The aesthetic of hopepunk is resistance to the disastrous future, both environmental and political, that seems to be looming.
ZG: 5
Hopepunk is trending in popular culture at the moment but not a term that has widespread currency.
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We are being encouraged to estimate our plastic footprint, that is, the amount of plastic that each one of us is personally responsible for in our daily life.
ZG: 9
The problem of plastic piling up in the environment is becoming greater with every day that passes so we can expect to hear more about our plastic footprint.
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It is now possible, not to remove an offending post on the internet, but to remove the link to it from Google searches. This gives the individual the right to suppress the offending material.
ZG: 8
How to change our minds about what we want made public and what we decide later should not be made public has been the subject of much debate. This is a partial solution.
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The idea of the passive house is that it is airtight and very well insulated with no breaks or gaps where heat can escape.
ZG: 7
Not a household word yet, not even a passive household word, but one that we could hear more frequently in the future as we find any way we can to cope with the new environment.
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There is now something of a track record for deliberate lighting of fires in wheelie bins, either for warmth or to breath in the fumes and get a very dangerous high.
ZG: 8
If something is common enough to give rise to a metaphorical use, then it has won recognition in the community.
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The bin cocky or sulphur-crested cockatoo has learnt how to lift the lid on the wheeliebin to access the food inside.
ZG: 7
This is not yet a common phenomenon but if the smart bin-lifting cockatoos teach more and more of their comrades, as apparently they do, then we will find another reason to be cross with them.
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The recent wild weather has produced an unusual phenomenon called thundersnow.
ZG: 7
We are all fascinated by the weather, particularly by something exciting and unusual like this. I wish I had seen it myself.
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The e-scooter is an electric scooter designed for adults. It is similar to an electric bike in that it is meant to be durable, not a toy.
ZG: 5
The success of this developing area of the lexicon depends on how successful this venture is in getting people around the CBD.
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Air rights are the rights which a landowner has to the space above that land. There are ways in which this ownership is developing into a market in air rights.
ZG: 4
More a matter for big property developers than the individual homeowners, but interesting as a method of getting money for the conservation of buildings.
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This is the creation of permanent ocean homes, ultimately reaching the goal of ocean cities.
ZG: 6
This is a curious blending of the anti-government movement with the save-the-environment movement. Only for those who can be sustained by the fervour of their convictions,
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This is an eastward movement of cloud and rainfall coming from the equator over a cycle of 30 to 60 days, causing fluctuations in tropical weather.
ZG: 7
Almost anything to do with the weather is on the top of everyone’s mind at the moment, and the tip of their tongue.
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In the US the group called theright to repair movement have been advocating for the right for owners to be allowed to fix things themselves, be it a tractor, a dishwasher or a smartphone.
ZG: 6
Many of us have railed against the fact that we can no longer have household items repaired but are forced to go out an buy something new. This group seems to be getting some traction on this problem.
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Solar and wind energy is in greatest supply in the middle of the day, precisely when people don’t need it as much. So there is a need to store this green energy and make it available at peak periods when people do need it.
ZG: 8
Almost any method of streamlining the supply of green energy is bound to be a continuing topic of conversation into the future.
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There is general agreement that we must develop technologies that can save us from the accumulation of greenhouse gases. One method of doing this is to suck carbon out of the air.
ZG: 3
There are too few carbon suckers around for this to rate highly as yet. But the day may come …
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At first I thought this might be one stage worse than a food coma, that feeling of indolence that comes over you after a heavy meal. But no, a food shock is the shock to the whole system of food production.
ZG: 7
This is a shock that we may well be experiencing more often. Certainly it is more common to see stories in the media relating to the high prices of fruit and vegetables and other produce as a result of fire, flood, and drought, all of which can now happen simultaneously in Australia.
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In agriculture the role of the bees in fertilising the flowers is so important and the logistics of hiring hives at the critical moment is so complicated that a job has emerged for the pollination broker.
ZG: 5
This is a jargon word of a niche industry, and therefore not one that most of us would encounter, and yet the pollination broker is so important to our lives.
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The world is full of suffering. It is our duty to reduce suffering. The simplest most effective way to not increase the total world suffering is not to procreate. It is better to stop the problem before it even starts. This is the fundamental tenet of antinatalism.
ZG: 4
I cannot believe that such a negative view of life will attract more than a fringe following.
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There is a breed of humans who have taken on the bin chicken’s name. These are people who raid garbage bins for recyclable cans and bottles.
ZG: 9
I love the way that humans gave these birds this half-derogatory, half-affectionate name, and now it is being turned back onto the humans.
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There are many cities that can see the benefits of re-fitting their drainage systems to reduce water run-off and increase water storage.
ZG: 9
Given the intensity of the downpours that we have had recently in cities across Australia, and the ensuing chaos, I think that this is a concept that should rate highly.
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Plogging is the combination of jogging with picking up litter. It began as a Swedish activity but has gone around the world.
ZG: 4
I have not seen a plogger yet on the track that I can see from my window. When I see one I will up my enthusiasm.
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