This week’s optimisms began with a look at the US energy market, with wind and solar energy now producing more electricity than coal for the first time, thanks to a 27% growth in solar year-on-year.
It was reported that the US has become the world’s largest exporter of LNG, with plans to expand production by 60% in the first half of Donald Trump’s second term; a transformation attributed to advances in fracking and LNG plant infrastructure, as well as increased global demand, particularly from Europe and Asia.
NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH missions, aimed at studying the origins of the universe, galaxy formation and the building blocks of life, as well as observing the sun’s outer atmosphere, were successfully launched this week aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The optimist also drew attention to a new podcast from Gavin Newsom, pointing out that while the Democratic party has been making efforts to engage with more conservative media, the GOP has been doing this for years, and that media inclusivity is a positive step for US politics.
