The Time Machine: Anyone Fancy a Siesta In Norway?
Floods, Heat, Freezing Carbon and a lot more things are being reconfigured in this episode of the Time Machine!
Happy Saturday! Welcome to the time machine, where we look at the past week and try to pretend things are normal.
Let’s hop in to our used DeLorean and take a drive through time
The Big Things
Texas Flood:
What Happened? Over the July 4th weekend, catastrophic flooding swept across Texas, fueled by relentless, record-breaking rainfall. Neighborhoods turned into lakes, critical infrastructure failed, and by July 7th, at least 120 people had lost their lives while thousands were left homeless, making this the deadliest inland disaster in Texas since the 1970s.
Why Care? Apart from the devastating toll on human lives, the floods show how climate risks, bureaucracy and infrastructure intersect in deadly way. This catastrophe has raised many critical issues that will determine where we go from here: The role of Climate Change (Act of God vs. Threat Multiplier); FEMA’s response amid threats of cuts; bureaucracy; infrastructure resilience; the economic toll; and community response.
The Future? It’s easy to ignore these debates and reactions to the floods, but where we land on each and every one of these issues will determine the results of the next crisis: Will infrastructure receive proper upgrades? Will the Federal government reverse course on budget cuts to critical warning systems? Will the US invest in disaster response, or will the next victims be left with just thoughts and prayers?
European Heat Wave:
What Happened? Europe was gripped by a historic early summer heat wave, with record-breaking temperatures roasting countries from Spain and Italy to the UK and Greece. Cities such as Seville, Rome, and Athens endured extended stretches above 40°C . The extreme heat triggered widespread health alerts, strained power grids, and fueled wildfires.
Why Care? This early heat wave is a harbinger for what’s to come (yes, it can get much worse), with researchers expecting these heatwaves to become more extreme and frequent. In addition, a new study suggests that 1,500 of the 2,300 deaths in this period were climate related.
A Silver Lining? The new Attribution study came out in record speed, enabling scientists to determine the impact of climate change in near real-time, instead of months after. Attribution in near real-time is critical to shape public perception and mobilize change.
The Future? More frequent and powerful heatwaves are likely to be in store for Europe. The implications are both serious and plentiful: Infrastructure will be put to the test, requiring new investments to keep up; Social norms may shift (Siestas in Norway, anyone?); Vicious cycles may emerge (More heat => More air conditioners => more emissions and power demand); Agriculture and ecosystems will experience increased pressure. All of these will likely bring dramatic shifts to Europe’s political, social and economic landscape, and not necessarily for the better.*
*Except for the Siestas, of course 😎
The Small Things
Solar Is Europe’s Biggest Source of Power 🌤️:
What Happened? In June 2025, for the first time in history, Solar power accounted for 22% of Europe’s electricity. 13 countries in the continent broke records of solar power generation, with the Netherlands leading the charge, generating a whopping 40% of its power through Solar.
Why Care?🤷♂️ Seems like Europe doesn’t care about US’s energy mood swings, with Solar power being positioned as the key energy source for years to come. This is taking place in times of abundant sunshine in the Continent.
Department of Defense to Invest $400M in Mine Operator “MP Materials”💰:
What Happened? In an attempt to reduce reliance on China, the US is becoming a major investor in the US’s only operator of Rare Earth Elements mine. Rare earth elements (REEs) are at the heart of the Reconfiguration, with countries competing for dominance over resources crucial for national security and the energy transition. REEs are critical for magnets used in weapons, EVs, and data centers, for example.
Why Care? 🤷♂️ This move demonstrates how the boundaries between industrial policy, defense, and climate technologies are increasingly blurred. (Yes, I know the US is currently not pursuing climate policy, but this investment will be valuable when priorities inevitably shift back in the future.)
UK’s AI Boom Puts Climate Targets at Risk⚡:
What Happened? A new report from Cambridge University warns that the UK’s aggressive drive into artificial intelligence could massively increase energy demand, blowing past climate targets, while describing the current UK position as “magical thinking”.
Why Care?🤷♂️ Like their European brethren, the UK faces difficult choices, balancing climate goals and AI leadership. As the UK is looking to lead on AI and invite tech giants to build new data centers, it risks emissions going up (as data centers are likely to account for 8% of global emissions by 2040). The same thing is happening to companies like Google, with emissions spiking due to investments in data centers. The UK should, then, get serious about its policies if it aims to be both a climate and an AI leader.
UH Launches Real-Time Weather Dashboard 📊:
What Happened? Scientists at UH Manoa and Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources developed a really cool project to collect weather and climate data, and make it accessible to the public. The project, known as Hawaii Mesonet, aims to centralize data from the state’s 50 microclimates (yes, that’s a lot) and use it for weather forecasting and early warning systems.
Why Care?🤷♂️ At a time when Federal climate data sources are being removed due to cuts and policy decisions, local government and private sector organizations are stepping in to provide crucial data and services to the public. This trend is not limited to the US: Worldwide, localities are stepping in to collect, analyze and use climate data, and make it accessible to the public. We see instances in Japan, Europe and Philippines, where localities area leading the charge on providing public data on climate related observations.
The Cool Things
DAERA Launches New Dashboard to Track Bath Water Quality across Northern Ireland 🛁: If you’re in Northern Ireland and want to take a bath, this tool is for you (admit it, you’re a hypochondriac😷).
Turns Out You Can Freeze Carbon❄️: Georgia Tech engineers managed to capture carbon from air by using extremely cold temperatures, with the aid of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) infrastructure. This means LNG terminals can be used to capture carbon at a relatively low price, without using complex chemical processes. Who knew you could freeze carbon…
That’s it for this edition of News Reconfigured.
Stay tuned for my new hot take on Tuesday, and see you soon next week!
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