The coronavirus pandemic is far from over, but some mayors are already planning for a future they hope is a lot more “green and just.” Mayors of Los Angeles; Hong Kong; Milan, Italy; Rotterdam, Netherlands; and dozens of other cities are pushing for a recovery that’s focused on limiting carbon emissions. Principles and goals guiding recoveries include improved public transit, […]

Newly developed QuenchSea is a low-cost, handheld machine with the potential to become a complete life-saver for water-related emergency situations and humanitarian crises. The device has the capacity to turn about one liter of seawater — and up to three liters in ideal conditions — into drinkable freshwater every hour using a manual system. The desalination device comes from London-based […]

For the first time, scientists have confirmed that methane leaking is from Antarctica’s sea bed. They say the methane is likely escaping into the atmosphere. According to the EPA, in 2018, methane accounted for about 10% of U.S. human-driven greenhouse gas emissions. But the Antarctica leak may be beyond human influence or control. Scientists believe that immense quantities of methane are stored […]

The waste generated by the fashion and clothing industry is massive, and not just because of the items that are worn a few times before being discarded in favor of the latest trends. Recycling clothing made from cotton is tricky business, meaning pieces like jeans and shirts often become rags rather than being broken down and repurposed as high-quality garments. […]

Access to clean, safe drinking water is a necessity that’s worryingly not being met in many parts of the world. A new study has used a material called a metal-organic framework (MOF) to filter pollutants out of seawater, generating large amounts of fresh water per day while using much less energy than other methods. MOFs are extremely porous materials with […]

After 48 days at sea, the crew of a marine plastic recovery boat has successfully removed 103 tons (206,000 pounds) of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This is the area’s largest open ocean plastic cleanup on record, according to Ocean Voyages Institute, who operated the mission. Ocean Voyages Institute is a nonprofit with a goal of preserving the […]

Just a year ago, people might have taken their neighborhood park for granted, passing it by on their way to a boutique fitness studio. But since COVID-19 came along, closing gyms and confining people to their houses, green spaces of all kinds have become vital places for folks to exercise, get fresh air, de-stress and get a glimpse other people, […]

A report in the journal Nature has revealed that enhanced rock weathering (ERW) could help slow climate change by sucking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This process involves spreading rock dust on farmland to help absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. When rocks, such as basalt and other silicates, are crushed and added to the soil, they dissolve and react with carbon […]

Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands have drawn inspiration from a tiny tentacled marine creature to produce a centimeter-scale robot that is powered by magnets and light. With the ability to grab and release objects underwater, the team imagines a range of applications for its new machine including collecting contaminants with its tentacles or even capturing cells […]

If you’ve ever turned over a compost heap, then you’ll know what a stinky, dirty job it is. Now, imagine doing it for hours at a time, on a much larger scale. That’s what Austrian scientists have envisioned, designing an autonomous compost turner as a result. Throughout the world, many municipalities and agricultural businesses compost their organic waste in large […]