Ani Talwar's Blog

Earth Overshoot Day: What it means and how it's moved

 

Hellofriendly readers and welcome to an info article on Earth Overshoot Day! In thisarticle, I talk about 2025's Earth Overshoot Day, what this means, and thetrends in global material use over time.

 

 

Whatis Earth Overshoot Day?

 

Firstly,let's dive into what an Overshoot Day even is. In order to understand it, let'sthink of the Earth for a moment as a wallet. This wallet has a finite amount ofchange in it, some notes etc and that's what we get to spend in a year, so in asustainable world, we would count that change and budget it throughout theentire year.

 

EarthOvershoot Day represents the point in a year where we get to the end of what wehave in the wallet, and in essence we start using what is beyond ourbudget, representing a deficit. Now the actual Overshoot day is not economic atall, it is based on the 'biocapacity'of the planet, which is what our ecosystems and natural environments cansupply. So when we reach our Overshoot day we have used up all the naturalresources etc we should have been stretching out across an entire year, andafter this date we are now borrowing biocapacity- which could have long termnegative consequences.

 

Theearlier and earlier the Earth Overshoot Day in a year is, the quicker we areusing our allocated natural resources and depleting future supply.

 

Whatis the 2025 status looking like?

 

So,there are multiple ways you can look at the Overshoot Day, one being the globalaverage of us all. This year, we reached Earth Overshoot Day on July24th, which means we used an entire year's worth of resources in just overhalf the year, and for the rest of the year we are borrowing resources andproduce from what our future selves could have depended on.

 

ThePopulation Matters organisation gives a few good examples of the cause/impactsassociated with this- highlighting that in the last half a century, ourresource use has tripled, with the worlds population growing to its current 8billion population.This can mean that we use resources in a way that will hinder futurepopulations, for example by cutting trees down at a faster rate than they cangrow back, or harming sea beds so there aren't enough fish to repopulate forfuture generations effectively.

 

However,beyond the global Overshoot Day, there are also Country Overshoot days whichbreak this concept down further.These produce the same result (i.e. an understanding of how quickly we aredepleting ecological supply) but based on the actions of a country's population.In 2025, the earliest Country Overshoot Day was allocated to Qatar, at just February 6th, followed by Luxembourg at Feb 17th, andSingapore at Feb 26th.

 

Infact, only 27 of the total 86 countries analysed made it past July 2nd fortheir individual overshoot days, and only 1 made it to December.This diagram below demonstrates the County Overshoot days: 

 

(Photocredit to Global Footprint Network 2025, www.overshootday.org and www.footprintnetwork.org)

 

Howhas this changed?

 

Now,the Earth Overshoot Calculation site points out that there is a very importantconsideration when comparing historical results to present ones: the change indata availability and how this influences calculations.The group publishes a table to compare how country Overshoot Days have changedbecause of data compared to consumption.

 

Intheir comparison, 34 of the 86 countries had earlier Overshoot Days recordedthan last year based on consumption changes, though this was compared to also34 countries which had later Overshoot Days recorded due to consumption (with 18 countries experiencing no change).

 

Whilstthese numbers look relatively good in the sense that they're not getting worseit is worth noting that overall, if you take the sum of all the days movedearlier and later due to consumption changes, we have moved 48 days earliercompared to last year,because those 34 countries that have consumed more, have moved their OvershootDays a total of 116 days earlier, compared to a shift of 68 days later fromthose countries that have consumed less.

 

Donote, this is not taking into account changes due to the amount of data we nowhave available, this is a separate set of data to consider!

 

Sowhat does this mean?

 

Well,a quick way of saying this entire article would be to say that we are consumingmore resources than we should, and it's not got better compared to lastyear,  but if you made it all the way tothe end then- like me- you were curious to see the numbers and how theyinfluence our performance too (or you had nothing better to do, in which case go ahead and explore the restof my site for more interesting Earth News).

 

Ifyou're dismayed by this, fear not, because I also have some other articles inwhich I look at how to shop or have a few more sustainable habits here:

 

How to commute to uni without the negative impacts.Ways to keep sustainable when you have little controlA sustainable way to get through exams A look at sustainable student shopping, is it possible? 

However,if you have something you'd like to learn some more about, feel free to leave acomment and I will have a research!

 

(Feel free to check out my other environmental articles here!) 

 

That's all from this Mischief Weaver. :) 

 

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2025: The first 10 books

 

 

 Hello friendly readers!

 Long time no see on the book front, but never fear I've still been here researching away and reading all the books I have time to. Now a few months have gone by and I've got some reads up my sleeve I thought I'd do a nice update on what I've been reading, how, and what it was like. If you'd like to see more of what I've been reading in the past, my progress in real time and my reviews, feel free to check out my Goodreads profile: Ani Talwar. However on the move on the app I don't always have the space and time to do written reviews, so I thought I would expand a little here, so on to the reads!

In chronological order, my reads are: 

Fourth Wing, Rebecca YarrosThe Colour Purple, Alice WalkerIron Flame, Rebecca YarrosThe Ambassadors Mission, Trudi CanavanThe Rogue, Trudi CanavanWhen the Moon Hatched, Sarah A ParkerThe Blood of Hercules, Jasmine MasMonstrous Regiment, Terry PratchettEducated, Tara WestoverThe Women in the Cabin, Becca Day

And onto the detail: 

Rebecca Yarros

Rating: 3/5 and 3.75/5 stars for book one and two respectively.Source: book share between friends. Time taken: 2 days each.

So, yes, I did read this rather famous social media sensation, and I will admit I was weary of it because it was so famous on social media, however when a friend leant me both books in the new year, I thought it would be nice to have a read and see what all the hype was about. I was not certain how I would feel about this book because personally, the tall muscled morally grey character being the main love interest and saving his 'damsel in distress' style love who he falls for is not entirely my favourite thing, though I fully understand that it is the exact thing a lot of people love so I get why this book was so loved online. 

That being said, even though the romance wasn't quite my thing, I was pleasantly surprised to find there was a lot more to this book than the 'Romantasy' label I've seen floating around. The characters had personality, they had sass and sarcasm, and the dragons were quite funny! There was some world building that occured (though it had a tough act to follow after my last fantasy trilogy was Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson which absolutely enthralled me), and it turned out to be a nice entertaining read that I blasted through pretty quickly.

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

Rating: 5/5 starsSource: Brought newTime taken: 5 days

This one was another one I read as part of a book club, and I'm really enjoing how this club pushes me beyond my fantasy comfort zone into more non fiction oriented books. In this book, not only do the words envoke a story, a character and a journey, but the way the characters were written also illustrates their journey and development which was a strategy that took some getting used to, but I really really liked. 

The book had a good pace, skipping time moments and details as the narrator remembered or prioritised them, so that in moments where the narrator was apthetic, the description would be reduced and the reader would almost be prevented from getting that in depth view of a scene, mirroring the character's apathy. As the view switched between narrators of more or less educated status, the language used altered to reflect that, really taking you into the character's mind.

 

The Ambassador's Mission and The Rogue by Trudi Canavan

Rating: 4/5 stars eachSource: Brought new (book 1) and second hand (book two and three, though three is not listed here as read yet)Time taken: 7 and 10 days respectively

So, eight odd years since I first found Trudi Canavan's Magician's Guild, in a second hand book market with some friends, I finally found her novels again. I remember the Magician's Guild series (my first read) as magical, enthralling, and with an ending that was so punchy I still remember the mental image vividly now, despite it being so many years I nearly forgot all the rest of the details of the series.

Though some of my love for this book may have been easier earnt when I was younger, this story still was a lovely read with a nice plot and some good characters included. I loved that some of the characters from the original series I first read were also included, and that there were throwaway references to the ten year gap between the two and what may have occured during this time. 

In the years since reading the first series, my reading styles have definitely evolved, and I did find in some cases I was thinking I would have enjoyed this more if I read it back then because I was a teenager with slightly different tastes, but it really only lasted for a few moments as I was reading before the characters I had remembered went right back to entertaining me again. There were definitely one or two characters (okay, one specific character) that I spent a lot of time sighing and rolling my eyes at, but you know what, I respect the fact that an irritating character was so well written I was actually pacing around irritated, that's got to be a job well done right? 

When the Moon Hatched, Sarah A Parker,

Rating: 4/5 starsSource: Borrowed (library)Time taken: 16 days

 

I'm going to caveat this immediately: I started this book, read ten pages, and then got distracted for a week or two with work. By the time I came back to actually reading it properly I blasted through all the remaining 550 pages in about 72 hours, the book did have me hooked. I loved the style of writing (though I've seen some reviews that it's not for everyone, that's okay). It was wordy and descriptive and I enjoyed that because it felt a cross between reading poetry and a novel and I enjoyed the words and lines quite a bit.

I am also perhaps a bit biased because in a conversation with my friend I said 'it would be cool if the character was...' and unintentionally predicted the entire novel nearly perfectly. Contrary to what some might think- I love to predict endings and it does not put me off reading a book- the satisfaction of seeing if I've weaved a story correctly in my head is only beaten by the sheer respect when I get it absolutely wrong. 

That being said, I was dissapointed somewhat with the speed of the romance element in this novel. It was one of those moments when you watch something and you can sort of see who's going to fall for whom and you really hope you're wrong but you arent. I will admit, by the end I was kind of on their side as a couple, but early on when it was the main character with her assassin-like career moving headstrong into her revenge plan, I wanted to see that and not a side track into romance. (Also I feel like the revenge part did get abandoned mid way which wasn't great, if she liked the character who died so much she wanted to avenge them I feel like that character should have been brought up more than they were through the book). However, I did really enjoy this book, and don't regret reading it at all. 

The Blood of Hercules by Jasime Mas

Rating: 1/5 starsSource: Borrowed (library)Time taken: 3 days

I know this one has a lot of high reviews, and I borrowed it because it sort of reminded me of a grownup Hunger Games crossed with Percy Jackson based on the blurb, but unfortunately this was not the one for me. Now the idea of it was interesting when I read the blurb, but the execution...it wasn't something I enjoyed. The main character was frustrating sometimes, her thought process absolutely lost me at times and I did not understand some of the things they were referring to, and the love arc...no thank you. 

I know this is the third time I've said something about the romance plot, so I feel the need to state that I don't hate romance in novels, I actually really love shipping characters when the romance plot is done well- if you've ever spoken to me about Outlander and my love of Claire and Jamie you'll know this. When I mentioned it not being my favourite in the previous reviews, it was mostly because of the timing. I was thinking 'you're in a fight don't get distracted!', not necessarily 'absolutely not I don't like this', but with this novel, I was closer to the latter. 

To conclude for this book: I just didn't get it, or like it too much, but for the many who did and gave it very high reviews, I'm interested to see what your take on it was because we all obviously gravitate to different things and remember different things so I'm interested to see what other people took from it! 

Monstrous Regiment, Terry Pratchett

Rating: 5/5 starsSource: Purchased second handTime taken: 10 days

If you know me, you know I love the Discworld. I love how mad it is, I love how imaginative it is, and I love how I've been reading for nearly a decade and I can still find more to read. This novel was about a women who dressed up as a man to join the army so she can find her brother. A tale of adventure, camaraderie, and friendship, this novel was humerous and adventurous and also contained a portrayel of the fustration and confusion in the balance between how genders are treated in society. It had serious themes, but in a not serious setting, allowing for the story to convey a deep message without being too heavy. 

Also, I loved the ending, wonderful full circle moment, I would recommend.

Educated, Tara Westover

Rating: 5/5 starsSource: Library BorrowTime taken: 1 day.

This book was another book club pick which I actually hadn't heard of before. A memoir written by Tara about her experience being raised in a survivalist family in the mountains, it contained some dark themes which made me finish it across 24 hours so I could resolve the story before sleeping, but it was entirely worth it. Obviously, being a true account of some troubling things that happened, I didn't like all of what I was reading, much less because I knew it had really happened to someone, but I do feel that I am better for reading it. I know more now, I understand more now, and I have learnt more. 

 

The Woman in the Cabin, Becca Day.

Rating: 2.5 rounded down to 2 /5 starsSource: Library BorrowTime taken: 2 days.

This was an enjoyable read! The tension was good especially towards the end and it was quite gripping, but the reason it doesn't sit a comfortable 3 or 4 stars for good enjoyment is that early on, I actually didn't like the main character that much. When it comes to fiction, there's obviously a greater spectrum of things characters can achieve and do because it's not actually real, but with this particular main character, I felt that some of her choices were just a bit too questionable, and I was frustrated by the fact that she was content with making hard choices for her escape but at the same time too cowed to actually attempt to escape. 

I fully understand the fear of escaping in her case, but it seemed that she was both too scared to escape but not scared enough to take the steps she did and I found that a bit confusing for her and frustrating. That being said, overall it was an enjoyable read, and the last chunk of the novel had a great pace and set of twists, just the middle portion slightly let it down.

 

So, after nearly 90 minutes of typing there you have it, my completed reads so far this year. Have you read these and did you enjoy them? Do you have any other recommendations?

  

sustAInability (is AI sustainable?)

 

Hello friendly readers and welcome back toanother article on the environment and living a sustainable lifestyle, this oneabout social media and AI.

 

I've been curious for a while about the trueimpact of technology on our planet, and if you're interested in the sustainablepotential of other technological advances, do check out some of my otherrelated works such as:

 

Is online learning more sustainable (09/11/2021) Human survival versus planetary survival (24/11/2020) an article exploring whether technology can substitute lost parts of our environment.Technology, help or hinderance (09/17/2020)

 

This time, with the popularity of social mediaand advancements in AI, I'm researching how sustainable AI is, and what impactsit does/does not have. So first, for a bit of context, I started off byresearching the environmental impact of social media..

 

In an experiment conducted by Greenspector, the carbon impact of 12 popularsocial media apps was measured through use, and then modelled to predict theimpact of use over one year. Now this particular study was conducted in France,so there will be a bit of difference depending on the country, but the studydoes also specify the server location, device use, server type, even network,brightness of device, and repeats carried out.

 

Over an hour, the most impactful app wasTikTok at 57gCO2eq, followed by Reddit at 55gCO2eq,YouTube and Instagram at 52gCO2eq. The least impactful was LinkedIn at 28gCO2eq. So, now we have context on social mediausage, where does AI fit into this?

 

So first, let's get into how AI functionswithin society and infrastructure, and then we can begin to understand itsareas of impact.

 

Artificial Intelligence, better known as AI,has been used in all sorts of mind blowing and thought provoking ways since itspopularity increased, but in order to work, it has to be powered. In a guidewritten by Forbes, it is explained that traditional datacentres run with 5-10kW per rack but with AI, these now need 60+ kW per rackand that AI produces more data than other work, requiring a higher capacity too.

 

As well as this, the increase in intense tasksmean that the machines give off more heat, so it's not just the number andcapacity that need to be upgraded, but keeping the data centres cool also hasto be a focus- which can be water intensive or use other chemical solutions toachieve temperature control.

 

This is already being noticed, take Google's 2024 Environmental Report for example:In this report, it was appreciated that data centre electricity consumptionover 2023 was 17% higher and GHG emissions had risen 13% (compared I assume to2022). Furthermore, specific note was made on AI increasing the pressure ondata centres, reporting that 17% more water had been used to cool data centresin 2023 than 2022- to bring the water consumption to 6.1 billion gallons of water.

 

This is not just specific to one platform. In Meta's Sustainability Report of 2024, it was alsoreported that the total water consumption for data centres was 2,938 megalitresor roughly 0.8 billion US Gallons by my calculations (okay…google conversion).The report also highlights emission from datacentres, which were 12,283 metric tons of CO2 eq in 2023. This may be a randomnumber out of context but the total operational GHG emissions reported in thesame year by Meta was 50,610metric tons of CO2 eq, meaning that the data centreemissions were 24% of the total emissions.

 

So we know that AI can put extra demand ondata centres, but can they handle it? An article published in October last yearby the International Environment Agency tracking the construction of new datacentres "driven by growing digitalisation and the uptake of artificialintelligence" highlighted that companies such as Google, Microsoft andAmazon are leaders in using AI and data centres. According to the article, In 2023, the capital investment in AI bythese three companies was higher than the entire oil and gas industry of theUS.

 

However the big question remains: isexpanding AI simply unsustainable?

 

Well according to the International Environment Agency, the currentelectricity consumption from household appliances is still double that of datacentres, and increased efficiency in AI moving forward will mitigate some ofthe expected expansion from data centres. Furthermore, a study in 2024published in Nature, found that AI systems generate less CO2e when used to generate text orimages compared to humans doing the same.

 

However, the same article did also note that whilst the AItechnology can carry out certain tasks, factors that weren't considered incalculations include social effects, displacement, and legality to name a few.Furthermore, although it is concluded that text generation for example doesexude fewer CO2e than humans, it is also appreciated early on in the article that training a system in the first placerequires an amount of emissions and power too.

 

In the study published in Nature, it references a studythat states the CO2e released training GPT-3 is the same released through thelifetime of five cars, and when it comes to ChatGPT, are emissions  a whole different equation to generating textand images? In an article published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in July 2024, asking aquestion to ChatGPT uses ten times the electricity as a Google search. Whilstthe Nature study claimed a certain CO2e for trainingGPT-3, the WEF article references studies that put a number on it of just under1,300mWh, and also states that training GPT-4 used 50 times more poweraccording to estimates.

 

So, AI…is it sustainable? It's not an easyquestion to answer, not least due to the numerous considerations involved.Though basic data centre structure may be in place, it is clear from thestudies referenced above that this still needs to expand and adapt to cope withincreased AI usage, and this could have repercussions on energy usage and waterdemand. I have also referenced studies in this article that make commentary onthe cost of simply using AI or training it to do the tasks that need to be performed,and yet I don't think I've started to even scratch the surface. For now, Iguess I'll keep researching into usage stats, see how the research pans outafter new studies and reports come to light, and I will probably bring out anupdated study- but please tell me what you think- can AI be sustainable?

 

 

By for now!

Your friendly Mischief Weaver

 

 

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2025- the sustainability overlook

 

 


Hello friendly readers!


Firstly, let me start by saying Happy New Year, I hope everyone found some joy in 2024 and can do so in 2025 as well. I've looked back on my articles (or lack thereof) in 2024 and decided that this year I'll be a bit more organised (or at least post more than twice…in my defence I did write an entire manuscript in an article's place) starting with a look forward at 2025 and the significance it has for climate pledges and goals.
Consider this my attempt to create a reminder list for the year on sustainability pledges- but of course I'm one person at a computer researching, so if you have any updates through the year or other pledges I miss, feel free to leave a comment so we can see how things change- you don't need an account to do so.
So, let's get into it.


The Paris Agreement, and Nationally Determined Contributions:

The Goal of the Paris Agreement, signed on 12th December 2015 by 196 parties, is to Prevent the average global temperature exceeding 2°C above pre-industrial levels and make an effort to limit this temperature increase at 1.5°C above pre industrial levels through to 2100.


To achieve the Paris Agreement, targets works in five year cycles, where countries iteratively increase their climate goals through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC's). NDC's are the term given to a country's plan of climate action. The first round of NDC's was submitted in 2015, meaning that the third iteration are due early this year (2025). The UK's last NDC set in 2020 committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions at least 68% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels.
 

Furthermore, on a global rather than a country specific target level, achieving the preferable 1.5°C by 2100 goal, greenhouse emissions must peak in 2025, and then reduce to 2030 by 43%.
 

The UK Seventh Carbon Budget:
 

Within the Climate Change act of 2008, the UK government must set iterative Carbon budgets to act as a cap on emissions that the UK can release within each five year period. The UK Carbon budgets are set over a decade in advance, so in 2025, the seventh budget is due which will cover actions to be taken between 2038 and 2042.
Not only is the seventh budget due in 2025, but in lieu of this, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) will publish both advise for the seventh budget, and an update to a path for net zero early on this year.
 

As a side note, the CCC guidance in 2024 also stated that the UK 'SAF Mandate' should begin in 2025, which sets increasing annual targets on fuel suppliers for aviation.
 

Weirdly enough, that was all I could find, but with NDCs being a big deal I guess there is still quite a bit going on. As always, feel free to let me know if I've missed anything.
 

From the Mischief Weaver.

Total Solar Eclipses- and their environmental secrets.

 

 

 

 

People in North America can gaze up at the sky tonight (with protective glasses) to watch the total solar eclipse. Streamed by NASA and across the news, many will be able to see the world plunged into dark as the moon covers the sun, but there is something else that will be happening at the same time: the Sounding Rocket Launches.

As part of a project known as the Atmospheric Perturbations around the Eclipse Path (helpfully shortened to APEP), rockets will be launching from the Wallops NASA facility and can be watched here. But why, when the eclipse is a natural phenomenon in its own right, are NASA launching rockets up at the darkness?

Part 1: The Ionosphere

To start understanding why NASA are doing this, we need to understand a niche area of our atmosphere known as the ionosphere. The Ionosphere is the top layer of the atmosphere, and the first barrier between Earth and Space. It's the part of the atmosphere that first feels the suns rays, and so the particles that are within it get all charged and affected by the sun's rays. This area is around 50-400 miles above ground, according to NASA, and because it is influenced so much by the sun's rays, it changes constantly, even as often as day and night where the lack of rays in the night can allow particles to 'relax' and become neutral again.

Part 2: The party in the sky

Knowing that the Ionosphere exists is only half the story, the other half, or majority I should say, comes from what's IN the Ionosphere and what it does, which brings us to the party of atoms up there, and what they get up to. 

Photoionisation...it's a word that's difficult to spell, and harder to say, but has a relatively simple definition. This word refers to how light energy can cause ionisation- or the change of an atom into an ion, usually occuring by changing the number of electrons. This means that atoms up in the ionosphere are hit with energy from the sun, and their electron number is changed, forming ions. In the F1 region of the Ionosphere (the Ionosphere is split into layers, D, E, F1 and F2), Oxygen molecules (your O2), Oxygen atoms (O) and nitrogen (N2) are affected by photoionisation.

What this means, is you end up with all these charged ions in the atmosphere, which will then pair up with atoms and form new molecules and then these can do a number of things such as Recombinate, Diffuse, or Adsorb, which are different movement and transformation mechanisms that chemicals can experience, explained in more detail here.

But anyway, focussing back on Space and NASA. The Ionosphere, as we've very briefly touched upon, is a highly changing space, affected a lot by the sun's rays. There are patterns in the way the ionosphere can behave, some of which correlate to the time of day and how much air the sun has to get through to reach the atmosphere, with specific layers WITHIN the ionosphere displaying their own individual trends over a day.

3: What about a lack of sun???

So, the activity in the ionosphere changes often with the sun, but what about in the event of no sun...or a covered sun? As NASA points out, it's difficult to track short term changes in the ionosphere during an eclipse, which makes sense given how many changes occur on a normal day! When an eclipse casts its shadow, the effect on not just the ionosphere, but the atmosphere, is like a short little sunset, causing changes even to radio frequencies, and gathering data on what happens helps us understand it, and even adapt to it.

So...back to NASA...what are they up to again?

On the 8th April 2024, NASA will be launching the APEP rockets, which will reach 260 miles (right up in that Ionosphere), to measure the charged and neutral particle density. They will also be launching balloons, and a collaboration team will be operating radars to take measurements. They will be measuring these with respect to measurements taken in 2023, during the annualar solar eclipse, to see how and if the results change.

I wonder what they will find, and how it will influence our understanding of atmospheric chemistry, and the influence it has on our lives!

 

 

 

Atro-City Analysis #1: Kayla Stevenson

 

Hifriendly readers! Welcome to a series called the Atro-City Analysis, where Idissect my own book and tell you what I did really think of when putting wordsto the page, and what was done the way it was on purpose. I'm totally familiarwith analysing books in school and hearing classmates say 'well the authordidn't actually think of ALL of that', and to an extent, sure, some things canbe a coincidence. However, as an author myself, there's a surprising (andrandom) number of things I DO think of- some of which I don't ever expectanyone to know unless I tell them, so here's a shameless post about some of thethings I actually did think of, starting with, of course, the main character.

 

Kayla Stevenson:

 

I choseKayla Stevenson to be my hero carefully and deliberately, which comes with ameasure of irony because I designed her specifically to be the least Chosen Oneshe could be. As a kid reading books a lot of the main heroes had that qualitythat just made them heroic, and itfrustrated me because if I wasn't the daughter of a god or a wizard, it seemedlike I wasn't capable of going on any adventure any time soon, and so I wantedKayla to be the  hero in every unconventional and non hero way I couldmake her so that it illustrated that absolutely anyone could be a hero if theywanted.

 

Her name.

 

KaylaStevenson, 5 syllables. 2, 3. The number of syllables that sounded least herolike to me. (Compare it to Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson or Peeta Mellark…andyes I've since found hero's that have the 2.3, but at the time there weren'tmany I knew of, but I was 13 I wasn't all knowing!). I chose her  name and the way it sounded to be genuinelythe least heroic thing I could think of.

 

Her hero storyline.

 

Did Kaylawant to be a hero? No.

Did shestep in to save her town heroically? No.

Did shetell them she'd do their work to save them? No.

KaylaStevenson became the hero because she slipped in the rain and fell into a door.That’s it. She didn’t want to be involved in the hair brained adventure sheended up on, and she had no noble intentions of taking one for the team to saveher town. She wanted nothing to do with any of this, and made it very clear andwas swindled into going anyway.

 

Andhere’s another reason that she’s portrayed as the most unlikely hero, and it’sactually a reason and a trick I’ve come to notice 7 years later when I washaving a flick through the book- and interestingly enough, it’s not something Iconsciously chose to do, but have only realised I’ve apparently done later:

 

Does she have the ‘personality’ to be a hero?

 

Kayla’sone biggest statement, even when she’s just been thrown out a window and ishanging on for dear life, is “Don’t call me Kay” to her best friend. She’ssnappish sometimes, impatient, and spends most of her time thinking in her mindrather than talking out loud, never knowing what she should reveal. This meansthat she ends up at one point in the book completely alone and embarking onpart of her journey with no back up because she quite simply didn’t tell themenough about what she wanted to do. In short, she has the opposite personalityto be a hero, and yet, despite all odds, she is the hero because her waspishannoyance with the situation does not dissuade her stubbornness that she willfinish what she started, even if she was loath to start it in the first place.

 

Do I even actually like Kayla?

 

Yes! Ofcourse I do. She's got her faults, being snappy and short tempered sometimes,but she's a good friend, and a good daughter. Half her actions are motivated bytrying not to insult her family, or leave anyone behind, and when it comes tonarrating a story, she's brutally honest and sarcastic, able to add her owninsertions to the story which create a little bit of brevity in amist someharrowing situations:

 

 

"I'd like to say weheroically hacked out way through the enemy and made a brave escape, but thatwouldn't exactly be the truth"

 

and

 

"The wind was knockedout of me as Julie landed butt first on my stomach (not a fun experience by theway)"

 

Are two particular favourites of mine from Atro-CityThe Flood (Available to buy!).

COP 28 and Climate Goals

 COP 28- are we on track?

 

Hi friendly readers,

 

As you may be aware, the nextround of COP has just occured, featuring many debates and decisions that can effectour future in the discussion. Since there’s so much going on and so manytechnical terms under discussion, it can be a bit overwhelming, and leave apessimistic ‘the-world-is-ending’ taste in your mouth, so I’m here to try andbreak down some of the big and bad topics into a more discursive piece.

 

I had the pleasure of going to apanel run by the Aldersgate group and hosted at Pinsent Mason a few weeks agothat discussed not only the kinds of things likely to come up at COP, but alsowhat COP needs to do in order to set about achieving these goals, and as partof the audience, I looked like I was staring at my phone most of the timebecause I was frantically taking notes of the amazing discussion to write upfor you all, which is what I’m posting about today.

 

The event was hosted by HaydenMorgan, Partner and Head at Pinsent Mason, and the speakers were:

⁃               Rachel SolomonWilliams of Aldersgate group.

⁃               Lee McDonough ofDESNZ

⁃               Bridget Beals fromKPMG

⁃               Phillipa Spence atRamboLL UK.

⁃               SophieMirimadi  from AVEVA (software company).

⁃               James Wilde  of Phoenix group.

 

Firstly, I need to reiterate that I wastaking notes as several people were having live discussion, so some points maybe in great detail, and others not so much, because I’m one person with one setof hands that can only type so fast, but that’s why there’s a comment box: toadd your insights and questions (don’t forget the Environmental Forum is stilllive if you want to take your discussions to a more general topic over there!).So, on to what was discussed. I’ve split the many (many) discussion notes I tookinto key themes and questions that were discussed.

 

(Please note- I didn’t grab everyone’snames in the audience who asked questions, so I’ll try to make it clear wheresomeone else asked a question, but I can’t always provide the exact name, and Iam working off of some very random notes I managed to take, just fortransparency).

 

Are we on trackfor our climate goals? And if not (spoilers, the answer is not), what can bedone?

 

The Global Stocktake: The release of theGlobal Stocktake has shown that we are not on track to achieving oursustainability goals, so it was evident that COP needs to address this, andwhat comes next. Furthermore, it needs to be made clear how the goals set tohelp our climate, which transcend across national and physical borders, canalso be applied transparently across all businesses to achieve the goals wehave set. We are past the target setting stage- we know the situation we arein, so how do we lay the foundations within a company scene?

 

Furthermore, it was identified thatactually logistics is a bigger issue than changing minds in some cases. Softwareinnovation is not occurring fast enough, and when you looked at companieswilling to invest in green solutions, it wasn’t that none of them were willing,it was that there weren’t enough green solutions out there for the investmentto go to! The Pheonix group for example pledged billions towards reductionsolutions, so having the motivation isn’t the issue. What they’ve found is adifficulty in having investment options (which is how you end up withinvestment in coal, because it’s there, we know how it works, and it’s easier).

 

The proposed solution: increase the clarity in frameworks so that companies canactually put cases together to push for investment in new software orsustainable infrastructure where the solutions are there- because actually manyare willing, but red tape gets in the way.

 

Can anyone afford it?

 

The answer, to my great pessimistic self’s surprise,wasn’t no.

 

In one conversation between the panellists it was actuallysaid that in order to achieve the 1.5 goal, we need about a 17% reduction incarbon/emissions (according to PwC) and this meant that there needs to be investmentworth trillions in the UK, which can actually be covered by pension companiesalone. The real question is, why should they?

 

With UK pensions, you put your money with a pensioncompany, they invest it for a bigger return, and then you get your monthlyallowance from that to live off when you retire. Consequently, you can’t investwith no confidence you’ll get at least the same amount back (and let’s be real,you always want more back, not the same amount). So yes, pensioncompanies alone could afford the amount required, but when there’s noguarantee, why should they?

 

A solution: make investment in energy efficiencymore appealing and make more of them.

 

I know it’s so easy to make a promise and not keep it (canyou see the pessimistic side coming out yet?), but there are examples of wherethis is in the making and can be rolled out to make good progress. The AVEVAspeaker spoke about Toyota who wanted to reduce their energy consumption by 38%and carbon emissions by 25% in 18 months. Short turn around right? Well some ofthe solutions proposed include new carbon technology, Carbon Capture andStorage, though carbon technology is still being developed so whilst this isgood, it’s not at its best, however it still has scope to improve so it justdepends how you want to weigh it.

 

Another case study discussed was Brilliant Planet who usealgae to sequester carbon at a rate 30 times greater than a forest. (and ifyou’re reading this thinking you’ve sniffed out Ani’s next research craze, youmay not be wrong…).

 

However, the UK issue is that there is a lack ofinternational money and talent, so a lot of development is transitioning to theUS where the dollar has a better rate and there are tax rebates on offer forbusinesses that have the right criteria. At this point there was a great linementioned about how the UK needs to develop or else “Decarbonisation can mean deindustrialisation”.

 

So where does the money need to go, or not go?

 

So after an hour-ish of talking all things environment,the talk went to where do we need to send our investment, and also where do weneed to stop investing?

 

So first, energy efficiency:

The built environment is a huge emitter, so improvingenergy efficiency would help a great deal. The issue would be scaling up tomake it affordable for developers and homeowners, but with Smart Systems inbuildings, and the number of clients that are willing to get advice on how toimprove their buildings, we have a good chance to make a positive difference.

 

Adapt don’t divest:

One of the key pieces of advice that was given was thatcompanies need to price risk within their investment strategies so that whentranslating this into commercial policy, there can be a realistic push forachievable policy. Second, rely less on the government to drive value forcertain products or trends, and instead base your strategy off the market.

 

As to why not divesting was recommended at this panel,there was a really cool bit of theory the speakers proposed to justify this: 25companies are responsible for 40% of emissions, and these are ‘fossil fuelsetc’ as I wrote (I was pushed for time typing as fast as speaking),  but by working with these companies todevelop sustainable strategies (One speaker mentioned that BP and Shell werepart of the companies developing sustainable strategies), instead of divestingaway from these companies, you can hold them accountable and enforce thepositive change. If you drop the company altogether, someone with looser moralscan snap up the connection to create even worse impacts.

 

In fact, oil and gas companies were cited as those in thebest position to invest in renewables, if you make it look attractive enough. Anaudience member mentioned that according to the Lancet Countdown Publication ofNovember 2023, the fossil fuel industry can blow the carbon budget by over 100%.Therefore, it is important to make sustainable investment look good, but withcollective drivers you can translate a long term benefit as better than shortterm economic gain.

 

So are there examples where scaling up can occur in asustainable strategy? Yes! Offshore wind is a fabulous example where governmentconfidence and policy meant the risk associated with investment felldramatically and investors started to chase offshore wind. The only issue is,now we need more offshore wind to invest in! (Linking back to pensions as Iwrote about before, this is why coal is still invested in, because it has a‘guaranteed’ return in comparison).

 

As asked by the audience: what happens if theclimate goals can’t be achieved:

 

This one set a tone for the room, because it’s obviouslynot something we want to think about, but you have to.

 

Well there was an emphasis on adapt and focus on your bestcase scenario instead of simply setting back up targets and back ups, and thiswas because once you set one back up you set a precedent that your first targetisn’t the one you really need to meet. The strategy becomes less rebuildsociety and more adapt NOW.

 

And at that, it wasn’t just stick to one goal and try andtry, there was a nice focus on adjusting to your new baseline to get the mostsustainable and green result. New Zealand for example has spoken about how itwon’t rebuild certain places that have been hit by cyclones because it’s notviable- so they’re focussing on managed retreat and relocation- ie, adapt toyour new baseline.

 

 

Which leads nicely onto the last bullet point I had written down for the entire talk, which I think is a good point to end on:

 

“Keep 1.5 alive”

 

 

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21st-40th books of 2023!

 21st -40th books of 2023

Hello friendly readers!

As we approach the end of the year and the beginning of winter here in the UK, I thought I’d put up the second set of 20 books I read this year. Before you see this list I would like to preface with a bit of an important message: As you may have realised, I’m fairly inconsistent with posting on my blog or socials, and not consistent with my reading either (see my Goodreads book score for last year…I managed a grand total of just six books…). My daily schedule now is in a position where I have an hour to commute on a direct train, meaning I can knock out some quality reading time, but not quality typing time, hence my book count is so big and my blog count is so small, but I’m working on it don’t worry. I don’t schedule posts, and I post food pictures that aren’t always restaurant quality, and keep my terrible Goodreads history open and public for everyone to see because I want to keep it authentic. Just because I’m an author and a book worm, doesn’t mean I can read all the time, doesn’t mean I can write all the time, and doesn’t mean I’m a social media professional. I’m just a gal trying to make it work as I go along, hoping there’s an audience out there for random chaotic book fun from someone who still believes our world isn’t beyond saving.

So, if you’re that audience, thank you! I appreciate the views and the comments and any shares and you positively interacting with my work, even if it’s just a single view/comment/interaction because this is me working out (and being a bit bad) at advertising, so I appreciate that it can be a bit all over the place, but I won’t hide that, because hopefully it gives the next person a bit more confidence that it can be done (and if it’s entertainment too, even better haha).

Now, onto the real reason we’re all here: BOOKS! Here lies the list of the 21st -40th books I read this year:

    21) You Only Live Once by Maxine Morrey
    22) One Small Mistake by Dandy Smith
    23) Let Her Be by Lisa Unger
    24) The Nothing Man by Catherine Ryan Howard
    25) The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle
    26) This Telling by Cheryl Strayed
    27) Slow Burner by Laura Lippman
    28) Am I Guilty by Jackie Kabler
    29) Bootcamp for Broken Hearts by Joanna Bolouri
    30) The Secret by Kevin Lynch
    31) The Village by Caroline Mitchell
    32) The Summer House by Keri Beevis
    33) The Sleepover by Keri Beevis
    34) 29 Seconds by T.M. Logan
    35) Until You by Catharina Maura
    36) Always on my Mind by Beth Moran
    37) The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
    38) Burgerz by Travis Alabanza
    39) The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
    40) The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley


Highlights:
    
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
First, thanks should go out universally to the two friends that suggested I walk with them around Cookham and Marlow one summer day, because if not for you I wouldn’t have strolled through this bookshop where randomly, I made a very spur of the moment purchase of The Dictionary of Lost Words. I will confess, I loved it based on little more than the title to begin with, but the blurb also looked good.

And then I started reading it and wow, what a wonderful journey.

From the storyline, to the familial love, to the devoted appreciation of words right down to the last and lost, this book had my heart. First, because there was such care over each and every word chosen, how it was written, and how they were treasured, and second, because it did not shy away from the unusual, the lesser approved, and the abandoned. The book set out to tell the story of the dictionary through words it left behind and also ended up telling the story of forgotten people, lives and experiences that couldn’t be immortalised in the dictionary because they simply were not written down, and it was so poignant and made me feel as if I was holding a treasure to be seeing these stories in print.

Easy 5/5 stars, go and read it! (If this convinces you any further, I saw these same friends about 5 days after buying the book, and took this book back to them having already finished it, and immediately lent it to them to read too).

Short novels:

I don’t have a specific author or novel in mind here, but rather a specific literary type. If you think my reading list looks massive, then thanks, the pride over it has honestly been such a motivator this year, but actually, a lot of it has to be credited due to an experimentation in book length. You see, a five hundred book is a commitment, so I was being put off, but then I also wanted something to sink my teeth into, so what to do? As you can see (by the Brandon Sanderson and Neil Gaiman alone) I did not abstain from a long book, but once I finished a particularly addictive or commitment requiring book, I would space out my next read with a ‘breather’ of a few short stories- 30-100 pages about whatever took my fancy. I found it was a great way to make my reading list look good (which then spurred me on to keep making it look good), and also a good sandwich around some bigger books that I didn’t quite have the time (or headspace) to get addicted to just then. It’s also a good way to sample different reading genres to chose what to read next, and sample different literary tactics from an author point of view.

Keri Beevis

If anyone remembers my little obsession with Lucy Foley books (and stay tuned for the next book post to see if I finally make it through them all), then get ready to roll your eyes when you hear me rant, yet again, about Keri Beevis.

Full disclosure, I’m writing this up to 5 months since I read the books on this list, so some of them are a bit of a blur to me, but I looked down my Goodreads History (do follow me there if you want live updates) and Keri Beevis’s name popped up and all of a sudden, I remembered.

I remembered the grip and the mental images I conjured up and the tense situations and just that I really liked these books (which is why I immediately read more), so thanks to you lot for being the reason I scrolled down book memory lane, because now I’ve got things to put on my gift wish list when people ask!

So I think I’ll leave it there, because I’m getting close to starting work and I need to go and make a cup of tea, but thank you to those who interacted with the last post, and I’ll see you next time for the next 10 books (I’m gonna be honest, I don’t think I’ll make it to 20 more by Dec 31st).
 

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: A book review.

 Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:a review.

*containsspoilers*

 

 

Neverbefore have I so instantly and emphatically in my life finished a book and hadto look to the ceiling and roll my eyes. (And no, that wasn't a reference when I said ceiling, it just happened that way).

 

Not justroll my eyes, but full cartoon dramatic book look up and roll them, really rollthem.

 

I reallyliked this book, let me just start of by saying. The style was short, the thepoint and real. It didn’t shy away from harsh truths or awkward subjects (infact, it called them out obviously and with a spot light that said ‘I’m talkingto you’ which I LOVED) and it had a brutal honesty to it that was refreshingand educational and provoking. I really liked the way the thoughts switchedbetween Obinze  and Ifemelu and I alsoliked how the narration flowed somewhat like a stream of consciousness,focussing on the tiny details that make a personal experience rather than justobvious and larger plot devices.

 

However,as much as I liked the story and the narrative (and I really did like it) itwasn’t what I was expecting after reading the blurb. From reading the blurb Iexpected more of the story to be focussed on Ifem’s return and what happenswhen she meets Obinze again and how they rekindle or bury their relationship,and so I ended up frustrated because I really liked the past/present tense lifestory but I almost feel like the blurb did it’s own book a disservice bypromoting the reader to thinking the story was something a little other thanwhat it was. And that was frustrating because the past as it was told wasbeautifully written, in depth, and human in such an intimate way and so I wantthe blurb to sing its praises, rather than make me expect another part of thestory to be told, as if I’ve got to rush through all the past tense to get tothe real point.

 

When itsaid they’d ‘face the biggest challenge oftheir lives’ I expected a lot of the story to be present tense, and sowhen I was down to the last 10 pages and they’d still not spoken again yet andI was checking the length I had left because it was so near the end and yet sounresolved, I was suspicious. When Obinze then knocked on Ifemelu’s door, Iread it with a sinking feeling, because I just knew that it would end there,and I’d not get my resolved ending for the couple. (And don’t get me wrong, Isee the value in ending the book like that from a more analytical perspective,but as a reader, I want more tying up of the end, more vision into how it worksfor Obinze and his wife and his child, and more insight into if they canactually make it work as a couple or if they’re whole relationship works betteras the idea of one).

 

I guesswhat that equates to is: I liked this book so much that it ending dissatisfiedme, which is a fairly complimentary thing at the end of the day since it bringsPseydonymous Bosch’s line to mind: ‘No goodbook has a happy ending. Because if it’s a good book, you never want it to end’and yeah, I didn’t want it to end. I wanted more!

 

All inall, I would definitely recommend it. 4/5*.

 

For morebook recommendations, check out my last book blog post:

Or youcan check out my Goodreads Page which has a bigger and more varied list ofbooks I’ve read, reviews of them, and books I want to read.

 

From yourfriendly neighbourhood Mischief Weaver

Ani. :)

Environmental Forum

 

 Hi All! It's been a while, but I'm back with a new feature (which as you can tell I totally had a name ready for...) If you've seen me on LinkedIn or Instagram (@ani.talwar and @mischief.weavers respectively) you may have seen that I recently became Carbon Literacy Certified. One of the ways to obtain this was to make an individual and group pledge to help out with the environment. My personal pledge was to eat seasonal food which I did stringently whilst at university (see previous blogs), but my group pledge was an open forum where people could comment or ask about things they have trouble achieving environment wise and either I or members of the public could respond with their tips and tricks to foster an environmentally conscious and beneficial community. 

So that's what this is! I'll leave this page up (as soon as I can work out how making websites work...hopefully when you read this, the page is up and working properly hahah), and feel free to comment or suggest any problems or tips so we can help eachother out.

From your friendly neighbourhood Mischief Weaver,

Ani. :)