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World Is Failing to Meet UN Sustainability Goals, But Students Can Help
In October 2010, government leaders from all over the world gathered for the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya, Japan, and committed to reach sustainability targets by 2020. Now, eight years later, researchers warn that the current global progress toward sustainability goals is not fast enough to avert the biodiversity crisis, especially… Read More
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A Transition to Renewables Would Create More Jobs Worldwide
A worldwide effort to combat climate change would create more jobs than it would lose, a new study shows. To achieve the goal set by the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, a switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy is essential. But the switch to clean energy has received… Read More
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New Green Energy Solution Could Create 22,000 US Jobs
Replacing coal with a green technology that uses biomass and carbon capture and storage technologies could create 22,000 new jobs in the U.S. by 2050, according to a new study led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. These new jobs will be in forestry and transportation, they say. In addition, the researchers believe… Read More
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Ask the Expert: College Students Should Lead Energy Transition
Climate change is happening right now. Humans are endlessly pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, causing global temperature rise. And without an effective, ethical switch to clean energy, climate change will only grow as a threat to the world as we know it. The past generations have failed us, so educating young people on the… Read More
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Renewable Energy Crosses Party Lines, Unites Americans
Last month’s Ford-Kavanaugh hearing is yet another example of how partisan this country has become in recent years. Considering this political climate where Republicans and Democrats are sharply divided — seemingly on all key issues — is it possible for Americans to come together on any single issue? It doesn’t seem likely, but researchers from… Read More
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Why the World Should Turn to Ocean-Based Climate Solutions
Transitioning to ocean-based renewable energy sources has a high potential for slowing down climate change and its impacts, a new study published in Frontiers shows. The world is already seeing the effects of climate change — from more damaging hurricanes to megafires — that take a toll on human health. And even if the Paris… Read More
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New System Stores Summer Solar Energy for Use In Winter, at Night
The future of solar energy may not look the way you might expect. As solar panel and battery technologies grow more and more sophisticated, making it possible to dream of a day where we live off the sun’s energy, scientists at Chalmers University, Sweden, are developing a bold new solar technology — a chemical liquid… Read More
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Universities Show the World How to Erase Carbon Footprints
In April 2018, American University celebrated becoming the nation’s first carbon-neutral university, meaning the school emits no greenhouse gas to the atmosphere — either by not generating them in the first place or by offsetting any emissions. And American University has managed to accomplish its goal two years early. And it’s doing just fine —… Read More
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Women Killin’ It in Sustainability Research
Sustainability research has become one of the most important fields in science, particularly as global populations continue to rise and earth’s resources are increasingly spread thin. Luckily, many brilliant minds are working to investigate topics such as clean energy, sustainable food systems, and climate change — and women are often at the forefront of such… Read More
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Why This Solar Device Could Be the Most Promising Renewable Energy Tool Yet
Carbon pollution is continuing to pile up in the atmosphere. Time is of the essence with finding an effective, sustainable energy alternative for fossil fuels. Now, new research from Hokkaido University in Japan could catapult a widespread transition to solar energy. The Hokkaido scientists have developed a photoelectrode that can harvest 85 percent of all… Read More
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Semi-Artificial Photosynthesis: A New Way to Turn Sunlight Into Fuel
Scientists at St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, have developed a new process of converting sunlight into fuel. The team’s “semi-artificial photosynthesis” method utilizes sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in a lab setting. Their process uses both biological components — an enzyme from algae — as well as man-made technologies, differentiating it… Read More
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How Universities Are Helping Us Go Solar
Renewable energy is growing. So far in 2018, 70 percent of net global power capacity additions were renewables, according to the 2018 Global Status Report by REN21. A fifth of the world’s energy already comes from renewable sources — a figure that’s only rising. In this transition, solar power stands up front as one of… Read More
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This Week on Sustainability
Happy Friday! Check out this week on sustainability — Climate Change Is Depleting The Ocean of Oxygen, Killing Fisheries University: University of Toronto and the University of California, Santa Cruz A team of ocean scientists suggest that an increase in CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere can deplete the oceans of oxygen and put the future… Read More
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Women Killin’ It in the Fight Against Climate Change
Climate change is occurring at unprecedented rates, posing a severe threat to humans, animal species, marine life and global economies. Fortunately, great strides are made in science, technology and activism every day to combat this issue — and women are at the forefront of such progress. In this article, we highlight seven women who are… Read More
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Earth Overshoot Day: Humanity Has Already Used Up 2018’s Natural Resources
Earth Overshoot Day, the date that marks when humanity has consumed more resources than the earth’s ecosystems can replenish in a year, has fallen on August 1 this year — the earliest ever. According to Global Footprint Network, humans are using earth’s resources 1.7 times faster than the planet can regenerate. Essentially, in 2018, we… Read More
