In less than 5 minutes you’ll get our take on 2 climate stories, a summary of interesting news and linked articles, and a climate meme. Let’s dive right in 👇:

Matcha's Gulp

Climate research heats up. So does the planet.

Researchers at Stanford and Colorado State universities have used AI to map the trajectory of global warming: and it's not great news. According to their model, we're on track for a rise of 1.5°C by the early 2030s – and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. But that’s no excuse to stop recycling: if we don’t slash emissions fast, we could hit 2°C as soon as 2050. And we don’t need AI to tell us that that’s something we’d rather avoid…

Forget coal: Here comes the sun (and wind)

We already knew that coal was bad for the environment – now it turns out that it’s bad for the economy too. According to a new study, 99% of U.S. coal plants have become so expensive to run that it’s cheaper to build brand new renewable projects to replace them. This should spell the end for the American coal industry. But as Matcha Straw readers probably know, we can never underestimate the power of fossil fuel lobbyists.

News Sip

• New York City sets record for lack of measurable snowfall: Winter is coming… sort of.

• ‘Recession Resilient’ Climate Start-Ups Shine in Tech Downturn: Turns out you can do the right thing for the planet and your bank balance.

• Londoners raise £100,000 to save patch of ancient woodland: Great news for the environment – even better news for hedgehogs.

Today's Climate Meme