Turkish Coffee

With overshirts being all the rage this year, I found a nice corduroy shirt jacket at the store formerly known as MQ at 20% off. However, as I am just learning that the conference in Vaasa has been cancelled due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus – and with a high probability that my remaining classes will soon be cancelled as well – I guess I will not have much use for it outside Rawls & Me.

Over the last couple of days, several people have independently of each other asked me what I think about electric aircraft. While I am generally a fan of low-carbon innovation, I think there are many other sectors where far greater emissions reductions can be achieved at a fraction of the cost. If anything, I would rather recommend a policy mandating the use of Direct Air Capture (DAC) for all emissions from the aviation sector – something that would make it possible to keep existing aircraft and infrastructure while pioneering a technology that will be absolutely essential if we are ever to reverse climate change.

Another concern has to do with the electricity used to power any future electric aircraft. If that electricity comes from nuclear or hydro, as in Sweden, then there is real potential for decarbonization. If it comes from coal or from renewables backed up by natural gas, as in much of Europe, the equation looks quite different.