By Ben Geman, Axios Geothermal could meet up to 15% of global power demand growth through 2050 — but a lot has to break right, a new analysis finds. Why it matters: Decarbonizing power and heat requires lots of tools, and the International Energy Agency’s new report offers a pathway for geothermal to shed …
Cotton-and-squid-bone sponge can soak up 99.9% of microplastics, scientists say
By Tom Perkins, The Guardian Filter performs well in removing plastic pollution from water and Chinese researchers say it appears to be scalable. A sponge made of cotton and squid bone that has absorbed about 99.9% of microplastics in water samples in China could provide an elusive answer to ubiquitous …
New methane monitoring AI tool unveiled
By Andrew Freedman, Axios Environmental intelligence firm Kayrros is rolling out a large language model (LLM) to allow the public to pinpoint methane-emitting facilities, the company first told Axios. Why it matters: The new “methane GPT” allows users to ask plain-language questions and get answers from the company’s Methane Watch map for free. …
NASA Scanners Detect Hidden Base Under Arctic Ice
By Victor Tangermann, Futurism We didn’t know what it was at first.” Under the Ice NASA scientists collected some marvelous readings while flying over the arctic ice in Greenland during an April 2024 survey. The radar instrument onboard NASA’s Gulfstream III aircraft spotted an abandoned “city under the ice“: a relic …
7 miles off the Oregon Coast, scientists are about to start harnessing power from the ocean’s waves
By Kristin Toussaint, Fast Company PacWave handled all the permitting and construction, so wave energy developers can test their tech in the ocean. The Offshore Support Vessel Nautilus is seen off the coast of Oregon near Newport. [Photo: Ellie Lafferty/Oregon State University] One of the biggest challenges with renewable energy …
Low-cost method removes micro- and nanoplastics from water
Phys.Org Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Brazil have developed a novel nanotechnology-based solution for the removal of micro- and nanoplastics from water. Their research is published in the journal Micron. Tiny plastic particles are ubiquitous in the world today and may currently be one of the most important environmental …
Swarm of Cod Eat 10 Million Fish in Biggest Feeding Frenzy on Record
Yale Environment 360 Atlantic cod. GRID-Arendal A new study details how, in just a few hours, more than 2 million Atlantic cod consumed 10 million tiny capelin. Scientists say the feeding frenzy is the largest on record, both in terms of the number of fish involved and the area covered. Each …
Satellites are ushering in a new era of environmental accountability
By Miriam Kramer and Andrew Freedman, Axios Satellites gazing down at Earth from orbit are helping hold governments and corporations accountable for their environmental impacts. Why it matters: Environmental agreements are hard to enforce without independently verified data. But satellites — with advances in computing — can help monitor deforestation, illegal fishing, …
Can walls of oysters protect shores against hurricanes? Darpa wants to know.
By Saqib Rahim, Ars Technica Colonized artificial reef structures could absorb the power of storms. On October 10, 2018, Tyndall Air Force Base on the Gulf of Mexico—a pillar of American air superiority—found itself under aerial attack. Hurricane Michael, first spotted as a Category 2 storm off the Florida coast, …
These Startups Are Mycoremediating Impacts of the Building Industry
By Nina Purton, Sustainable Brands Mycocycle and Mogu are harnessing mycelium to transform industrial waste into resilient, circular materials for the construction sector. he construction industry produces about one-third of the world’s waste and 40 percent of global carbon emissions. Concrete and cement alone account for about eight percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs); yet the demand for the …