Michael Mullany
@mmullany.bsky.social
Climate change mitigation tech & software. M.Sc. Environ. Sustain.
Past: investment GP at Icon Ventures and early product & marketing head at VMware & multiple startups.
Past: investment GP at Icon Ventures and early product & marketing head at VMware & multiple startups.
Pinned
Michael Mullany
@mmullany.bsky.social
· May 8
Updated version of my climate solutions impact/maturity market map after finishing some more deep-dives into specific technologies.
Precision fermented dairy using local dextrose/glucose from sugarcane should be tantalizingly close to animal production costs in high cost areas like West Africa.
Rather than trying to solve the (frankly insurmountable) structural cost disadvantages of animal-sourced dairy - why not leapfrog?
Rather than trying to solve the (frankly insurmountable) structural cost disadvantages of animal-sourced dairy - why not leapfrog?
November 28, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Precision fermented dairy using local dextrose/glucose from sugarcane should be tantalizingly close to animal production costs in high cost areas like West Africa.
Rather than trying to solve the (frankly insurmountable) structural cost disadvantages of animal-sourced dairy - why not leapfrog?
Rather than trying to solve the (frankly insurmountable) structural cost disadvantages of animal-sourced dairy - why not leapfrog?
Dear @adobe.com acrobat reader. No, I do not need an AI document summary of my tax return PDF. But I do need you not to crash every time I search it.
November 28, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Dear @adobe.com acrobat reader. No, I do not need an AI document summary of my tax return PDF. But I do need you not to crash every time I search it.
Reposted by Michael Mullany
We Are Eating the Earth is a must read.
There's no viable future on Earth without deep agricultural reform. It's our largest and least talked about planetary impact, especially meat production. @mikegrunwald.bsky.social cuts thru the feel good "regenerative ranching" promos show it doesn't scale.
There's no viable future on Earth without deep agricultural reform. It's our largest and least talked about planetary impact, especially meat production. @mikegrunwald.bsky.social cuts thru the feel good "regenerative ranching" promos show it doesn't scale.
Author @mikegrunwald.bsky.social explains how good intentions have led us astray. Our obsession with meat, myths about biofuels and regenerative agriculture, feel-good ideas based on bad science — he argues it’s time for a fundamental shift in values. #SEJournalBookShelf www.sej.org/publications...
November 26, 2025 at 8:22 PM
We Are Eating the Earth is a must read.
There's no viable future on Earth without deep agricultural reform. It's our largest and least talked about planetary impact, especially meat production. @mikegrunwald.bsky.social cuts thru the feel good "regenerative ranching" promos show it doesn't scale.
There's no viable future on Earth without deep agricultural reform. It's our largest and least talked about planetary impact, especially meat production. @mikegrunwald.bsky.social cuts thru the feel good "regenerative ranching" promos show it doesn't scale.
This is a great summary of the drawbacks of waste-to-energy schemes that brand themselves as "circular economy" wins, but are more emissions intensive vs. proper land-filling.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/waste-...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/waste-...
Waste to Energy or Fuels- the Great Greenwashing Machine
Updated: 20/07/2025: re-read the piece and didn't see a need to change anything in it. Added a link to my piece about the chemical recycling of plastic, which is a different proposition with at least ...
www.linkedin.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:03 PM
This is a great summary of the drawbacks of waste-to-energy schemes that brand themselves as "circular economy" wins, but are more emissions intensive vs. proper land-filling.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/waste-...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/waste-...
New govt biomethane strategy reiterates that the govt wants to take 120,000 hectares out of grass production and use it to grow feedstock for anaerobic digesters (AD).
AD that doesn't use waste streams (like this) is not climate-positive due to land-use impacts.
assets.gov.ie/static/docum...
AD that doesn't use waste streams (like this) is not climate-positive due to land-use impacts.
assets.gov.ie/static/docum...
assets.gov.ie
November 14, 2025 at 12:31 PM
New govt biomethane strategy reiterates that the govt wants to take 120,000 hectares out of grass production and use it to grow feedstock for anaerobic digesters (AD).
AD that doesn't use waste streams (like this) is not climate-positive due to land-use impacts.
assets.gov.ie/static/docum...
AD that doesn't use waste streams (like this) is not climate-positive due to land-use impacts.
assets.gov.ie/static/docum...
I was taught that changes in nitrogen spreading rates shows up quickly in water quality - but this doesn't seem to always be true.
A new paper calculates a subsoil persistence time of 30 years (!) for excess nitrates in the Mississippi basin.
Yike.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A new paper calculates a subsoil persistence time of 30 years (!) for excess nitrates in the Mississippi basin.
Yike.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Agriculture’s nitrogen legacy
Nitrogen pollution of waterways is a large global problem, particularly in regions with intensive cropland agriculture, such as the Mississippi River …
www.sciencedirect.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:05 PM
I was taught that changes in nitrogen spreading rates shows up quickly in water quality - but this doesn't seem to always be true.
A new paper calculates a subsoil persistence time of 30 years (!) for excess nitrates in the Mississippi basin.
Yike.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
A new paper calculates a subsoil persistence time of 30 years (!) for excess nitrates in the Mississippi basin.
Yike.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Technical strategies for reducing nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture (pastured + cropped) don't get a lot of airtime in the climate solution space.
Here's a roundup I did last year of the options:
www.linkedin.com/pulse/abatin...
Here's a roundup I did last year of the options:
www.linkedin.com/pulse/abatin...
Abating Agricultural Nitrous Oxide Emissions
Impact: 1-2% of Global Warming Potential Technology Maturity: Scaled/High Cost This is the fourth article of a series on the climate technologies shown in my ClimateTech Market Map, with a deeper dive...
www.linkedin.com
October 22, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Technical strategies for reducing nitrous oxide emissions from agriculture (pastured + cropped) don't get a lot of airtime in the climate solution space.
Here's a roundup I did last year of the options:
www.linkedin.com/pulse/abatin...
Here's a roundup I did last year of the options:
www.linkedin.com/pulse/abatin...
My gas boiler is the single most temperamental, breakdown-prone piece of kit in my house.
I can’t wait to get rid of it just so I don’t have to deal with it - irrespective of its climate impact.
I can’t wait to get rid of it just so I don’t have to deal with it - irrespective of its climate impact.
October 17, 2025 at 5:29 PM
My gas boiler is the single most temperamental, breakdown-prone piece of kit in my house.
I can’t wait to get rid of it just so I don’t have to deal with it - irrespective of its climate impact.
I can’t wait to get rid of it just so I don’t have to deal with it - irrespective of its climate impact.
Reposted by Michael Mullany
my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements
we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)
www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)
www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead - Consumer Reports
CR tests of 23 popular protein powders and shakes found that most contain high levels of lead.
www.consumerreports.org
October 14, 2025 at 4:37 PM
my latest investigation for @consumerreports.org is based on months of reporting and 60+ lab tests of leading protein supplements
we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)
www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
we found that most protein powders and shakes have more lead in one serving than our experts say is safe to have in a day (🧵)
www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein...
I’m halfway through this and highly recommend so far!
It's launch day for the US edition of ALL THAT WE SEE OR SEEM!
What is the future for human art in the age of AI? What kind of AI is actually helpful? These are some of the questions driving this techno-thriller.
Get it from wherever you prefer to get your books.
@sagapressbooks.bsky.social
What is the future for human art in the age of AI? What kind of AI is actually helpful? These are some of the questions driving this techno-thriller.
Get it from wherever you prefer to get your books.
@sagapressbooks.bsky.social
October 14, 2025 at 1:29 PM
I’m halfway through this and highly recommend so far!
Climate solutions are in weird split, where it's looking more and more likely that electricity generation and road transport will almost fully de-carbonize, but industry and agriculture are looking less likely.
September 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Climate solutions are in weird split, where it's looking more and more likely that electricity generation and road transport will almost fully de-carbonize, but industry and agriculture are looking less likely.
Denmark's biogas strategy takes sustainability seriously by using organic waste streams rather than dedicated crops to supplement cattle slurry. For example, dedicated crops grown for biogas are limited to 5% of input.
Ireland's biogas strategy relies on fresh grass input and is NOT sustainable.
Ireland's biogas strategy relies on fresh grass input and is NOT sustainable.
September 14, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Denmark's biogas strategy takes sustainability seriously by using organic waste streams rather than dedicated crops to supplement cattle slurry. For example, dedicated crops grown for biogas are limited to 5% of input.
Ireland's biogas strategy relies on fresh grass input and is NOT sustainable.
Ireland's biogas strategy relies on fresh grass input and is NOT sustainable.
A year ago I wrote about 5 startups trying to develop electrochemical/plasma alternatives to SMR/Haber-Bosch for Nitrogen Fertilizer. At the time I noted that a 1500x improvement was likely needed from current performance to be cost competitive. (1/2)
www.linkedin.com/pulse/climat...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/climat...
De-carbonizing N Fertilizer with Electrochemistry
Impact: 1-2% Global Warming Potential (GWP) Technology Maturity: Pilot Following up my ClimateTech Market Map, this is the first article of a series on specific climate technologies, with a deeper div...
www.linkedin.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:51 PM
A year ago I wrote about 5 startups trying to develop electrochemical/plasma alternatives to SMR/Haber-Bosch for Nitrogen Fertilizer. At the time I noted that a 1500x improvement was likely needed from current performance to be cost competitive. (1/2)
www.linkedin.com/pulse/climat...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/climat...
Climate "solutions" on my worst-dressed list:
- Carbon capture and sequestration (including DAC)
- Green hydrogen (for heat/fuel)
- Regenerative agriculture (as a carbon store)
- Fusion power (not scaled & competitive until 2080)
- 90%+ of biofuels (ILU emisions)
- Carbon capture and sequestration (including DAC)
- Green hydrogen (for heat/fuel)
- Regenerative agriculture (as a carbon store)
- Fusion power (not scaled & competitive until 2080)
- 90%+ of biofuels (ILU emisions)
September 8, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Climate "solutions" on my worst-dressed list:
- Carbon capture and sequestration (including DAC)
- Green hydrogen (for heat/fuel)
- Regenerative agriculture (as a carbon store)
- Fusion power (not scaled & competitive until 2080)
- 90%+ of biofuels (ILU emisions)
- Carbon capture and sequestration (including DAC)
- Green hydrogen (for heat/fuel)
- Regenerative agriculture (as a carbon store)
- Fusion power (not scaled & competitive until 2080)
- 90%+ of biofuels (ILU emisions)
Reposted by Michael Mullany
Carbon capture schemes are being pushed by fossil fuel interests.
Why?
First, so they can benefit from tax credits and government funding.
But mostly to slow down the energy transition and prolong our dependence on fossil fuels.
Here are the receipts:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Why?
First, so they can benefit from tax credits and government funding.
But mostly to slow down the energy transition and prolong our dependence on fossil fuels.
Here are the receipts:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Tracing sources of funds used to lobby the US government about carbon capture, use, and storage
Analysis of U.S. federal lobbying disclosures from 2005 through 2024 identifies the fossil fuel sector as the primary force behind a multipronged $954…
www.sciencedirect.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Carbon capture schemes are being pushed by fossil fuel interests.
Why?
First, so they can benefit from tax credits and government funding.
But mostly to slow down the energy transition and prolong our dependence on fossil fuels.
Here are the receipts:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Why?
First, so they can benefit from tax credits and government funding.
But mostly to slow down the energy transition and prolong our dependence on fossil fuels.
Here are the receipts:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Using AI to help with essay writing results in *actual* brain damage:
publichealthpolicyjournal.com/mit-study-fi...
publichealthpolicyjournal.com/mit-study-fi...
MIT Study Finds Artificial Intelligence Use Reprograms the Brain, Leading to Cognitive Decline - Science, Public Health Policy and the Law
By Nicolas Hulscher, MPH
publichealthpolicyjournal.com
September 3, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Using AI to help with essay writing results in *actual* brain damage:
publichealthpolicyjournal.com/mit-study-fi...
publichealthpolicyjournal.com/mit-study-fi...
Just read a paper estimating an LCOE of €437 per MWh for a first generation magnetic fusion plants.
No, I didn't forget the decimal point.
That's staggeringly awful.
No, I didn't forget the decimal point.
That's staggeringly awful.
September 3, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Just read a paper estimating an LCOE of €437 per MWh for a first generation magnetic fusion plants.
No, I didn't forget the decimal point.
That's staggeringly awful.
No, I didn't forget the decimal point.
That's staggeringly awful.
I agree that mainstream climate solutions reporting is really quite poor. It takes significant expertise to do critical reporting in this area and few journalists have this.
Apart from solar PV and EV's, most climate solutions are under-performing vs. aspirations - some drastically (e.g DAC, CCS)
Apart from solar PV and EV's, most climate solutions are under-performing vs. aspirations - some drastically (e.g DAC, CCS)
Excellent research on how newsrooms - at least in the Nordics - seem to suffer from climate technology optimism/bias, by @mbredsdorff.bsky.social, climate editor of Denmark's largest newspaper, @politiken.dk
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/climate-tech... #dkgreen #dkmedier #dkpol
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/climate-tech... #dkgreen #dkmedier #dkpol
Climate technology reporting: without context and perspective we mislead our audiences
Magnus Bredsdorff from Denmark unpacks the trap of current climate tech news cycles towards better context and greater audience understanding.
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk
September 1, 2025 at 2:24 PM
I agree that mainstream climate solutions reporting is really quite poor. It takes significant expertise to do critical reporting in this area and few journalists have this.
Apart from solar PV and EV's, most climate solutions are under-performing vs. aspirations - some drastically (e.g DAC, CCS)
Apart from solar PV and EV's, most climate solutions are under-performing vs. aspirations - some drastically (e.g DAC, CCS)
Just finished "We are eating the earth" by @mikegrunwald.bsky.social.
Ambitious and breezy storytelling about agriculture emissions and climate. If you ever wanted to understand land use emissions - this is for you.
Overall a great read - highly recommend.
Ambitious and breezy storytelling about agriculture emissions and climate. If you ever wanted to understand land use emissions - this is for you.
Overall a great read - highly recommend.
I cover dozens of food and climate solutions in WE ARE EATING THE EARTH, and honestly, none of them are moving the needle yet. But it’s not a Debbie Downer book, because past performance is no guarantee of future results.
August 28, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Just finished "We are eating the earth" by @mikegrunwald.bsky.social.
Ambitious and breezy storytelling about agriculture emissions and climate. If you ever wanted to understand land use emissions - this is for you.
Overall a great read - highly recommend.
Ambitious and breezy storytelling about agriculture emissions and climate. If you ever wanted to understand land use emissions - this is for you.
Overall a great read - highly recommend.
Reposted by Michael Mullany
NEW: The first evidence of a solar take-off in Africa☀️✈️
x33 rise in Algeria solar panel imports in the 12 mths to June 2025, compared to previous 12 mths.
x8 in Zambia
x7 in Botswana
x6 in Sudan
x3 in each of Liberia, DRC, Benin, Angola, Ethiopia
🧵
x33 rise in Algeria solar panel imports in the 12 mths to June 2025, compared to previous 12 mths.
x8 in Zambia
x7 in Botswana
x6 in Sudan
x3 in each of Liberia, DRC, Benin, Angola, Ethiopia
🧵
August 26, 2025 at 7:23 AM
NEW: The first evidence of a solar take-off in Africa☀️✈️
x33 rise in Algeria solar panel imports in the 12 mths to June 2025, compared to previous 12 mths.
x8 in Zambia
x7 in Botswana
x6 in Sudan
x3 in each of Liberia, DRC, Benin, Angola, Ethiopia
🧵
x33 rise in Algeria solar panel imports in the 12 mths to June 2025, compared to previous 12 mths.
x8 in Zambia
x7 in Botswana
x6 in Sudan
x3 in each of Liberia, DRC, Benin, Angola, Ethiopia
🧵
90% reduction in ambient methane emissions from a dairy feedlot using photochemical degradation tech -
Promising
www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
Promising
www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
Ambient Carbon Destroys 90% of Dairy Barn Methane in Field Trial
/PRNewswire/ -- A field trial in Denmark shows Ambient Carbon's Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS) eliminated up to 90% of dilute methane...
www.prnewswire.com
August 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
90% reduction in ambient methane emissions from a dairy feedlot using photochemical degradation tech -
Promising
www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
Promising
www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
Reposted by Michael Mullany
Here's the reports that anti-wind folks don't want you to read. It would be a shame if lots of people read them and reposted them.
These were two policy briefings and a peer-reviewed article produced by undergraduates under my supervision in 2023 and 2024. The letter demands that Brown take the work off its websites. Here's the work:
www.climatedevlab.brown.edu/anti-offshor...
www.climatedevlab.brown.edu/anti-offshor...
Anti-Offshore Wind Network | CDL
www.climatedevlab.brown.edu
August 25, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Here's the reports that anti-wind folks don't want you to read. It would be a shame if lots of people read them and reposted them.
Reposted by Michael Mullany
Climate report commissioned by the US Department of Energy contains more than 100 false or misleading statements. Great work by @carbonbrief.org
interactive.carbonbrief.org/doe-factchec...
interactive.carbonbrief.org/doe-factchec...
Factcheck: Trump’s climate report includes more than 100 false or misleading claims
interactive.carbonbrief.org
August 15, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Climate report commissioned by the US Department of Energy contains more than 100 false or misleading statements. Great work by @carbonbrief.org
interactive.carbonbrief.org/doe-factchec...
interactive.carbonbrief.org/doe-factchec...
Reposted by Michael Mullany
NEW from us: Last year, China started construction on an estimated 95 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power capacity, enough to power the entire UK twice over.
We explain why China's still building new coal power plants, and when and how it might stop and begin phasing out.
We explain why China's still building new coal power plants, and when and how it might stop and begin phasing out.
August 13, 2025 at 5:55 AM
NEW from us: Last year, China started construction on an estimated 95 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power capacity, enough to power the entire UK twice over.
We explain why China's still building new coal power plants, and when and how it might stop and begin phasing out.
We explain why China's still building new coal power plants, and when and how it might stop and begin phasing out.
Reposted by Michael Mullany
🚨New research out today🚨
We critically examine the use of 'temperature neutrality' or 'no additional warming' as a approach to setting national climate targets, particularly in relation to agricultural methane reduction.
We found that using this approach...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
We critically examine the use of 'temperature neutrality' or 'no additional warming' as a approach to setting national climate targets, particularly in relation to agricultural methane reduction.
We found that using this approach...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
August 12, 2025 at 7:16 AM
🚨New research out today🚨
We critically examine the use of 'temperature neutrality' or 'no additional warming' as a approach to setting national climate targets, particularly in relation to agricultural methane reduction.
We found that using this approach...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...
We critically examine the use of 'temperature neutrality' or 'no additional warming' as a approach to setting national climate targets, particularly in relation to agricultural methane reduction.
We found that using this approach...
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...