Consumers throw out 17% of all food
An estimated 931 million tonnes of food, or 17% of total food available to consumers in 2019, went into the waste bins of households, retailers, restaurants and other food services, according to new UN...
Tagged: successful GREEN
Optimising biodiversity in agricultural landscapes
Biologists from the University of Würzburg have investigated the biodiversity of flowering fields planted as part of agri- environmental schemes. The results have now been published in the scientific journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National...
Sustainable practices in traditional and urban agriculture
Researchers from MIT have developed analytical tools to enable next-generation agriculture by using engineered plant nanosensors and portable Raman spectroscopy. According to United Nations estimates, the global population is expected to grow by 2 billion within...
Vegetable proteins replace petroleum-based raw materials
Just like cellulose, lignin and fats, proteins are renewable raw materials. Their potential for the chemical industry remains largely untapped. Research teams at the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV are collaborating...
Volvo Cars to be fully electric by 2030
By 2030, Swedish carmaker Volvo intends to only sell fully electric cars and phase out any car in its global portfolio with an internal combustion engine, including hybrids. The company’s transition towards becoming a...
Green fuels for aviation
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the partner institute Empa have started a joint initiative called SynFuels. The goal is to develop a process for producing kerosene from renewable resources. Over the...
Gulf Stream at its weakest in more than a millennium
A new study by scientists from Ireland, Britain and Germany finds that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), also known as the Gulf Stream System, has never been as weak in the last millennium...
Glaciers in the Getz region of West Antarctica flowing faster
Glaciers in West Antarctica are moving more quickly from land into the ocean, contributing to rising global sea levels. A 25-year record of satellite observations has been used to show widespread increases in ice...
Carbon release intensified by warmer and wetter climates
A new ETH study confirms that changing climate conditions could reduce carbon absorption. In warmer and wetter areas, carbon stored in the soil is released back into the atmosphere more quickly. Plants and soil...
Freshwater fishes under increasing threat
The world’s freshwater fishes are under ever increasing threat, with one in three already threatened with extinction, according to a report published by 16 global conservation organizations. Freshwater fisheries provide the main source of...
Aerosols alter solar radiation levels for decades
Based on the long-term Potsdam radiation time series, ETH researchers have shown that variations in the intensity of sunlight over decades are down to ultra-fine, man-made dirt particles in the atmosphere. In the late...
Bacteria-based concrete offers climate benefits
Ten cubic kilometres of concrete, equivalent to the volume of Mount Everest, are used in construction projects every year, resulting in huge volumes of emissions. But a new eco-friendly cement may help to reduce...
Climate change likely drove the extinction of North America’s largest animals
New research suggests that overhunting by humans was not responsible for the extinction of mammoths, ground sloths, and other North American megafauna. A new study published in Nature Communications suggests that the extinction of...
Bacteria makes use of teak in Africa more sustainable
A team from the University of Bremen has discovered bacteria whilst carrying out research in Africa that may help to cultivate the popular teak tree. This could lead to a more sustainable local use...
Ozone recovery back on track
A potent ozone-depleting chemical whose emissions unexpectedly spiked in recent years has quickly dropped back to much lower levels, putting the recovery of the stratospheric ozone layer back on track, according to a new...
Silicon for solar cells becoming more environmentally friendly
New discoveries are making silicon production cleaner, and solar cells of the future will become even more environmentally friendly. Steinar Brandslet reports from Norway. Solar cells are largely made of silicon. But the silicon...
Denmark to build world’s first windenergy hub as an artificial island
Denmark has announced a landmark agreement on the construction of an energy hub in the North Sea, an artificially constructed island 80 kilometers from the shore. Fully implemented it will be able to cover the...
Wastewater fertilisers to aid farmers
The circular economy can boost profits in the water management sector, and at the same time provide farmers around the world with cheaper fertiliser, reports Ida Rambæk from Norway. Nutrients contained in wastewater, such as...
Time to tackle more than just CO2
Climate change mitigation is about more than just CO2. So-called “short-lived climate-forcing pollutants” such as soot, methane, and tropospheric ozone all have harmful effects. It is common practice in climate policy to bundle the...
AI provides important information on Africa’s ecosystems
The results of a research project on the mapping of trees in West Africa can help to strengthen ecosystems. An international team of researchers recently made the efficient mapping and counting of individual trees...
