Tuesday, April 8

New Travel article: Firm Plans for Massive Skyscrapers to Store Energy Using Gravity

Energy Vault and SOM are working together on a new building that could use gravity as a renewable energy source, revolutionizing the energy industry. Read the full article here.

The International Maritime Organization is getting closer to implementing a fee for shipping emissions across member nations, serving as a carbon tax to demotivate companies from burning fossil fuels aboard ships.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulates global shipping and establishes rules in international waters, focusing on safety, security, and environmental protection. Part of their efforts towards environmental protection included a pledge to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which heavily involved the usage of clean energy aboard ships.

However, in order to take the current environmental shipping standards to the next level and achieve their goal, a committee within the IMO is working on a global carbon tax for ships.

The Marine Environment Protection Committee has been working on creating a fee which ships would pay for their carbon emissions, which would change the entire industry. Member nations of the IMO are required to follow the standards set by them, meaning that paying this tax would become mandatory for ships from 176 countries.

Today, shipping is responsible around 3% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions, which is a significant number when compared to other sources. Ships use a massive amount of oil and gas to move themselves across oceans, releasing large amounts of gases like carbon dioxide. While alternatives like hydrogen and methanol are available, they are not mainstream, and not many shipping companies have taken the initiative to switch to these greener fuels.

If passed, the new tax would be a huge step forward for the world, who have not shown strong support for environmental protection in recent months. Usually, climate change is taken on at a domestic, country-wide level, but the IMO has begun to address it at a global scale.

Fact of the Day (Today): Golf balls are covered in small dimples, minimizing drag and allowing the ball to travel at a greater speed. The average golf ball contains around 336 dimples.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): See the future as the greatest opportunity. (Marty Sklar)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Malleable (adj, MAL-ee-uh-bul) - Something described as malleable is capable of being stretched or bent into different shapes, or capable of being easily changed or influenced.

In a Sentence: Let the cookie dough thaw until it becomes malleable enough to thinly roll.