Mass timber construction is on the rise, with advocates saying it could revolutionize the building industry and be part of a climate change solution. But some are questioning whether the logging and manufacturing required to produce the new material outweigh any benefits. BY JIM ROBBINS • APRIL 9, 2019 The eight-story Carbon 12 building in Portland, Oregon is the tallest commercial […]
HEATHER KENNISON, March, 2019 TWIN FALLS — If you want farmers to adapt to new methods or technologies, convenience is key. That’s what Howard Neibling says about irrigation developments made over the past five to 10 years. Neibling is a water management engineer for the University of Idaho Extension Kimberly Research Center. He’s been experimenting […]
Rima Sabina Aouf | March 2019 Ancient building material cob has been brought up to contemporary standards by a team of British and French researchers, who see it as an environmentally friendlyoption for homes. The team, led by Steve Goodhew from the University of Plymouth, have created a new version of cob – a building material made of a […]
Lund University, February 2019 Agriculture is critical to achieving many Sustainable Development Goals. New research from Lund University shows that researchers, policymakers, and farmers in Europe currently have different, often conflicting, priorities for sustainable agriculture. The researchers propose a way forward built on shared priorities. “We identified precisely where the major gaps between research, policy, […]
Natural Disasters Explained at Natural History Museum By EDWARD ROTHSTEINNOV A model showing a type of earthquake fault in “Nature’s Fury,” at the American Museum of Natural History.CreditAgaton Strom for The New York Times Humanity has an extraordinary talent for causing catastrophes; we are even likely, as many have suggested over the past century — to […]
By Claire Leschin-Hoar (NPR) Warmer winters and changing ice conditions meant hunters were unable to bag the Pacific walrus the Savoonga residents traditionally relied on as a key food source. Three years ago, the situation became so dire, the governor declared the island an economic disaster to help loosen assistance funds. “The animals are there, […]
By Leeanna McLean Researchers are analyzing the integrity of coconut walls for inspiration in developing building designs that can withstand earthquakes and other natural disasters. Coconut palms are known to grow up to 98′ high. Coconut shells consist of three layers to protect the inner seed and prevent the ripe fruit from splitting when they fall […]
via The Guardian “The global battle against climate change has passed a historic turning point with China’s huge coal burning finally having peaked, according to senior economists. They say the moment may well be a significant milestone in the course of the Anthropocene, the current era in which human activity dominates the world’s environment. China is […]
In this quick exhibit from Smithsonian Online, learn about Blue Carbon and its environmental functions “What is blue carbon? It’s a term used to describe the carbon that is captured from the atmosphere by ocean ecosystems, mainly coastal mangroves,seagrasses and salt marshes. These coastal areas can hold up to five times more carbon than tropical […]
By Nell Greenfieldboyce (NPR) July 11, 2016 The way clouds cover the Earth may be changing because of global warming, according to a study published Monday that used satellite data to track cloud patterns across about two decades, starting in the 1980s. Clouds in the mid-latitudes shifted toward the poles during that period, as the […]