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Hey everyone, welcome to FutureProof - my Tech and Sustainability Digest.
It’s been a busy week what with a highly controversial Coldplay concert, Stephen Colbert’s late night show being axed, and the ICJ making a landmark climate ruling (more on that below). I’m reverting this newsletter to Thursdays - let me know if you prefer to receive it on Thursdays, or Fridays.
And as always this newsletter is dedicated to surfacing and sharing good news stories across tech and sustainability. If good news sounds like something you need, read on. And please share this newsletter with anyone/everyone else you feel could do with a little cheering up!
Climate News
The ECB Just Gave Dirty Assets a Haircut - Literally
The European Central Bank is about to start penalising polluting companies where it hurts: on the balance sheet. From 2026, corporate bonds used as collateral will get slapped with a “climate haircut” if they’re too carbon-heavy, because apparently, supporting fossil fuels through monetary policy is soooo 2023.
The ECB will apply a “climate factor” to reduce the value of dirty corporate bonds in refinancing operations, starting Q3 2026.
This applies to non-financial corporate bonds only, and the haircut depends on how exposed the issuer is to transition risk (think oil, gas, cement, not your local bike shop).
Reclaim Finance and others have long slammed the ECB for letting fossil-heavy bonds in the door, this move’s a step toward aligning its operations with its climate pledges.
Why This Matters: Europe’s top monetary authority is finally baking climate risk into how it treats assets, meaning dirty assets get devalued, and green ones become the safe bet.
Kismet: While the US Federal Reserve backed out of global climate finance alliances, the ECB’s now using its collateral framework to shape markets for the energy transition. Bold move, Christine. 👉 Full story here
“How Electricity Became the Unstoppable Beast Crushing Fossil Fuels”
Ember’s deep dive traces over a century of electrification pushing fossil fuels into decline, and reveals that since the 1970s, electricity has been supplying virtually all global energy growth. Brace yourself: this revolution is far from over, it’s accelerating.
Since 2018, 63% of new global final energy demand has been met by electricity, fossil fuels only chipped in about 5%. If it keeps up, fossil demand will structurally fall by the end of the decade.
Around 75% of global energy use, including transport and heating, is ripe for electrification today, meaning massive expansion lies ahead.
Six historical electrification waves, from early 1900s lighting to heat pumps and EVs today, show how each leap was resisted before becoming inevitable. We’re now entering the fifth and most disruptive act yet.
Why This Matters: Electricity isn’t just one energy source among many, it is fast becoming the engine of global energy demand and the death knell for once‑dominant fossil fuels.
Kismet: Electricity now delivers three‑quarters more useful energy than fossil fuels did at their peak, making modern electricity the true backbone of energy services. 👉 Full story here
AI News
AI Scientists Invent COVID Nanobody Before You’ve Had Your Morning Coffee
Stanford just built a virtual research lab run entirely by AI agents, and get this: they designed and helped validate a new COVID nanobody in days, not months. No pipettes, no lab coats, no awkward Zooms, just machine-speed collaboration, snarky AI critics included.
A full-on AI research team, featuring roles like PI, immunologist, computational biologist, and even a designated sceptic, worked autonomously with only 1% human intervention.
Their solution? Nanobodies instead of antibodies, binding tighter to the COVID virus across multiple variants, including Wuhan and newer strains.
Each “lab meeting” took literal seconds, and they even requested tools like AlphaFold themselves. Yes, AI scientists now have wish lists.
Why This Matters: This may genuinely be the start of hyper-accelerated, interdisciplinary science that’s faster, cheaper, and less ego‑driven than any human research group ever assembled.
Kismet: The AI agents don’t just run experiments, they reviewed old papers and discovered things human scientists missed the first time around. 👉 Full story here
GPT‑5 Might Drop in August - Will It Finally Think Straight?
OpenAI is reportedly prepping GPT‑5 for an early - mid August launch. Sources say it will unify reasoning features from the o‑series (like o3) with multimodal superpowers (like GPT‑4o), offering streamlined intelligence and mini/nano versions for different use cases. Microsoft is already testing a new “smart mode” in Copilot hinting at GPT‑5 integration.
GPT‑5 is expected to launch in August, subject to delays like server setbacks or internal safety reviews.
It will combine OpenAI’s reasoning model o3 and multimodal tech from the GPT series into a single unified platform, no more juggling multiple models.
OpenAI plans to release mini and nano variants alongside GPT‑5, with mini available via ChatGPT and API, and nano via API only. Microsoft’s Copilot is already trialling it.
Why This Matters: GPT‑5 promises to simplify and supercharge AI interaction, smarter reasoning, longer context, multimodal outputs, and reduce the friction of model switching.
Kismet: Sam Altman reportedly felt utterly useless when GPT‑5 answered a complex query immediately, that’s how much power this is packing. 👉 Full story here
ChatGPT Study Mode: Now AI Pretends to Be Your Tutor, Not Your Copy‑Paste Pal
Speaking of Open AI, they’ve introduced a new Study Mode. This new “Study Mode” flips the script on shortcut-seeking students: instead of spitting out answers, it nudges users through problems step by step with guiding questions, hints, quizzes, and reflections. Designed to encourage reasoning, not answer-fishing, it’s live now for Free, Plus, Pro, and Team users in some countries, and coming soon to ChatGPT Edu.
Offers interactive Socratic prompts, scaffolded responses, and knowledge checks tailored to your skill level and past memory.
Created with input from educators, scientists, and pedology experts, built to manage cognitive load, spark curiosity, and develop metacognitive reflection.
Easy to toggle on/off mid-chat, so motivated learners can do deep dives, while others can snap right back to answer mode (it’s optional).
Why This Matters: OpenAI is turning ChatGPT from a homework cheat machine into a learning companion, empowering users to think, not just copy.
Kismet: A Business Insider user says Study Mode even helped them reconsider buying a car, asking structured questions made them realise staying car-free was the smarter choice. 👉 Full story here
Your Browser Just Got a Brain: Copilot Mode Turns Edge into a Smart Sidekick
This experimental upgrade replaces the old tab chaos with a sleek, unified input box where chat, search, and navigation merge. Copilot sees across all your open tabs, offers voice commands, summarises content, and soon may even take actions, like booking errands, for you. It’s free to try for now, but expect a subscription model down the line.
Unified Browsing Input: Combines chat, search, and navigation into a single command field on Edge’s new tab.
Multi‑Tab Intelligence: With opt‑in permission, Copilot can scan all open tabs to compare, summarise or assist contextually.
Voice‑Driven Actions Incoming: Soon, it may complete bookings or manage errands using browser history and credentials, if you allow it.
Why This Matters: Edge is evolving from a passive tool into an active agent in your browsing life, offering super‑charged search, shopping, research and planning support with less friction and fewer tabs.
Kismet: Copilot Mode learns what you’re doing across tabs and can pick up a conversation where you left off, even if you open new windows. It’s like your browser develops memory. Could be a privacy nightmare though! 👉 Full story here
Electromobility
EVs Are Still Greener Than Petrol Cars - And Yes, We’ve Checked the Maths
For anyone still muttering about battery factories and coal power, this one’s for you. The ICCT just published a fresh myth-busting explainer showing that EVs are, without question, far greener than internal combustion cars across their entire life cycle, even when factoring in manufacturing and grid emissions.
EVs sold in Europe today emit more than twice as little over their lifetime as petrol equivalents, even accounting for battery production and grid electricity.
The emissions gap grows every year as grids get cleaner and battery manufacturing becomes more efficient. Holding on to an old ICE car is not the sustainable option many think it is.
Worn-out claims about EVs needing to drive “100,000 km before breaking even” are based on outdated or intentionally skewed assumptions.
Why This Matters: Climate delay tactics rely on FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) - this latest ICCT explainer is a scalpel through the nonsense, with real-world data to prove it.
Kismet: A typical EV in the EU already emits less than half the GHGs of an ICE car, and by 2030, that gap will widen to over threefold thanks to cleaner grids and better recycling. 👉 Full story here
EV Sticker Shock Is About to Vanish - Price Parity’s in Sight
According to the latest BloombergNEF data, the upfront cost gap between EVs and internal combustion cars is shrinking fast. For some segments, like small battery-electric cars, price parity is expected by 2026 in Europe. Game. Nearly. Over.
Battery prices have plummeted, from $1,355/kWh in 2008 to just $112/kWh, unlocking massive cost reductions in EV production.
Small and midsize EVs will match petrol/diesel cars on sticker price within 1–3 years, even before subsidies.
Add in cheaper fuelling and maintenance, and total cost of ownership is already beating ICE vehicles hands down.
Why This Matters: One of the last defences for petrolheads, “but EVs are too expensive!”, is about to collapse. EVs are about to be the cheaper, cleaner, and better option. Period.
Kismet: In China, the world’s largest EV market, many electric cars are already cheaper than petrol equivalents, andoffer better performance. 👉 Full story here
Mercedes Is Already Testing Solid-State EVs, Because Of Course They Are
While most automakers are still busy issuing PowerPoint promises, Mercedes has quietly started real-world testing of electric vehicles powered by solid-state batteries, yes, the holy grail of EV tech. Lighter, denser, and dramatically safer? Sign me up (if I could afford a Merc!).
Mercedes-Benz has begun real-world testing of solid-state battery prototypes in EVs, not just benchtop demos.
Developed in partnership with ProLogium, the batteries promise faster charging, longer range, and improved safety.
The company still targets commercial deployment “in the second half of the decade”, but testing cars today shows it’s more than vapourware.
Why This Matters: Solid-state batteries could double EV range, slash charging times, and kill off thermal runaway fires, making the EV transition cleaner and even more compelling.
Kismet: Unlike many competitors still fiddling with prototypes, Mercedes has already installed solid-state packs into working vehicles, quietly leapfrogging the hype cycle. 👉 Full story here
Clean Energy
Salt Power? The US Just Switched On Its First Grid-Scale Sodium-Ion Battery
Forget lithium for a second, sodium-ion is making waves. A Colorado startup, Peak Energy, has just deployed the first-ever grid-scale sodium-ion battery in the US. It’s cheaper, non-flammable, and uses stuff you can find in your kitchen. Well… almost.
Peak Energy’s 100 kWh demo system in Larkspur, Colorado marks a first for sodium-ion storage in the US grid market.
Sodium-ion batteries ditch lithium and cobalt, using abundant materials like salt and iron for safer, cheaper storage.
The tech is ideal for stationary energy storage (not EVs), and comes with zero fire risk and improved thermal stability.
Why This Matters: As grid storage becomes essential for clean power, sodium-ion offers a resilient, scalable, and non-explosive alternative to lithium, and it’s finally gone live.
Kismet: Sodium-ion batteries can operate in extreme heat without cooling systems, making them perfect for places like Texas, Spain… or anywhere climate change is cooking the grid. 👉 Full story here
Yes, Sand. The Latest Renewable Breakthrough Is Basically a Giant Toaster
Finland’s polar nights just met their match: sand batteries are now storing clean energy through the dark seasons using nothing more than hot air and heaps of humble grit. Engineers heat sand to 600°C with excess wind and solar, then tap into that heat months later to keep buildings warm. Ingenious? Absolutely.
Finnish startup Polar Night Energy has deployed sand-based thermal storage systems that can hold heat for months.
They use excess solar or wind to superheat sand in an insulated silo, ideal for seasonal heating in colder climates.
The systems are low-cost, durable, and scalable, with zero rare earths, zero fire risk, and no lithium needed.
Why This Matters: Sand batteries offer a radically simple, long-duration energy storage solution, especially for heat, helping decouple renewables from real-time demand.
Kismet: A single silo of hot sand can stay warm for up to six months, essentially turning it into a renewable-powered thermal bank for the dead of winter. 👉 Full story here
Texas Grid Gets a Boost from Retired EV Batteries
California-based B2U is bringing second-life EV batteries to the Lone Star State, launching a 24 MWh battery storage project in Bexar County that’s powered entirely by used packs from end-of-life electric vehicles. Who said old EVs couldn’t still party?
The “Bexar Corrilla” project near San Antonio will use retired EV packs in modular cabinets to stabilise the local grid.
B2U’s patented tech skips costly remanufacturing, its plug-and-play system connects used batteries directly to the grid.
Backed by AI and built for volatility, the project helps balance Texas’s chaotic power flows as renewables and EVs surge.
Why This Matters: Battery reuse can cut costs, reduce waste, and delay the need for recycling, making the energy transition more sustainable and more affordable.
Kismet: These used EV packs still have up to 80% capacity left, more than enough to serve the grid for years before needing to be broken down or recycled. 👉 Full story here
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Latest Publications
The ICJ’s Climate Ruling Wasn’t Just for Governments, It Puts Your Business at Risk Too
In a recent blog post, I dive into the real sleeper threat from the ICJ’s climate ruling: corporate liability. If your company supplies, serves, or supports fossil fuel firms, even indirectly, you may now be in the legal crosshairs. That software license? That cloud hosting? That Scope 3 link in your supply chain? It could all come back to bite.
The ICJ ruling opened the door to climate litigation against states and companies, not just polluting nations.
Businesses with fossil fuel companies as clients or customers may face legal risks, even without direct emissions.
Supply chain links matter: digital tools, SaaS, consultancy, logistics, infrastructure, if you’re enabling emissions, you’re exposed.
Why This Matters: Companies can’t hide behind “indirect” anymore, if you’re tied to fossil fuels, even passively, the legal and reputational blowback is now very, very real.
Kismet: There are already 3,099 active climate lawsuits globally, and that number’s rising faster than sea levels. 👉 Read the full post here
What If Climate Risk Could Wipe Out 50% of Your Business Value?
In this episode of my Sustainable Supply Chain podcast, I spoke with Ollie Carpenter from Risilience, who’s using climate and nature risk analytics to shock corporate leaders into action. (Literally. Their models show how some companies could lose half their value in just five years.) We got into stress testing supply chains, digital twins, scope 3 chaos, and why risk, not ESG, is what finally gets the CFO’s attention.
Risilience builds digital twins of global businesses to simulate the financial impacts of floods, policy swings, and carbon pricing shocks.
Supply chain resilience, onsite renewables, and climate-linked location risk are fast becoming board-level concerns, not just sustainability team headaches.
Scope 3 data is messy, but waiting for perfect data means missing the point: take action now, even with imperfect intel.
Why This Matters: Companies aren’t just being asked to track emissions, they’re being forced to map and manage real financial exposure to climate and nature-related risks across their entire value chains.
Kismet: One of Ollie’s clients saw a forecast showing a potential 50% drop in enterprise value due to unmitigated climate risk. That’s when the CFO finally went, “Oh. Right. We should do something.” 🎧 Listen to the full episode
Climate Confident Podcast:
Offset or Cop-out? Marine Carbon Removal Meets the Mic
Offsets are controversial. Fraud, double-counting, impermanence, pick your scandal. And yet, we do need to pull billions of tonnes of CO₂ out of the air. That’s the tension I explored in my latest Climate Confident podcast with Ori Shaashua from Gigablue, a marine carbon removal startup sinking carbon to the ocean floor using phytoplankton and gravity. I grilled him on permanence, traceability, ocean impact, and whether any of this is just greenwashed procrastination.
Gigablue uses a gravity-powered process to drop phytoplankton-filled substrates into deep-sea sediment, aiming for 1,000+ years of CO₂ storage.
They’ve partnered with NIWA and the Cawthron Institute for impact monitoring, claiming sediment disturbance is less than 1% of natural carbon flows.
Ori says the cost is about one-third of today’s high-durability carbon credits, and backed by real offtakes, not vapourware.
Why This Matters: If this tech scales responsibly, it could offer a more durable, measurable alternative to the forest-based offsets currently flooding the market with junk claims.
Kismet: Gigablue’s tech piggybacks off gravity and phytoplankton, no mega-infrastructure, no unicorn minerals, just sunlight, water, and patience.
🎧 Listen to the full episode
Coming Soon to the podcasts
In upcoming episodes of the podcasts I will be talking to Chris Moyer, Founder and President of Echo Communications, and Conrad Snover of ProcureAbility.
Don’t forget to follow the podcasts in your podcast app of choice to ensure you don’t miss any episodes.
Featured Chart
China again breaking all kinds of records with its solar rollout for the first half of 2025. 220GW of solar deployed in 6 months. To put that in perspective, Spain’s peak demand on summer weekdays, when industry is flat out, and everyone has their aircon on, is between 40-45GW.
Countries close to China are benefiting from the proximity, and ramping up their purchases of cheap Chinese EVs.
And trade war unexpected consequences - China has stopped all imports of US fossil fuels!
Misc stuff
The techie in me found this one funny!
Well, do you?!!!
I can believe that!
And finally, can you figure out what this is a photo of? Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer.
Engage
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Finally, since being impacted by the tech layoffs, I'm currently in the market for a new role. If you know someone who could benefit from my tech savvy, sustainability, and strong social media expertise, I'd be really grateful for a referral.
If you have any comments or suggestions for how I can improve this newsletter, don’t hesitate to let me know. Thanks.
*** Be aware that any typos you find in this newsletter are tests to see who is paying attention! ***
Should I change this email's format?
Ok, this is a photo of four forks. As it says, once you see it, you can’t unseen it!
And Finally
The New James Bond movie looks like it’ll be a bit shite!
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