Happy New Year, and welcome back to another issue of Extant!

In this issue, we explore a potentially limitless, no-waste energy solution, a low-emission solution for fertilizer production, a huge win for Montana climate activists, and a peek into the inspiring stories of citizens in the Russia-Ukraine war. Read on!

Science

• Researchers at Stanford and King Fahd University have developed a new way to produce ammonia (key for fertilizer) using wind energy

• Ammonia production currently accounts for 2% of global energy consumption and 1% of CO₂ emissions

• Upgrade from the traditional method of nitrogen + hydrogen (from natural gas) + pressure = ammonia

• New approach operates at room temp and standard atmospheric pressure, making it possible for farmers to run this onsite and with less energy

• Uses surrounding air for nitrogen and water vapor to get hydrogen. By passing through a mesh coated with catalysts, the reaction produces ammonia without requiring pressure

• The device will be market ready in 2-3 years (hopefully)

Business

• Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a company stemming out of MIT, has discovered a way to tap into a “potentially limitless clean energy source” through fusion power plants

• Previously, fusion technology required more energy to run than it produced because of the high temperatures it needs to maintain. MIT researchers have figured a way around this

• Fusion energy is primarily fueled by two isotopes of hydrogen - deuterium (found in seawater) and tritium (found in lithium). It has the potential to be extremely fuel-efficient, requiring less than a fraction of weight of fuel as compared to coal and nuclear

• Fusion systems produce no waste (byproduct is helium, but that’s useful by itself)

• Fusion power is also safer than nuclear, as in the event that a reaction goes wrong, the plasma inside would just cool down — no explosions

• Commonwealth Fusion Systems is setting up their first plant in Virginia

Politics

• 16 youths won a suit against Montana filed in 2020 claiming that the state “violated their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment fossil fuel industry and exacerbating the effects of climate change.” (Drew, Washington State Standard)

• It was a 6-1 ruling in favor of the prosecution (the youths)

• The court ruled parts of the Montana Environmental Policy Act unconstitutional, as they limited the consideration of climate change impacts by the government

• A huge victory for climate activists and Gen Z overall - you can actually make a difference, despite what politics often feels like

Activism

• Bombs and Russian shelling from the Russia-Ukraine war have devastated the Zhuravli forest

• Russian shelling causes forest fires, which have wiped out homes and communities

• Biologist Yuriy Bengus is leading an effort to replant the forest with English Oak trees to restore biodiversity

• The efforts haven’t stopped there – the community is coming together. A local school donated over 50kgs of acorns, and many students helped plant them despite the dangers of war

• Despite the imminent danger facing them, Ukrainian citizens continue to share a determined mindset, refusing to be intimidated by war. A very solution oriented community in this region!

Thank you all for reading! I’ll see you in the next issue!

~ Dhanvi