2009 saw vast patches of the planet protected and world leaders pledge to fight global warming, but the climate continued to change dramatically–putting it in the “loss” column for the environment this year, according to experts who spoke to National Geographic.
A decade ago, global climate change was largely considered a problem for the distant future. But it seems that future has come sooner than predicted.
One of the most remarkable, and alarming, environmental changes to occur over the last decade is the melting of Antarctic ice sheets and the recession of Arctic glaciers at speeds much faster than climate change models had predicted, according to environment experts.
Microscopic organisms — archaea, bacteria and fungi — have the potential to reshape the world’s power supply. Microbes could provide a vast energy resource that is as efficient and portable as coal, oil and natural gas, said Bruce Rittmann, director of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute.
Some microbial processes, such as using yeast to turn plant sugars into ethanol, already account for a few percent of the energy mix, noted Arnold Demain, a microbial biologist at Drew University in Madison, N.J. Other processes, such as using bacteria to derive electricity from fuel cells, are still in the research and development stage but show potential for deployment a few years down the road.
Prepare for battle if you’re ready to pull away from the electricity grid and generate at least some of your energy at home.
“The first thing you do is make war on consumption,” said Richard Perez, the publisher of Home Power Magazine, which guides people through the transition to a life built around renewable energy. “In other words, analyze where you are using electricity and see where you can make it more efficient.”
Some experts believe innovation in green energy is poised to lift the global economy to new heights – and save the planet from a human-made climate catastrophe. If so, where does one head to get in on the action? Learn about seven hot spots with a lot of buzz.
The list is neither comprehensive nor ranked. As San Francisco-based GreenTech Media senior analyst Eric Wesoff put it, the green energy economy is going to require “a quilt of different technologies” developed across the country. No one region or energy supply will necessarily rule supreme.
No matter whether you’re a tree-hugging environmentalist stressed out over global warming or a coal king lobbying against cap-and-trade schemes, wasting energy in these economically sensitive times makes you look like a jerk.
Check out eight energy hogging activities to avoid. Following the advice may not make you any less of a jerk, but at least it will make you a more energy-efficient jerk, noted John Rogers, a senior energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Mass., who helped compile the list.
Watermelon, the quintessential summer fruit, may soon be helping to fuel your car as well as your picnic guests.
According to a new U.S. government study, juice from unwanted watermelons could be a promising new source for making the biofuel ethanol.