Why The Current Interglacial Might Be Coming To An End
Did you know that over the last 450,000 years there have been four Ice Ages lasting around 100,000 years each? And five interglacial periods lasting around 12,000 years each? Look at this graph of temperature data derived from the Vostok…
Climate-friendly food choices protect the planet, promote health, reduce health costs
(University of Otago) Increased uptake of plant-based diets in New Zealand could substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions while greatly improving population health and saving the healthcare system billions of dollars in the coming decades, according to a new University of Otago study.
Doomsday Climate Predictions: Wrong Then, Wrong Now
How many doomsday predictions about the Earth’s climate must fail before they finally get broadly ignored and dismissed out of hand? Considering the track record of climate predictions that turned out to be false, we are well passed the moment…
Renewable Rent-Seekers Aren’t Focused On Stopping Bushfires—Or Cheap Energy
No amount of mouth-frothing by Piers Morgan or artful deception by the legions of renewable energy warriors published by the Australian Financial Review and the Guardian will change the facts about this summer. The severe fire season is due to…
Photoelectrochemical water-splitting efficiency hits 4.5%
(Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) Solar-to-fuel conversion offers a promising technology to solve energy problems, yet device performance could be limited by undesired sunlight absorption. Researchers show copper thiocyanate can assist hole transport in oxide photoelectrodes and enable a 4.55% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency in tandem devices.
How anti-sprawl policies may be harming water quality
(Penn State) Urban growth boundaries are created by governments in an effort to concentrate urban development — buildings, roads and the utilities that support them — within a defined area. These boundaries are intended to decrease negative impacts on people and the environment. However, according to a Penn State researcher, policies that aim to reduce urban sprawl may be increasing water pollution.
Potassium-driven rechargeable batteries: An effort towards a more sustainable environment
(Tokyo University of Science) Concerns about the scarcity of lithium and other materials necessary in the now-ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries have recently driven many researchers to look for alternatives, such as sodium and potassium. Prof Shinichi Komaba from Tokyo University of Science, Japan, and his team have worked for over a decade on this topic. In his latest review article, he extensively discusses his findings on the recent advances, promises, and limitations of potassium-ion batteries.
Do nonsmokers deserve extra vacation days?
Nonsmokers typically harbor some resentment against smokers. It depends on your workplace dynamics, of course, but it usually revolves around the number of times smokers duck out of the office for a smoke. Maybe it’s once an hour or every…
$1 billion weather/climate disasters: 14 for US in 2019
NOAA reports that 2019 was the 5th consecutive year in which the United States experienced 10 or more $1 billion weather and climate disasters, including fires, hurricanes and flooding.
Nanosatellites improve detection of early-season corn nitrogen stress
For corn growers, the decision of when and how much nitrogen fertilizer to apply is a perennial challenge. Scientists have shown that nanosatellites known as CubeSats can detect nitrogen stress early in the season, potentially giving farmers a chance to plan in-season nitrogen fertilizer applications and alleviate nutrient stress for crops.
Recent Comments