Here’s how growing plants on the Moon could benefit Earth
Making plants grow on the Moon could be instrumental in helping gardens to grow greener on Earth in the face of climate change.
AI is going to revolutionize the weather forecast
A tech startup in San Francisco is going to change how the world sees the weather.
These 4 charts show the unstoppable growth of solar
Solar is growing fast enough to displace fossil fuels from the entire global economy before 2050, but infrastructure needs to keep up.
World’s first thermal energy storage “gigafactory” opens
Israel’s Brenmiller Energy has opened what is believed to be the first thermal energy storage gigafactory in the world.
The grid isn’t ready for 300 million EVs by 2030. Here’s how to fix it.
There were 16.5 million electric vehicles on the world’s roads in 2020 - this is expected to rise to 300 million by 2030.
Nature-based solutions are cleaning up cities
Nature-based solutions can be radical — think covering a highway with a park — but offer meaningful ways to address pollution.
In the turbulent Drake Passage, scientists find a rare window where carbon sinks quickly into the deep ocean
The Drake Passage is one of the most turbulent ocean regions on Earth, but exploring it could help scientists understand how carbon sinks.
Lab-grown meat is about to get fatty
Tufts University has unveiled a new technique for producing lab-grown fat that could improve the taste and texture of cultured meat.
Scientists want to dump iron nanoparticles into the oceans to save the planet
Engineered nanoparticles could make ocean fertilization a viable weapon in the battle against climate change.
Colorful film keeps houses and cars up to 20 F colder than the air
A colorful passive cooling film could help keep homes and cars cool without environmentally destructive air conditioning.
New material traps CO2 — and turns it into baking soda
A new material for direct air capture systems turns trapped carbon into baking soda when introduced to seawater.
“Zombie virus” revived after 48,500 years in permafrost
A newly discovered “zombie virus” was still able to infect hosts more than 48,500 years after it was trapped in Siberian permafrost.
Goodyear announces 90% sustainable tire
Made from a variety of recycled and repurposed materials, the tire may be perfectly suited for electric vehicles.
Startup plants first GMO trees designed for carbon removal
Living Carbon is ready to begin planting thousands of GMO trees engineered to pull 27% more carbon from the air.
This “chameleon” material can heat or cool houses on demand
Thanks to “electrochromism,” a newly developed material can switch between absorbing and reflecting heat from the sun.
A shield of lunar dust could cool the Earth, says Harvard scientists
New research out of Harvard shows how we could potentially cool the Earth by creating a massive sun shield out of moon dust.
World’s biggest direct air capture plant is trapping CO2 in Iceland
Direct air capture technology is starting to take off, with ever-larger CO2 removal facilities opening across the globe.
Extreme heat is changing habits of daily life
Researchers found that extreme temperatures actually have a much larger effect on human activity than the previous estimations.
How heat pumps of the 1800s are becoming the technology of the future
With ever-improving efficiencies, and rising sales in multiple countries, heat pumps are only getting harder for their detractors to dismiss.
AI for better crops
AI technology could transform how growers protect their harvests, by detecting plant diseases very early on.
Tokyo wants to build a future-proof city. Here’s how.
Tokyo’s municipal government has announced plans to build a high-tech, sustainable city on reclaimed land in its bay area.
This company turns food waste and mushrooms into building materials
UK-based company Biohm uses natural vegetative material like food waste and mushrooms to ‘grow’ insulation panels.
Pricing groundwater will help solve California’s water problems
The state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is a great opportunity — but only if it goes far enough.
New battery is cheaper than lithium-ion with four times the capacity
A new type of room temperature sodium-sulfur (RT Na-S) battery could help solve the renewable energy storage problem.
Rolls-Royce tests its first hydrogen-powered plane engine
Rolls-Royce and easyJet have demonstrated for the first time that a modern plane engine can be safely powered by hydrogen fuel.
Seabin: How these “floating garbage bins” can help clean up our waters
Each floating garbage bin is capable of capturing 90,000 plastic bags every year for less than $1 a day, just by being in the water.
Quantum computer designs heat-radiating window coating
Notre Dame researchers have used quantum computing to design a transparent window coating that reflects heat into the atmosphere.
Your house could become a rechargeable cement battery. Here’s how. 
Rechargeable cement batteries could allow for whole sections of multi-storey buildings to be made of functional concrete.
NASA detects 50+ methane “super-emitters” from space 
A new instrument aboard the International Space Station has been used to identify more than 50 “super-emitters” of methane.
Solar geoengineering could cool Earth, but some regions might continue warming
Some governments might try to “geoengineer” the planet by spraying substances into the upper atmosphere to reflect sunlight away from Earth.
Does turning the air conditioning off when you’re not home actually save energy?
Which is more efficient: running the air conditioning all day long, or turning it off during the day when you’re not there to enjoy it?
The US is researching ways to block the sun
The US is developing a plan to study solar geoengineering, a controversial approach to combatting the effects of climate change.
Is ancient technology better than modern air conditioning?
Wind catchers — an ancient technique to beat the heat — could help us once more in our quest for emissions-free cooling.
New MIT system could cool buildings up to 10℃— without electricity
MIT’s new “passive cooling” system could break the spiral of more air conditioning.
World’s whitest paint is now thin enough for cars, planes
A new, thinner version of the world’s whitest paint could slash the need for climate-harming air conditioning in cars, airplanes, and more.
Air Canada orders 30 electric-hybrid aircraft for takeoff in 2028
Flag carrier Air Canada has announced plans to have electric-hybrid planes on regional and commuter routes by 2028.
Brick batteries may be a key to decarbonizing heavy industry
By storing renewable energy as heat in brick “batteries,” Rondo Energy believes they can decarbonize heavy industry.
This startup wants to build a radically powerful new kind of wind turbine
Norwegian startup World Wide Wind wants to build offshore wind turbines based on a completely different design from traditional models.
This rock-bending tech may change clean energy 
A technology that stores energy underground could make enhanced geothermal systems more cost competitive.
New solar device can pull hydrogen straight from the air 
Researchers have created a solar-powered device that can pull water from the air to create hydrogen.
This strange fruit could feed the world during climate change 
Ensuring food security over the coming century will be a major challenge. A new study suggests that breadfruit may be the answer.
Researchers have found a way to pull more than 95% of uranium from seawater
Seawater contains millions of tons of uranium, but it’s too expensive to extract. A new material may change that.
Nuclear power might not be dead in California 
California is considering a $1.4 billion plan to delay the retirement of Diablo Canyon, its last nuclear power plant.
Gates-backed company is using robots to build mega solar farms 
With new capital from a Bill Gates-backed VC firm, Terabase wants to automate solar farm construction.
Next US energy boom could be wind power in the Gulf of Mexico 
Wind power on land has seen remarkable growth in the U.S. over the last 15 years, including in Texas. Is offshore wind next?
AI has mapped all of the world’s known ant species
Using over a million data points and a machine learning algorithm, a team of researchers has mapped all of the ant species currently known.
Cheap carbon capture tech could filter out CO2 in smokestacks
A new carbon capture technology made from the cheap material melamine could help keep emissions out of the atmosphere.
5 ways to cope with increasingly intense heatwaves
Heatwaves in Japan and Italy reached record-breaking temperatures in June. How can humans cope with these dangerous conditions?
Bill Gates-backed startup is building sustainable ACs
Blue Frontier is developing a new kind of air conditioner that requires 50-90% less electricity than the units we use today.
These ancient trees survived a wildfire because of fire
The survival of an ancient grove of trees in Yosemite may be a powerful case study for controlled burns.
Transparent solar panels could soon turn windows into energy harvesters
A new solar panel design can efficiently convert light into electricity, while still allowing almost 80% of incoming light to pass straight through.
Feeding insects to cattle could make meat and milk production more sustainable
Most U.S. adults aren’t ready to put insects on their plates but are much more willing to consume meat from livestock that are fed bugs.
3D-printed reefs installed around Denmark’s offshore wind farm
The massive Anholt Offshore Wind Farm in the North Sea is now home to 3D-printed reefs in a bid to boost biodiversity.
Bad news for the 2022 hurricane season: The Loop Current is coming 
The Loop Current, a fueler of monster storms, is looking a lot like it did in 2005, the year of hurricane Katrina.
Electric “seagliders” may soon skim the Hawaiian shoreline
Flying low above the sea, “seagliders” from Boston-based company REGENT may be cruising Hawaii by 2025.
Alternative batteries are solving the biggest problem in renewable energy
The world is overcoming the problem of renewable energy storage with batteries made of water, sand, and more.
Walmart to rollout a fleet of electric delivery vehicles
Walmart has announced a deal to buy a fleet of delivery EVs from Canoo, with a pilot beginning in weeks.
“Passive cooling” could reduce indoor temps by up to 25 F in a heat wave
University of Oregon researchers have discovered that simple acts like drawing shades during peak sun and opening windows at night may help save lives during heatwaves.
MIT proposes Brazil-sized fleet of “space bubbles” to cool the Earth
A raft of “space bubbles” could be used to reverse global warming, according to an MIT group's solar geoengineering proposal.
A “Peter Pan” chemical could stop mosquitoes, without hurting other insects
Entomologist Naoki Yamanaka has an idea for how to handle mosquitoes: What if we just stop them from growing up?
Former landfills are becoming “brightfields” 
US cities are covering the capped sites of former landfills with solar panels, turning the “brownfields” into “brightfields.”
After millennia of agricultural expansion, the world has passed “peak agricultural land”
This marks a historic moment in humanity’s relationship to the planet.
Satellites zoom in on cities’ hottest neighborhoods 
In “micro-urban heat islands,” communities can experience heat wave conditions well before officials declare a heat emergency.
This compact electric vehicle wants to combine a scooter and a car 
Nimbus is now taking pre-orders for its compact electric vehicle, which splits the difference between scooter and car.
Where does the plastic in our oceans come from?
Which countries and rivers emit the most plastic to the ocean? What does this mean for solutions to tackle plastic pollution?
Digital technology can cut global emissions by 15%. Here’s how.
The grand challenge for humanity is to ensure that groundbreaking technologies have a clear purpose for our planet.
Massive turbine turns deep ocean currents into electricity 
Deep ocean currents could be an economically viable source of clean energy, based on a recently wrapped demo in Japan.
Portugal set to start up Europe’s largest floating solar park
Floating panels don’t require costly real estate and those on reservoirs used for hydropower are particularly cost effective.
What foods will 9.3 billion people be eating in 2050?
Algae, fried insects, and exotic lab-grown meat could all be on the menu.
A more efficient way of urban mining gold
Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology say they have developed the world’s most efficient way of urban mining gold
Solar + battery hybrids are poised for explosive growth
Solar panels and battery storage can generate renewable power when solar energy is at its peak during the day and then release it as needed.
Finland prepares world’s first “nuclear tomb” 
Deep beneath Finland, a “tomb” for nuclear waste is set to be a test for geological disposal facilities.
3 emerging technologies that will give renewable energy storage a boost 
The U.S. Department of Energy has predicted that renewable energy will be the fastest-growing U.S. energy source through 2050.
See the world’s first floating city: OCEANIX Busan 
If the world's first floating city is a success, other coastal metropolises could use it as a blueprint for adapting to rising sea levels.
This German firm is building a floating solar plant on a quarry lake 
A German company will switch on a floating solar power plant, a rapidly-installed, renewable technology that could help phase out oil.
3D-printed artificial coral reefs could save coastal fish
A new method for designing and 3D printing custom artificial coral reefs could make them more accurate stand-ins for the natural kind.
WWF report highlights tiger population gains for the Year of the Tiger
The global tiger population is finally increasing after more than a century of gradual decline, a new study from WWF reveals.
Chevrolet is electrifying the Corvette
GM has announced plans to bring the Corvette roaring into the electric vehicle market.
Bioluminescent bacteria will soon light up this French street
French commune Rambouillet is serving as a testing ground for the soft glow of bioluminescent bacteria on the street.
An ancient enzyme could supercharge photosynthesis
Researchers have resurrected an ancient version of the enzyme Rubisco in the hope of supercharging photosynthesis in today’s plants.
Big tech companies pledge nearly $1 billion toward carbon removal
The pledge is an advance market commitment — an economic strategy that's been used to increase vaccine coverage across the planet.
Unbelievably sensitive NACHOS satellite is ready to save lives 
The cutting-edge NACHOS satellite will aid in our fight against climate change and potentially save hundreds of people from gruesome deaths.
Smart sensor tells you exactly when fruit will ripen — or spoil 
Inside vast warehouses, millions of fruits sit and slowly ripen. To help packers know when fruit has got to go, a biotech startup is turning to small sensors.
Lasers from space create unique new map of Earth’s forests 
A lidar instrument on the ISS has been used to create a near-global 3D map of the Earth’s biomass for conservation and climate research.
Methane-eating bacteria discovery could help capture gas from the air
A new discovery could kickstart efforts to engineer methane-harvesting bacteria, fight greenhouse emissions, and “mine” the air.
The West Coast wants to tap into the maple sugar market
Over 75% of the world’s maple syrup production is in Quebec. But with climate change threatening their seasons, West Coast producers are looking to tap in.
World’s first fully-recyclable wind turbine blade prototype debuts
Wind turbine blades are notoriously difficult to recycle, but researchers and industry players hope a new material design may change that.
Engineered bacteria convert CO2 into valuable industrial chemicals
Many industrial chemicals have a large carbon footprint. But scientists have engineered bacteria that ferments carbon dioxide from the air to make industrial chemicals
This company is tackling Kuwait’s ‘tire graveyard’ problem by tire recycling
Kuwait wants to build 25,000 new houses on the site of a former tire graveyard. Here's how they're going to do it.
Elon Musk: Europe should revive nuclear energy
The Ukraine crisis has highlighted Europe's dependence on Russia for fossil fuels. Is more nuclear energy the solution?
Digital sound archives can bring extinct birds (briefly) back to life
Sound recordings remind us that these beings are invaluable, and that humans have a duty to preserve them.
First solar canal project is a win for water, energy, air and climate in California 
California’s aging power infrastructure has contributed to catastrophic wildfires and multiday outages. Solar canals can help.
Could electrocuting clouds be the key to making it rain?
By analyzing the energy within raindrops, researchers found that they could squeeze water from the clouds by electrically supercharging them - another step to control the weather.
Why pumping water back into hydro dams beats batteries for renewable power 
The U.S. has thousands of reservoirs that could be paired for pumped hydro storage without the need for rivers.
Scientists propose mechanical trees to soak up CO2
Can we combine our two best ways to remove CO2 from the air?
Chile is making its own glaciers 
Chilean climate experts will attempt to DIY their own glaciers in 2022, in hopes of supplying fresh water through the dry summer months.
Clay from kitty litter pulls methane emissions from air
A new technology for reducing methane emissions in the atmosphere relies on zeolite, a cheap, abundant clay found in cat litter.