[GWSG] Eating the Earth; renewables investment up; AMOC nears tipping point; China's EV market tips

[Tilley, Al]

1. Michael Grunwald’s recent book We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate describes the development of biofuels, meat alternatives, regenerative agriculture, genetically modified crops, new alternative crops, aquaculture, vertical farming, and other approaches to solving our agricultural problems. Nothing has worked particularly well. Some have been essentially shucks (biofuel, carbon credits), some have proved to be of limited effect (regenerative agriculture, plant-based meats), and some have been puzzling failures which may yet become central to our food system (pongamia, for example). Grunwald follows key individuals and their efforts. Voluntary diet control is given little attention. The EAT-Lancet Commission gets a paragraph and the Planetary Health Diet is not mentioned at all. In the last few pages, though, Grunwald advises us that lowering our meat consumption voluntarily, along with ceasing to burn fossil fuels and controlling our food waste, could be the answer to our problem.

2. In spite of interference from the Trump administration, investments in fossil fuels are moderating or decreasing, and investments in renewables are up significantly. https://www.theenergymix.com/defying-trump-banks-and-investors-boost-renewables-as-they-recoil-from-fossil-fuel-stocks/

3. The collapse of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation system is no longer rated as unlikely in this century, according to a new study. We will probably pass a tipping point after which the collapse becomes inevitable in the next 10-20 years. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/28/collapse-critical-atlantic-current-amoc-no-longer-low-likelihood-study

4. The majority of the world’s electric vehicles are now made and sold in China, where they have reached 51% of sales. That figure is expected to increase rapidly as the Chinese auto industry becomes even more dominant. https://electrek.co/2025/08/29/electric-vehicles-reach-tipping-point-china-surge-51-market-share/?extended-comments=1

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