Here’s today’s round-up!

💰 The US states demanding oil companies pay up

Over 10 states have either proposed or implemented ‘climate Superfund’ laws, which would force fossil fuel companies to pick up the bill for damages caused by climate disasters, such as the LA wildfires. Under this ‘polluter pays’ principle, the historic emissions of the biggest companies are used to calculate the debt they owe to the regions ravaged by its effects. Most proposals target companies for their emissions over the last 30 years – when, like tobacco companies who knew full well the impacts of cigarettes on smokers’ health, they knew the consequences of emitting with abandon on our planet. Roughly 100 of the largest companies have created enough carbon to fall under the scope of these bills.

🍏 Turning cities into orchards

An open-source map called Fallen Fruit is helping foragers around the world find edible plants free for the taking, from apples to mulberries. By pointing out the overlooked abundance of fruit in cities, the map helps people not only score free food, but form a different relationship to their urban landscape. The idea behind the founders’ vision is that the plants populating our cities shouldn’t be merely decorative, but should nourish residents and bring people together. 

🏙️ Skyscrapers built from solar panels

Danish researchers have developed windows that are transparent enough to let light in, while also acting as effective solar panels. This is exciting as it means we could soon see entire skyscrapers made out of solar panels, helping the building sector smash its decarbonisation targets.