‘I have a confession I suffer from guilt I'm conflicted as a designer my job is to make attractive and beautiful things that lure you into the world of consumerism but I know that all too quickly those things become waste ...’

Sophie Thomas's rallying call to all designers out there; look at where your products end up, apply a systems approach, and design for 3rd or 4th life ...

Watch the full TEDxBerlin here!

China’s renewables pave the way to rapidly reduce coal reliance

China installed a record 293 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar in 2023 – pushing its total capacity to 1,050GW, according to a new report by Australia-based think tank Climate Energy Finance. They suggest that China could reach its “dual carbon” climate goals earlier than planned.

Carbon Brief interviews the author of the report, Xuyang Dong.

Carbon Brief: Your report concluded that China’s coal power output will soon peak and decline – despite rising coal capacity – thanks to the rapid rise of clean energy sources. How widely do you think that potential tipping point is understood, both within China and internationally?

Xuyang Dong: This potential is not being understood or acknowledged enough both within China and internationally. China is prioritising energy security over the need to reduce coal-use…Concurrently, China is increasing renewable energy capacity at a staggering pace that far outstrips every other nation on the planet.

Internationally, news headlines continue to emphasise that China is building new coal-fired power plants, leading to a lack of confidence about China’s commitment to decarbonising its national electricity grid…However, the picture is more positive when we look at installed capacity. At the end of March this year, 53% of China's installed capacity was zero-emissions.

The full interview and Dong’s answers can be read in full over at CarbonBrief.

The Royal Designers for Industry are hosting their Royal Designers Summer Session 2024, Mend, Do and Make at Dartington Hall, Devon.

Friday 27 September - Sunday 29 September 2024

The Royal Designers invite applications from early-career designers, scientists and engineers from all backgrounds to join them at their three-day residential Summer Session at Dartington Hall in Devon. If you have between three and fifteen years of professional experience, you are eligible to apply.

Apply now!

Download the CDW2024 Map here.

A reminder that Clerkenwell Design Week is this week, 21st - 23rd May.

Check out some Fringe Partners hosting various programmes including workshops, talks, and installations here.

For Conversations at Clerkenwell (which we covered last week) see here.

And another showcase that has caught our eye in the line up, is a collaborative project between Benchmark and London Metropolitan University.

Using offcuts sourced from Benchmark’s workshop in Berkshire, students repurposed these objects and transformed them into various items, including footwear, a side table, a book stand and a wall-leaning light, to name a few. Moreover, festival attendees will have the chance to vote for their favourite creation, with the winning student receiving a special prize from Benchmark.

British Collection, St James's Church, Clerkenwell Close, EC1R 0EA

Over the last few months Emergence Magazine have been working on creating an online adaptation of “Breathing with the Forest” from celebrated art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast. In this new interactive multimedia experience, narrated by acclaimed British actor Colin Salmon, the online installation draws you into an exchange with the Amazon rainforest.

‘Explore the layers of molecular exchange and synchronize the rhythm of your own breath with the cycles and currents of air and water flowing between the trees and mycelial networks. Within a soundscape of birdsong, moving water, and insect chirr, open your senses to the invisible continuities between the forest, the ecosystem beneath it, and the wider living world.’

Experience and engage with the feature here.

Where ever you find yourself this week, remember to enjoy the sounds and smells of the bees, birds and flowers and the wind in the trees in your neighbourhood!

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