SOLAR ENERGY BREAKTHROUGH COULD REDUCE NEED FOR SOLAR FARMS 9/8/2024

Innovation in solar technology promises sustainable power from everyday objects ...more

How the plastic mountain from healthcare could be recycled 8/8/2024

Single-use healthcare items – everything from gloves and blood bags to surgical equipment – have become a growing environmental problem worldwide.  Their use has increased sharply in recent years, and there are currently no methods for recycling such plastic medical waste. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have now shown how mixed waste from healthcare can be recycled in a safe and efficient way, using a technique where the material is heated and converted into chemical building blocks, which can then be used in the production of new plastic. ...more

Tracking emissions to help companies reduce their environmental footprint 8/8/2024

Context Labs, led by Dan Harple SM ’13, uses AI-enabled data analytics and verification to help companies measure their true greenhouse emissions and document reductions. ...more

Royal Mint starts turning e-waste into gold 8/8/2024

The Royal Mint, maker of the UK's coins, has begun processing electronic waste to extract gold from it. ...more

More animals and plants added to Australia's endangered species list 8/8/2024

Australia's threatened species list keeps growing, with eight animals and five plants added in the past month. ...more

UK failing to monitor apparently falling wasp populations, expert warns 8/8/2024

The UK is not doing enough to track wasp populations as numbers appear to plummet, a leading expert has warned. ...more

Saudi Arabia Recycles 100,000 Electronic Devices to Limit Environmental Impact 7/8/2024

Saudi Arabia was able to recycle more than 100,000 electronic devices to reduce their environmental damage as part of an effort to build a sustainable digital future that supports the efficient use of resources. ...more

UN agency raises just 20% of needed southern Africa drought aid in tough funding environment 7/8/2024

The U.N. World Food Programme has faced challenges in raising $400 million for its southern Africa drought response, collecting just one-fifth of what it needs to help seven countries in the region, a WFP spokesperson said on Tuesday. ...more

Almost 500 chemicals found in England’s rivers and groundwater 7/8/2024

Almost 500 different chemicals, some of which are banned, have been found in various mixtures across all 171 river and groundwater catchments tested in England in 2024, according to data from the Environment Agency, analysed by the Guardian and Watershed Investigations. ...more

Deforestation harms climate less than other types of Amazon degradation, study finds 7/8/2024

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva came into office in 2023 pledging to tackle deforestation in the Amazon and restore his country as a climate leader after years of intense destruction in the world's largest rainforest under predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. ...more