Each week, BIV staff will share with you some of the interesting stories we have found from around the web.
Emma Crawford, online editor:
Burned Out: How B.C. is learning to live with wildfires. This feature has interviews with many Interior residents whose homes and lives were turned upside down last year. – Maclean’s
https://www.macleans.ca/longforms/burned-out-how-b-c-is-learning-to-live-with-wildfires/
Nelson Bennett, reporter:
In 2021, global sales of EVs doubled, from 3 million in 2020 to 6.6 million in 2021. For climate change mitigation, that’s a very positive signal that the decarbonization of transportation is well underway. But it’s estimated the world will need 2 billion EVs to reach net zero targets, and the reality is that, even if enough lithium is geologically available, new lithium mines simply can’t be developed in time to meet the demand. Lithium prices are already skyrocketing, rising 434% in a single year. By 2025, the International Energy Agency forecasts there will be a lithium shortage. – World Economic Forum
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/07/electric-vehicles-world-enough-lithium-resources/
Glen Korstrom, reporter:
I had no idea that Canada supplies 80 per cent of the dark mustard seeds needed to make official Dijon mustard. Supply chain glitches, rising costs and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have created disruptions, driving fear into the hearts of the French, who depend on their distinctive mustard for cooking. German mustard, apparently, is no substitute as it tends to use a yellow mustard seed that creates a milder flavour. – New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/14/world/europe/france-mustard-shortage-dijon.html
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s fantastical megaproject Neom is on a desert site the size of Belgium, starts with a US$500 billion budget and is supposed to have a ski resort, swim lanes for commuters, and “smart” everything – Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2022-mbs-neom-saudi-arabia/?sref=iKB6XOvf
