Off the (failing) grid in North Korea, where solar energy is a hot commodity
Think of it as a North Korean Best Buy — a shop stuffed with refrigerators, karaoke machines, laptop computers and flat-screen TVs. But with a square footage closer to a typical American 7-Eleven than a big-box store, the Pothonggang Information Technology Center has to be selective about Read More...
Scotland strengthens leadership in wind energy with $4 billion investment in offshore farm
Scotland confirms its status as a world leader in wind energy with a £2.6 billion ($3.8 billion) offshore wind farm investment. The Beatrice Offshore Windfarm will power 450,000 homes and is described the project as "one of the largest private investments ever made in Scottish infrastructure." Read More...
Meet the pizzly: Love in the time of climate change
According to the textbooks, these two species aren’t supposed to inhabit the same environments. Polar bears are marine mammals; Grizzlies are terrestrial. But as the Arctic warms, sea ice is shrinking, and the tundra is expanding, the bears’ disparate populations are meeting, mating and Read More...
Sunshine can provide all U.S. electricity through solar-thermal energy
Interest in a 19th-century technology, solar thermal energy, is rising. Solar thermal technology uses mirrors to create heat and steam to power turbines to produce electricity. A Silicon Valley company says it can provide all of the electricity needs of the U.S., including a switch to electric Read More...
The plant-based burger gets better and better
As eating less meat is critical for better health for people and planet, veggie burgers make sense. However, vegetarians who have tried have often been disappointed: The vegetable burger did not taste much like “the real thing”. But the veggie burger is getting better and better. Yesterday, Read More...
Your brain will age better if you keep a busy schedule
Retirement is a bad idea. Human beings thrive when they have something to do. New research shows that one of the best ways to keep your brain sharp as you get older is to stay busy. Previously, scientists have recommended engaging in mentally challenging activities; the new study suggests that Read More...
One of the world's most expensive countries is debating giving away money
The Swiss are discussing paying people $2,500 a month for doing nothing.The country will vote June 5 on whether the government should introduce an unconditional basic income to replace various welfare benefits. Although the initiators of the plan haven’t stipulated how large the payout should Read More...
Farmers are the new climate warriors
Environmental advocates have all but given up on their long-cherished goal of a federally-mandated cap-and-trade program to rein in carbon emissions, given the present state of gridlock on Capitol Hill. But amid protracted hemming and hawing over how such a system would stack up against carbon Read More...
"Small farmers are foundation to food security, not corporations"
May 22 has been declared International Biodiversity Day by the United Nations. It gives us an opportunity to become aware of the rich biodiversity that has been evolved by our farmers as co-creators with nature. It also provides an opportunity to acknowledge the threats to our biodiversity and our Read More...
Could UAE solar push lead a trend for the Gulf?
As the Gulf states take steps to expand their use of clean energy, a bold plan by the United Arab Emirates to boost its use of renewable electricity from less than 1 percent to 24 percent in the next five years could be a game-changer for the region, experts say. Much of the world is moving away Read More...