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Introductions to the topics
Oil-exploration Airguns Kill Plankton within 2 kilometres
Written by Peter, on June 26, 2017
Scientists at Curtin University in Western Australia have shown that the seismic sound blasts made by airguns searching for new oil reserves under the ocean floor can kill large swathes of plankton. Read more »
Human Population through Time
Written by Peter, on November 24, 2016
The American Museum of Natural History has posted an animation of the growth of human population. When will global population peak? And how can we minimize our impact on Earth’s resources as we approach 11 billion? Read more »
Do 97% of Climate Scientists Agree about Climate Change? (Hint: It’s Many More)
Written by Peter, on January 24, 2016
Almost everyone seems to accept the often quoted claim that 97% of climate scientists agree that climate change is real and man-made – but is the figure accurate? Read more »
Carbon Capture & Storage More Expensive than Thought
Written by Peter, on January 5, 2016
Researchers at the University of Michigan have found serious flaws in previous statements about the economics of carbon capture and storage. Read more »
Swamps Store Much More Carbon than Forests
Written by Peter, on March 10, 2015
Freshwater wetlands could be up to 50 times more effective at storing carbon than rainforests. These wetlands have the potential to capture and store carbon for hundreds of years. Read more »
Extinctions Happening 1,000 Times Faster than Normal
Written by Peter, on March 9, 2015
The populations of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish have declined by an average of 52%, over the 40 years from 1970 to 2010 – well on the way towards a mass extinction, which is defined as a loss of at least 75% of species. Read more »
World’s Largest Bike Share – Hangzhou
Written by Peter, on March 5, 2015
The scale of bike sharing in China, and Hangzhou in particular, dwarfs anything in the West. Hangzhou has a 50,000-bike system with 2,050 bike-share stations are spaced 300 metres apart in the city centre and less than 800 metres apart in the suburbs. Read more »
Energy Payback from Wind Turbines Is 6 to 12 Months
Written by Peter, on July 22, 2014
Researchers at Oregon State University have carried out an environmental lifecycle assessment of 2-megawatt wind turbines planned for a large wind farm. Read more »
Becoming “Water Neutral”
Written by Peter, on March 11, 2014
A number of companies and other organisations around the world, including CocaCola and Sainsbury’s, have announced that they are striving to achieve “water neutrality”. But how can a company like Coca-Cola, whose business is selling water, be water neutral? The term “water neutral” seems to suggest that the company is seeking to have zero net […] Read more »
Declining Demand for Coal
Written by Peter, on September 27, 2013
In a sign of the time. the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has turned down a bid of 21 cents a ton for the right to mine 167 million tons of coal in Wyoming. The bid is just 20% of the price paid for similar deposits a year ago and the lowest price since 1998. […] Read more »
