CO2 growth


  • Ecosystems (8 stories) - Prescribed burns in Montana and Colorado showcase wildfire management success; rare species discoveries include new pangolin classification and Mount Lyell shrew documentation; Vietnam wildlife trafficking persists online


  • Efficiency (1 story) - Silicon-carbon anodes promise rapid EV charging, face expansion hurdles


  • Grid (2 stories) - Eaton's 5MW solar microgrid in Arecibo; Santee Cooper explores V.C. Summer nuclear restart for data centers


  • Indigenous (6 stories) - Fire networks expand training with Indigenous practices; Pomo tribes lead Lake County watershed restoration; 680+ fire resilience stories shared globally


  • Policy (12 stories) - Trump administration targets Biden's Justice40 and Paris Agreement commitments while World Bank warns of climate migration; Forest Service launches $200M wildfire defense grants


  • Renewables (1 story) - Malaysia launches new solar PV tender through Energy Transition & Water Transformation Ministry


  • Transport (7 stories) - BYD debuts $44K Shark pickup globally; Tesla leads Q4 EV sales at 44.9%; ChargePoint adds anti-theft tech; Heathrow expansion gains support


Agriculture

Kenyan community farms, Aral Sea restoration, and Manamuz Electric's solar cold storage network tackle agricultural challenges across Africa and Asia



Carbon

Rising global emissions persist despite net-zero pledges, as Arctic carbon sinks flip to sources and China's industrial demand drives CO2 growth



Ecosystems

Prescribed burns in Montana and Colorado showcase wildfire management success; rare species discoveries include new pangolin classification and Mount Lyell shrew documentation; Vietnam wildlife trafficking persists online



Efficiency

Silicon-carbon anodes promise rapid EV charging, face expansion hurdles



Grid

Eaton's 5MW solar microgrid in Arecibo; Santee Cooper explores V.C. Summer nuclear restart for data centers



Indigenous

Fire networks expand training with Indigenous practices; Pomo tribes lead Lake County watershed restoration; 680+ fire resilience stories shared globally



Policy

Trump administration targets Biden's Justice40 and Paris Agreement commitments while World Bank warns of climate migration; Forest Service launches $200M wildfire defense grants



Renewables

Malaysia launches new solar PV tender through Energy Transition & Water Transformation Ministry


  • Global Solar PV Tender Snippets (TaiyangNews) - Malaysia's Ministry of Energy Transition & Water Transformation launches new solar PV tender as part of weekly global tender updates.


Transport

BYD debuts $44K Shark pickup globally; Tesla leads Q4 EV sales at 44.9%; ChargePoint adds anti-theft tech; Heathrow expansion gains support


4 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page