#118: 🌎💸 Damn those tree huggers. They were right.
2-min read: Climate, Startups, Productivity, Leadership
Good morning, folks.
In today’s 2-minute read, we’ll cover these 4 nuggets below — as delightful as waking up from a nightmare and realizing you didn’t actually miss your flight and ruin your family’s summer plans.
Climate Startups & Investment:
#1 — ⛏️ Dig baby, dig! 4 charts on clean energy minerals.
#2 — 🌳 Damn those tree huggers. They were right.
Productivity & Leadership:
#3 — 🤖 Automate or die? [Says the robot]
#4 — 📣 Correlation between the amount of talking vs. insight.
Onward and upward,
Chris
P.S. Want more? Read 100+ prior newsletter issues here.
#1 — ⛏️ Dig baby, dig! 4 charts on clean energy minerals.
(1)
We’re going to need lots more copper, lithium, and cobalt for all those batteries and “electrify everything.” (I know — Thanks for the tip, genius.)
The gaps between the lines and the shaded teal colors indicate insufficient supply. For now. But it will come.
(2)
Most of these minerals are processed by China.
The US is a small player. That means we better play nicely on the world stage.
(3)
Most minerals are also mined outside the US.
It’s wonderful that the US is a global leader in innovation, but without the right supply chains, we’d be frozen in time.
(4)
“But I can’t invest in mining. That’s anti-ESG.”
Really?
The sheer volume of mineral mining, even in the future, is far less than that for fossil fuels.
Plus, responsible mining will be much more feasible with cool startups like Nth Cycle (Go, Megan!), Summit Nanotech (Yes, Amanda!), and Lilac Solutions (Woo-hoo, David!).
Thanks to David Roberts (Vox) and Howard Fischer (Gratitude Railroad) for these goodies.
#2 — 🌳 Damn those tree huggers. They were right.
So says the tree hugger writing this post…
First, the scary part:
“July will likely be the world's hottest month on record and possibly the warmest in 120,000 years, according to climate scientists.” (source)
Now for a reason to sigh in relief…
Aside from the VC-backed innovation in climate tech startups, we have lots of proven tools that work today.
Urban trees, for example.
And for many who enjoy their shade, they could give a rat’s arse about climate change.
But they appreciate lower AC bills, fewer heat-related health incidents, and more beautiful cities.
And that’s totally cool.
(Yep, bad pun intended, unfortunately.)
#3 — 🤖 Automate or die? [Says the robot]
Too draconian? Maybe.
But here’s some perspective:
“Only 52 US Companies Have Been on the Fortune 500 Since 1955, thanks to the ‘creative Destruction’ That Fuels Economic Prosperity.” (Source)
Similarly, how many companies will need to have a Chief Automation Officer or Chief AI Officer in five years to stay relevant?
This automation or AI could be used either in (1) the company’s core product or service or (2) in the back office, helping each worker gets their job done more efficiently.
If this makes you think of the cult classic movie, Office Space, you’re in luck. Here’s the clip of “What would you say...you do here?” 😂
#4 — 📣 Correlation between the amount of talking vs. insight.
Are the two related?
I hope not (says the author of a newsletter and a podcast).
But Plato thinks there is:
“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”
At your meetings today, take a look around.
Who’s talking the most?
Who’s got the best comments?
Are they the same person?
📓 Two final notes
(1) Tell a friend
If you enjoyed this newsletter, I’d really appreciate it if you sent it to a friend or two (or 20). 🙏
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(2) Fundraising for startups
If you’d like to learn how to raise capital for your climate tech startup, I’m teaching a short course about this in September. It’s taught live, online, with a cohort of peers.
That’s all, y’all.
Make it a great week, because it’s usually a choice.
Cheers,
Chris
Entrepreneurs for Impact: The #1 climate CEO peer group in North America
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(As evidenced by these photos, I’m an actual human. Not an AI. 🤫 I promise.)
