https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/climate-change-self-defeating-alarmism-by-bjorn-lomborg-2018-12 The truth about climate change is nuanced: it is real, and in the long term it will be a problem, but its impact is less than we might believe. And yet we are too eager to believe the problem is far worse than science shows. Climate change seems to freeze our capacity for critical →
https://www.iflscience.com/environment/landmark-un-climate-change-report-act-now-to-avoid-climate-catastrophe/ The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has unleashed their Special Report on the impact of global warming reaching 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. “This IPCC report is set to outline a rescue plan for humanity,” “1.5°C is the new 2°C,” If we stick to Paris Climate Agreement commitments, we could still see a global →
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4803 For the first time, scientists have produced a photovoltaic (PV) cell with a conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) reported. The breakthrough cell was developed using a structure called a “multi-junction solar cell.” The technology may allow for lower PV system installation costs ($3 per watt) and lower electricity →
https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/who_finland_has_the_worlds_cleanest_air/10188554 Finland’s air quality is better than that of any other country on earth, according to statistics from the World Health Organisation published by the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Monitoring stations suggest that there are some 6 microgrammes of small particles per cubic metre of air in Finland, the lowest figure recorded worldwide. →
http://www.iflscience.com/environment/over-95-percent-of-the-world-is-breathing-unsafe-air/ Seven billion people, over 95 percent of the world’s population, are breathing air that contains unhealthy levels of pollution. 60 percent of the world is living in areas that don’t even meet the most basic standards of air quality. The findings come from the State of Global Air 2018 (PDF), an annual assessment by →
https://www.pv-tech.org/editors-blog/five-key-considerations-for-east-west-solar-design Around the world solar developers are turning array designs on their head and choosing to go east-west instead of south- or north-facing like their traditional cousins. While east-west solar arrays may have a reduced total output, the value of the electricity they produce is inherently higher in most markets – They are generating more →
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/02/first-sustainable-lego-pieces-to-go-on-sale The first Lego pieces made from plant-based plastic sourced go on sale this year, the company has announced. Production has begun on a range of Lego botanical elements or pieces such as leaves, bushes and trees, made entirely from polyethylene (made with ethanol extracted from sugar cane material). They will start appearing in Lego →
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2017/06/26/debunking-the-unscientific-fantasy-of-100-renewables/#611600d529f9 Mark Jacobson of Stanford said America could easily become 100% renewable by mid-century. Jacobson published a paper in 2015 that claimed we could get rid of all other energy sources except wind and solar, and a tiny bit of other renewables, by 2050, and that it would be easier and cheaper than any other alternative mix. Jacobson’s paper →
https://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/software/fuel-cells-poised-to-replace-indias-diesel-generators Diesel generators are widely used for decentralized power generation. These generators, although inexpensive, are inefficient and pose great environmental and health risks. Scientists are investigating cleaner, cost-effective, and more dependable technology for powering telecom towers and eventually buildings. A promising answer to the cost and pollution conundrum can be found in proton exchange membrane fuel →
https://m.slashdot.org/story/333535 It look like Bitcoin is not very “clean” technology: Bitcoin’s incredible price run to break over $7,000 this year has sent its overall electricity consumption soaring, as people worldwide bring more energy-hungry computers online to mine the digital currency. Bitcoin miners burn through over 24 terawatt-hours of electricity annually. This averages out to a shocking 215 →