The soil solution
On a steely November morning, Dorn Cox tours me around the dairy farm where he works in Freeport, Maine. The hummocky coastal landscape has begun…
Articles
Methanol: from grim to green
Isolated for the first time in 1661 by the Irish chemist and physicist Robert Boyle from the distillation of boxwood, methanol (or methyl alcohol) was…
Investors’ role in a carbon-neutral 2050
Internationally only a handful of pension funds have committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and have developed an approach to achieving that goal. In…
Avenger Planet: is the Covid-19 Pandemic Mother Nature’s response to human transgression?
As the coronavirus sweeps across the planet, leaving death and mayhem in its wake, many theories are being expounded to explain its ferocity. One, widely…
Next Up: The Climate Emergency
My new book went to press just as the coronavirus pandemic was starting. If I were still working on The Green New Deal and Beyond:…
East Perth
The abandoned East Perth Power Station is one of Australia’s most significant industrial heritage buildings due to its unique assortment of machinery and equipment that…
Mexico City is proposing to build one of the world’s largest urban parks. Will it serve as a climate adaptation example for other cities?
An architect and officials are hoping that a huge park in Mexico City can restore the water systems of the region and serve as a…
Facing undeniable reality of Climate change, deniers now argue it’s not that bad
Climate change denialism has a long history. Possibly the earliest clear example dates back to October 1959, when a researcher working for none other than…
Analysis: Coronavirus has temporarily reduced China’s CO2 emissions by a quarter
Electricity demand and industrial output remain far below their usual levels across a range of indicators, many of which are at their lowest two-week average…
Green ammonia could slash emissions from farming – and power ships of the future
For the past 100 years, a simple molecule has had an immensely positive impact on our world. Ammonia, which comprises three hydrogen atoms bonded to…
Electrifying buildings and cars can rein in electric rates
Electricity prices stand to rise in California because of wildfire costs—but converting more of the state’s buildings and vehicles to electricity generated from low-cost renewable…
Why are climate-conscious cities often the least affordable?
Cities can do a lot to stop climate change. They can fill their streets with electric buses, pass strict efficiency rules for its buildings, and…
Change before we have to
This time it is not business as usual. Empty streets, no people, no cars, clear blue skies, producing less, consuming less, reinventing habits, schedule and…