Looking to recap everything green and good that happened this past month? Don’t worry, we’ve got you! From turning to nuclear power to roofs powering public buses, we’re giving you the scoop on 10 of the weird and wonderful things that happened around the world in October or so.
- Google turns to nuclear to power energy-hungry data centres
Google has ordered the construction of multiple small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) to power its energy-hungry data centres and global operations, the “world’s first” deal in which a tech company is commissioning the building of a nuclear power plant.
Kairos Power, the California-based start-up tasked with building the reactors, is expected to bring its first commercial reactor online by 2030 and develop more through 2035. The deal, which is subject to regulatory permits, will generate up to 500 MW of new carbon-free energy, which Google will use to power its rapidly expanding data centres.
- California sues ExxonMobil for alleged decades of deception around plastic recycling
California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against ExxonMobil alleging the company carried out a “decades-long campaign of deception” in which the oil and gas giant misled the public on the merits of plastic recycling.
The complaint accuses the company of using slick marketing and misleading public statements for half a century to claim recycling was an effective way to deal with plastic pollution, according to a press release from Bonta’s office published. It alleges the company continues to perpetuate the “myth” of recycling today.
The case, filed in the San Francisco County Superior Court, seeks to compel ExxonMobil “to end its deceptive practices that threaten the environment and the public,” the statement said.
- Italy is investigating Shein for greenwashing
Italy’s antitrust watchdog is investigating the online fast fashion giant Shein for potentially making misleading claims about its sustainability practices.
The country’s independent competition authority said in a statement that the greenwashing probe would focus on Infinite Styles Serves Co. Limited, a Dublin-based company that does business as Shein and operates the online retailer’s website and app.
- UN adopts Pack for the Future
This Pact is the culmination of an inclusive, years-long process to adapt international cooperation to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow. The most wide-ranging international agreement in many years, covering entirely new areas as well as issues on which agreement has not been possible in decades, the Pact aims above all to ensure that international institutions can deliver in the face of a world that has changed dramatically since they were created.
The UN chief has long pushed for the pact, which covers themes including peace and security, global governance, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations. It lays out some 56 broad actions that countries pledged to achieve.
- European Medical Schools Enhance Training on Climate-Related Diseases
Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria will become a bigger part of the curriculum at medical schools across Europe in the face of the climate crisis.
Future doctors will also have more training on how to recognise and treat heatstroke, and be expected to take the climate impact of treatments such as inhalers for asthma into account, medical school leaders said, announcing the formation of the European Network on Climate & Health Education (Enche). Led by the University of Glasgow, 25 medical schools from countries including the UK, Belgium and France will integrate lessons on climate into their education of more than 10,000 students.
- Zillow introduces comprehensive climate risk data on for-sale listings across the US
With more than 80% of buyers now considering climate risks when purchasing a home(opens in a new window), this feature provides a clearer understanding of potential hazards, helping buyers to better assess long-term affordability and plan for the future. In assisting buyers to navigate the growing risk of climate change, Zillow is the only platform to feature tailored insurance recommendations alongside detailed historical insights, showing if or when a property has experienced past climate events, such as flooding or wildfires.
Climate risk information will be available on the Zillow app for iOS® and on the Zillow website by the end of the year, with Android™ availability expected early next year.
- Brazil elects record-high number of Indigenous leaders
A record-high number of Indigenous people were elected in Brazil’s recent municipal elections, a key move to ensure the fulfilment of Indigenous rights, public services and assistance and should pave the way to increase the number of Indigenous people elected in the 2026 state and federal ballots, advocates and activists say.
On Oct. 6, 256 Indigenous people were elected mayors, vice mayors and city councillors in all Brazilian regions, an 8% increase compared with 236 elected in the 2020 ballot. In total, 2,506 Indigenous candidates from 169 groups received 1,635,530 votes, up from 2,212 candidates from 71 groups in 2020.
- Barcelona is turning subway trains into power stations
Every time a train rumbles to a stop, the energy generated by all that friction is converted to electricity, which is fed through inverters and distributed throughout the subway system. One-third of that powers the trains; the rest provides juice to station amenities and a growing network of EV chargers.
The ultra-fast charger outside the Bellvitge station is among four electrolineras — Spanish for “electric gas stations” — that went up in July. The city’s main transit operator, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, or TMB, plans to add three more as the project, called MetroCHARGE, expands.
- This Swedish vertical farm start-up grows vegetables inside of supermarkets
A Swedish company is building farms inside supermarkets as an environmentally friendly solution to grow fruits and vegetables. The solution from SweGreen, already in place in Sweden and Germany, is a way to answer to water shortages, the lack of agricultural land, and dependence on global geopolitics.
Growing the greens locally will also reduce transport emissions, give a longer shelf life, and improve their taste.This in-store farming solution uses a hydroponic method, where plants are grown in rockwool plugs in water without soil.
- Roofs of Mexico City’s Massive Food Market Will Power Public Buses
Solar panels on one of the world’s largest food markets will be used to power Mexico City’s electric buses, helping the new president achieve her goal of boosting clean energy in the fossil-fuel dependent country.
President Claudia Sheinbaum — who took office this week — announced the solar installation at the 327-hectare (35.2 million-square foot) food hub in 2022, when she was still mayor of the capital. The sprawling complex is now home to thousands of solar panels as part of the two-phase project.
The first stage is complete and the rooftop panels are already powering selected parts of the market, cutting its electricity bills. In the second phase, which is set to begin in January after additional work and testing, energy will be channelled toward the city’s transit system.
We do this every month 😉
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