Natural gas is a much ‘dirtier’ energy source than we thought
In the thick of a Greenland summer of field work in 2015, Benjamin Hmiel and his team drilled into the massive ice sheet’s frozen innards, periodically hauling up a motorcycle-engine-sized chunk of crystalline ice. The ice held part of the answer to a question that had vexed…
Renewables overtook fossil fuels in Europe for first time last year
Europe’s share of renewables in its electricity mix is twice the global average, making the continent a critical hotbed of innovation to better integrate more variable renewables into power grids. Renewables became the dominant source of electricity in Europe’s power grid for the first time last…
Extraordinary views from the World’s first Mountainous Solar Farm
This reservoir doubles as a floating solar power plant, smack back in the middle of the Swiss Alps. Not only does the high-altitude project boast some stunning views, it won the prestigious Swiss Watt d’Or prize, as the best in renewable energy innovation 2020. The…
“SOS” – Save Earth: Norway Eyes Sea Change in Deep Dive for Metals Instead of Oil
Norway’s oil and gas reserves have made it one of the world’s wealthiest countries but its dreams for deep-sea discovery now center on something different. This time, Oslo is looking for a leading role in mining copper, zinc and other metals found on the seabed…
As Climate Disasters Pile Up, a Radical Proposal Gains Traction
The idea of modifying Earth’s atmosphere to cool the planet, once seen as too risky to seriously consider, is attracting new money and attention. WASHINGTON — As the effects of climate change become more devastating, prominent research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and…
Natural Gas and the Invisible Spill: How Much Methane Is Reaching the Atmosphere?
You wouldn’t know it from the news, but there’s a major fossil-fuel spill ongoing in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. A leak from a gas platform operated by the French energy company Total SA was first detected on March 25 and has…
Sea level rise could hit 2 metres by 2100 – much worse than feared
By Adam Vaughan The world’s coastal cities have been warned to prepare for the possibility of a sea level rise exceeding 2 metres by the end of the century, with “profound consequences for humanity.” A new assessment found runaway carbon emissions and melting ice sheets could…
How to talk to kids about climate change without scaring them
When my 4-year-old daughter discovered the documentary series Blue Planet II, thanks to a relative who shares her love of marine life, I was thrilled that she wanted to watch it instead of animated standbys like The Octonauts and Llama Llama. I counted it as a parenting victory: My preschooler…
Humans are driving one million species to extinction
Landmark United Nations-backed report finds that agriculture is one of the biggest threats to Earth’s ecosystems. Up to one million plant and animal species face extinction, many within decades, because of human activities, says the most comprehensive report yet on the state of global ecosystems….