Saving the world will be harder, and easier, than you think

This is David, your decidedly human web crawler. As every Friday, I have some recommendations for you, to make sense of what’s happening, and imagine what could be. It's great to have you.

Looking for a gift that you can buy in 1 minute and that keeps giving for 1 entire year? Look no further.

1. Liebreich: Net Zero Will Be Harder Than You Think – And Easier. (Part 1, Part2)

An excellent two-part analysis of the challenge of decarbonising the world before it's too late. In part one, the author introduces the «Five Horsemen of the Transition» that will make achieving net zero difficult, perhaps impossible. Part two then introduces us to the «Five Superheroes of the Transition», the five forces even more powerful – which give cause for optimism. What makes this a compelling, thought-provoking read is that the author makes both cases convincingly.

Liebreich: Net Zero Will Be Harder Than You Think – And Easier. Part I: Harder | BloombergNEF

When considering the transition to a net-zero carbon economy, it is easy to swing between extremes of optimism and pessimism.

BloombergNEF

Liebreich: Net Zero Will Be Harder Than You Think – And Easier. Part II: Easier | BloombergNEF

Welcome to the second part of my two-part article exploring the bull and bear cases for the net-zero transition.

BloombergNEF

2. Bird Flu Pandemic Would Be One of the Most Foreseeable Catastrophes in History

During the Covid pandemic, Turkish sociologist Zeynep Tufekci was consistently ahead of the curve, able to point out things clearly that others didn't see (or didn't want to see). So I'm turning to her to better understand what to make of all these recent reports of Bird Flu cases in humans. «Almost five years after Covid blew into our lives, the main thing standing between us and the next global pandemic is luck.» Not very comforting.

Opinion | A Bird Flu Pandemic Would Be One of the Most Foreseeable Catastrophes in History

It’s not too late for President Biden to give the U.S. a life-changing gift.

The New York TimesBy

3. ​​The Funniest Joke in the World

A podcast episode in search of the funniest joke in the world. Don't expect to actually hear the one joke to rule them all. However, you'll hear a damn solid joke by a two-year-old and you'll learn a lot about what makes one joke more funny than another. Also, I think the fish tank joke is quite nice.

The Funniest Joke in the World | Science Vs

If you Google “The Funniest Joke in the World,” you’ll be very disappointed. The internet might serve you something like, “What has many keys but can’t open a single lock??” (Answer: A piano). Screw that. That’s not funny. Enter Science Vs. We’re going on a romp to find out once and for all: What is the funniest joke in the world. According to science. And for this quest we’ve interviewed a bunch of amazing comics including Tig Notaro, Adam Conover, Dr Jason Leong, Loni Love, as well as special guest Latif Nasser of Radiolab and, of course, some scientists: Neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott and Psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman. Which Joke Will Win???

GimletScience Vs

4. When Is “Recyclable” Not Really Recyclable?

Excellent Pro Publica investigation. Why prioritise the environmental impact of your products when you can have ambiguity do most of the work for you? «Recent case law confirms that the term ‘recyclable’ means ‘capable of being recycled,’ and that it is an attribute, not a guarantee.» This is pretty much like my two kids being capable of cleaning up their mess.

When Is “Recyclable” Not Really Recyclable? When the Plastics Industry Gets to Define What the Word Means.

Companies whose futures depend on plastic production are trying to persuade the federal government to allow them to put the label “recyclable” on plastic shopping bags and other items virtually guaranteed to end up in landfills and incinerators.

ProPublicaLisa Song

5. What Syria’s Revived Civil War Means for the Region

What to make of the recent developments in Syria, where rebel groups have taken control of Aleppo, the country's second-largest city. A good briefing on what happened, and what it means for Syria and beyond.

What Syria’s Revived Civil War Means for the Region

The surprise rebel offensive that has seized Aleppo and threatens other regime-held territories could mark a further weakening of Iran’s regional sway but also spur a new cycle of violence and instab…

Council on Foreign RelationsSteven A. Cook

What else?

Instant-gratification links that make you go wow! or aha! the moment you click.

• These games are masterpieces of inventiveness: Flappy Bird in the MacOS finder, Wordle in the Firefox search bar, Doom in the iPhone photos app.
• Honey, wake up, it's Tsundoku day!
• Public service announcement: please don't say just hello in chat.
• «Somehow we need to monetise this – and quickly.»
• AI-generated Lego sets that should totally exist.
• You don't need to like football to appreciate those. Nominees for most spectacular goal in 2024: women, men.
• A Festive Countdown: What Will Enter the Public Domain in 2025?

Books for curious minds

Some new ones as I read them, some older ones that continue to inform how I look at the world and myself. More on my digital bookshelf.

A collection of essays by nineteen female Arab journalists reporting from the Arab world. All essays are very good in their own right, but most of them have aspects in them that make them distinctly female perspectives. And as such, they serve as reminders that a lot of what we learn about the world, especially the Arab world, is relayed to us through male reporters, but not perceived as distinctly male perspectives. Buy it here.

A gem from the archive

Opinion | This Is How Everyday Sexism Could Stop You From Getting That Promotion (Published 2021)

Even a tiny bit of gender bias can change the trajectory of a career.

The New York TimesJessica Nordell and Yaryna SerkezOct. 14, 2021

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading. I wish you a nice weekend and hope to see you again next Friday!

— David