Field: Sustainability

Solar is growing fast enough to displace fossil fuels from the entire global economy before 2050, but infrastructure needs to keep up.

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 can be radical — think covering a highway with a park — but offer meaningful ways to address pollution.

A small, yet growing number of people are starting to choose funeral options outside traditional burial or cremation.

Swedish mobility startup Luvly has unveiled an ultra-efficient $11,000 microcar, Luvly O, for urban transportation.

The Drake Passage is one of the most turbulent ocean regions on Earth, but exploring it could help scientists understand how carbon sinks.

If nuclear reactors are retired, polluting energy sources that fill the gap could cause more than 5,000 premature deaths.

A new silicon anode material for EV batteries can boost a vehicle’s range by 20% while cutting down on charging times.

A colorful passive cooling film could help keep homes and cars cool without environmentally destructive air conditioning.

An Australian cultured meat startup has “resurrected” the woolly mammoth in the hope that people will think about eating it.

Researchers are using remote sensing observations to build high-resolution systems to monitor drought from space.

There may be ways to enhance natural processes so the ocean pulls more carbon out of the atmosphere to help slow climate change.

Researchers have found an effective new method for removing carbon dioxide from salt water in the ocean.

Plantd is turning to fast-growing grasses to decarbonize construction.

By 2035, hydrogen fuel cells could be used to electrify mid-range flights and hydrogen combustion aircraft could be used on long-haul flights.

Inspired by chemistry observed on the surface of Venus, researchers produced a synthetic material that could improve air quality.

With ever-improving efficiencies, and rising sales in multiple countries, heat pumps are only getting harder for their detractors to dismiss.

Tokyo’s municipal government has announced plans to build a high-tech, sustainable city on reclaimed land in its bay area.

Maine researchers are testing a new approach to 3D printing homes, swapping out the standard concrete “ink” for a material made of wood waste.

The state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is a great opportunity — but only if it goes far enough.

Rewilding organisations in Europe are reintroducing lost species including the Eurasian lynx and Marsican brown bear.

This year, NIF reports that it has achieved "ignition" — that is, it has achieved slightly more fusion energy output than laser energy input.

Urban heat waves are getting worse, but better data and timely government action could make them less deadly.

Rolls-Royce and easyJet have demonstrated for the first time that a modern plane engine can be safely powered by hydrogen fuel.

Building materials and construction generate about 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions. What if there was an alternative?

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.

Researchers amplified the natural sounds of the sea through underwater speakers to draw baby oysters to swim to the location.

Rechargeable cement batteries could allow for whole sections of multi-storey buildings to be made of functional concrete.

Many large mammals in Europe were close to extinction. New data shows us that the continent’s mammal populations are flourishing again.

There is currently no possibility of the world reaching the 30% target for marine protected areas with existing policies. Tech to the rescue?

Some governments might try to “geoengineer” the planet by spraying substances into the upper atmosphere to reflect sunlight away from Earth.

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?

A new process that combines chemical recycling with engineered bacteria could make plastic recycling more profitable.

The green turtles of Seychelles – once almost hunted to extinction – are now thriving again thanks to conservation efforts.

Canned water startup Liquid Death, now valued at $700 million, is considering going public in the next two years.

A new technique for making lab-grown meat uses magnets to eliminate the need for fetal bovine serum, an expensive, controversial substance.

California is now the fifth state to legalize human composting, a more environmentally friendly alternative to burial or cremation.

The Baltimore Wood Project salvages wood from buildings to repurpose and resell locally to create a circular economy.

The electric vehicle’s environmental credentials might give them a final push to win the long game over traditional cars.

Heat pumps are becoming all the rage around a world that has to slash carbon emissions rapidly while cutting energy costs.

Can electric school busses bring cleaner air and lower maintenance costs to school districts across the country?

Tomorrow's electric vehicles could charge far more quickly thanks to optimized charging methods and innovative battery designs.

The Agricultural Internet of Things involves technologies such as wireless underground communications and antennas in soil.

Wind power on land has seen remarkable growth in the U.S. over the last 15 years, including in Texas. Is offshore wind next?

Zero Acre Farms is using fermentation to create a cultured oil that’s healthier and more sustainable than traditional cooking oils.

Blue Frontier is developing a new kind of air conditioner that requires 50-90% less electricity than the units we use today.

Ideas to reduce the meat industry's impact on the environment include 3D-printed steaks, cultivated tiger meat, and potty-trained cows.

Google’s free ChromeOS Flex is now widely available, giving anyone the ability to turn their old laptop into a makeshift Chromebook.

Robot litter picker, the BeachBot, uses artificial intelligence to detect trash like cigarette butts and help clean up beaches.

Cement production currently accounts for 8% of global carbon emissions.

To significantly scale up offshore wind turbines, SUMR researchers are testing a design inspired by the flexibility of palm trees.

This marks a historic moment in humanity’s relationship to the planet.

Which countries and rivers emit the most plastic to the ocean? What does this mean for solutions to tackle plastic pollution?

People who aspire to own a brand new electric vehicle will struggle to move forward. Will this also slow down the journey to net-zero?

Biotech startup Formo uses genetically modified microorganisms to produce a completely lab-grown milk that can be made into cheese.

Texas scientists have created an enzyme that could keep billions of pounds of plastic out of landfills.

Airborne wind energy systems put turbines in the sky, where the wind tends to blow faster and more consistently.

Furniture retailer IKEA will begin selling home solar solutions to US customers to encourage sustainable living.

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.

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.

Students from the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands have created a solar-powered motorhome, shaped like a huge teardrop.

An electric airplane developed by Beta Technologies, an ex-NHL player's startup, is on the wish lists of Amazon, the US Army, UPS, and more.

A new method for evaluating the potential for superblock transformations in different cities could increase their rollout across the globe.

The fuel's reliance on sunlight makes desert areas prime land for production sites, leaving valuable agricultural land available for food.

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.

The Ukraine crisis has highlighted Europe's dependence on Russia for fossil fuels. Is more nuclear energy the solution?

Using cellulose from wood, MIT researchers have made a plant-based material tough as bone and hard as aluminum.

California’s aging power infrastructure has contributed to catastrophic wildfires and multiday outages. Solar canals can help.

MIT spinoff Quaise Energy is building a drill that vaporizes rock so that we can tap into the geothermal energy miles below our feet.

Upward Farms plans to build what will be the world’s largest vertical farm in Pennsylvania — and fish are going to fertilize its crops.

New biodegradable straws developed in China are as cheap as plastic, stronger than paper, and made from edible materials.

Cities across the U.S. are exploring less damaging rock salt alternatives — and beet juice is one of the most promising.

Interest in Earthships, a type of off-the-grid home built from old tires, is picking up as people look for ways to live more sustainably.

Almost all of the last wild forests will have to be destroyed to support the growth of coffee.

If they work, solar-powered cars could be great for the environment. Here's the startups working to make that happen.

UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) is offering consumers tours of “the world’s most advanced cultivated meat production facility.”

Your clothes are mostly plastic. These chemists have figured out how to recycle them.

An Elon Musk-funded XPrize competition has given teams of students $5 million to develop ideas for carbon removal systems.

The U.K is giving Rolls-Royce nearly $300 million to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) to increase its supply of clean energy.

Fairphone’s sustainable phone is easy to repair and contains ethically sourced materials — two major departures from the industry standard.

The secret lab making the most sustainable food in the world

Microsoft’s plan for sustainable data centers includes more renewable energy, better temperature control, and new construction materials.

McDonald’s McPlant, a burger with a plant-based meat patty, is now available at select locations in the U.S. for a limited time.

Startups around the world are racing to get mycoprotein — food based on fungus — to plates.

Attacking climate change requires reimagining our buildings and vehicles as intelligent systems. And it all starts with a smart motor.

A greener future by 2035 is in arm's reach with this new tech decarbonizing the transportation industry.

Rehab, re-centering, and rebirth: it’s the true story of a Gen Z CEO who wanted to spearhead a movement for better period care.

It’s less environmentally costly to produce milk proteins in the lab than to source them from cows, according to a new report.

To combat the problem of electronic waste, German startup Grover is now selling Americans subscriptions to laptops, phones, and other tech.

Finnish researchers are making sustainable coffee in the lab to combat the negative environmental effects of coffee production.

An “agrihood” under construction in Santa Clara, CA, will give low-income residents access to cheap produce grown onsite.

A new scorecard called the Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard is helping businesses make sustainable decisions on disposable packaging.

Paolo Fanciulli, a fisherman from Maremma, is sinking artists’ sculptures to the seafloor to stop bottom trawling.

An Australian cotton industry trade group aims to return used cotton cloth to the soil to help new cotton grow.

Would you eat lab-grown chicken meat? This Singapore restaurant is the first to serve cell-cultured meat to diners.

Scientists have engineered E. coli bacteria to convert plastic waste into vanillin, an in-demand compound used in vanilla flavoring and more.

Israeli startup Future Meat Technologies’ industrial-scale cultured meat production facility is designed to get lab-grown meat onto consumers’ plates ASAP.

If adopted globally, concentrated solar power could make major waves in manufacturing, not to mention prevent wars over oil and mitigate climate change.

A team of scientists claims they’ve created an affordable method for extracting lithium from seawater, as an alternative to lithium mining.

Modular construction involves transporting prefabricated buildings and connecting them on-site. It’s like LEGOs on steroids, and it could transform our cities.