Turning Concrete Jungles Into Oases
A century ago, critics of cities called them concrete jungles. According to Dictionary.com, concrete jungles are “any large, crowded city or urban area with little…
Innovation
What Is Green, But Will Put Us in the Black?
What is green but can put us in the black? The answer to this riddle is green roofs and adopting them will put us in…
Why Everyone’s Crazy for Rare Earths
Until recently, hardly anyone knew they existed. Today, everyone is on the hunt for rare earths, the fundamental ingredient for geopolitics, the economy and our…
The New Frontiers of Water Electrolysis
The sustainable and economical production of hydrogen, particularly “green” hydrogen, is crucial for the decarbonisation of industry and the transport sector, and the electrolysis process…
Cement Kilns With No Limestone
It is frequently stated that cement making is an industry hard to decarbonise. Certainly, it seems so, since one major component is lime (CaO) obtained…
When Architecture Meets the Sun: the Revolution of Integrated Photovoltaics
Imagine a future in which buildings house us and generate the energy we need. It sounds like science fiction, but thanks to building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV),…
Sustainable Building Effort Reaches New Heights with Wooden Skyscrapers
Posted by: Kurt Kleiner, Knowable Magazine, October 8, 2024 Wood engineered for strength and safety offers architects an alternative to carbon-intensive steel and concrete At…
Calls for Caution as Enhanced Rock Weathering Shows Carbon Capture Promise
It sounds like a simple solution: spread some crushed silicate rock atop the world’s vast agricultural lands to absorb atmospheric carbon and thereby tackle climate…
Chicago Switches Its 400+ City Buildings to 100% Clean Power
Eight years ago, the City of Chicago vowed to eventually run all its operations on carbon-free power. Now, it has fulfilled that promise, thanks to…
Cities Are Depaving for a Cooler Future
Asphalt contributes to the urban heat island effect and makes places more prone to flooding. Planners are rethinking its place in cities. It all started…
New forms of steel for stronger, lighter cars
Like many useful innovations, it seems, the creation of high-quality steel by Indian metallurgists more than two thousand years ago may have been a happy…
Can a ‘Net-Zero’ World Lead to True Sustainability?
Throughout history, human societies have relied on technological progress to solve their challenges. In technology’s early days, this worked well. It is hard to dispute,…
Our research reveals the scale of the EU’s dependency on imports for critical minerals needed for the green transition – here’s how that can change
The climate transition is a materials transition. Decades of international diplomacy around oil, gas and pipelines are now giving way to conversations around the supply…