Technology

In March U.S. President Donald Trump directed the EPA to dismantle the Obama administration's vehicle emissions standards. These regulations mandated company wide averages of 51 MPG by 2025 and cut carbon pollution by 140 million metric tons per year compared to the Trump administration’s proposal. Although Congress gave California the right to set its own mileage standards, Trump is moving to revoke the state's mpg waiver. California's Advanced Clean Car Rule forces automakers who sell cars in the state to reduce pollution from by 40 percent compared to 2012 levels starting in 2025. Despite resistance from both foreign and domestic...

We recently saw a report from NASA that suggested the world is getting greener, however, this finding obscures the fact that much of this greenery is actually plantations and other forms of monoculture. Palm oil plantations have a particularly egregious footprint. This point was underscored by the devastating Indonesian fires in 2015. Cultured forests do not support the kind of biodiversity we see in old growth forests. Massive mono cultures should not be confused with forest restoration. According a ScienceDaily article, "almost half (45%) of the vast areas that countries have pledged are set to become plantations of commercial trees,...

BNEF Graph from a March 26, 2019 report titled:Battery Power’s Latest Plunge in Costs Threatens Coal, Gas Energy storage solves the intermittency problem of renewable forms of energy like wind and solar. Only a few years ago battery technologies were too immature to support widespread, large-scale deployment of renewables.  Now less expensive storage technologies are making renewables far more attractive. Despite the uneven allocation of subsidies, the plummeting price of energy storage has made it possible for clean energy to out-compete fossil fuels. When they are partnered with some form of battery, renewables can power the world.  However, the amount...

RelatedEnvironmental Impacts of Food Production (infographic)

This Sustainable Urban Infrastructure webinar will take place on August 23, 2017. As the world continues to focus on sustainability, our definition of environmental sustainability is moving beyond flora and fauna to include the humans in the ecosystem as well. And there is no better front line than the buildings where we spend most of our time. With estimates suggesting that up to 70% of the world’s population will be living in urban areas by 2050, cities are under pressure from all angles to minimise the required inputs of energy, water, food, waste and output of heat, air & water...

The inaugural edition of Innovate4Climate will take place on May 22-25, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain.  Innovate4Climate is destined to become the place where finance, markets, and technology meet to accelerate climate action.  While climate change poses an immense challenge to humanity, it also represents a potential – perhaps the opportunity of a lifetime. National climate action strategies or NDCs submitted as part of the Paris Agreement require a $23 trillion investments between now and 2030.  There are a number of opportunities in renewable energy, low-carbon cities, energy efficiency, sustainable forest management, and climate smart agriculture. The Paris Agreement calls for...

Green buildings deliver climate friendly results. A green building can reduce greenhouse gasses, minimize waste, and decrease water usage. A number of studies have independently documented measurable results. A California study by William Eisenstein, Ph.D. of UC Berkeley indicated that green buildings are associated with much lower GHG emissions as compared to traditional buildings. Certified commercial green buildings cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from water consumption an average 50 percent. Green buildings reduce solid waste management-related GHG emissions by 48 percent and lowered transportation-related GHG emissions by 5 percent. In the video below Eisenstein explains his research findings. A new...

Interest in carbon capture and storage (CCS) has intensified in the wake of the Paris Climate Agreement. CCS refers to a suite of technologies that pull CO2 from a smokestack before it escapes into the air. It is then sequestered in some fashion, most commonly by burying it deep underground. CCS is a much-needed technology, if for no other reason than the fact that fossil fuels are likely to be with us for years to come. There have been a number of notable achievements in the area of CCS in recent years. According to Victor Der, executive advisor and acting...

Direct Air Capture (DAC), sometimes called Direct Air Carbon Capture and Sequestration (DACCS) is a technology that draws carbon dioxide from the air. Removing ambient carbon is an important adjunct to drawing down source emissions.  One of the first examples of DAC debuted in 2009 when Columbia University Physicist Peter Eisenberger invented a machine that could clean carbon from the air. As explained in MIT Technology Review, his approach uses chemicals called amines, while other approaches involve the use of sodium hydroxide. DAC is part of a suite of carbon technologies that represent critical climate tech. These technologies are becoming...

A number of greener cars are being showcased at the 2016 edition of the New York International Auto show. This year almost every automaker is highlighting their hybrid and electric vehicles. As explained by Honda Executive Vice President John Mendel in New York, hybrids and pure electrics are a “mainstay” for the industry.The show opened on March 23 and will run until April 2. General Motors There has been a lot of buzz around GM's new affordable all electric family car called the Bolt What makes this car noteworthy is its 200-mile range all for around $30,000 after federal tax...