Earth, Energy & Environment

Fleets of compact e-vehicles could help battle air pollution

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Quiet, narrow and low-emission electric vehicles could be used in conjunction with public transport in cities to ease congestion and pollution.

by Gareth Willmer Lightweight electric mini-cars could soon be a common sight on the streets of Europe’s cities thanks to longer-lasting batteries, tilting and stackable design, and modular components to bring down the cost of mass production. It’s part of a push towards environmentally friendly transport options in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions … Read more

Buzz feed – bringing renewables to the power grid

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As the ways we obtain energy change power grids need to evolve to keep up with the new demands.

Renewable energy is on the rise in Europe as the economy develops away from the use of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, but an ageing electricity grid is struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of developments. Originally designed to obtain and distribute energy from a few large sources, Europe’s power grid … Read more

Europe must sea food in a new way thanks to warming waters

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Aquaculture and fish farms must adapt to the changing sea conditions of climate change.

Aquaculture, or fish farming, is one of the world’s fastest growing food sectors, providing about half of all the fish we eat. As it stands, climate change is altering our ocean’s environment, causing the seawater to become warmer and impacting the marine  ecosystems profoundly. How will these changes affect marine species, consumers and industries that rely … Read more

Turning food waste into animal feed could take a chunk out of livestock emissions

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Recycling food waste to use as animal feed and turning manure into green fertilizers can lead to lower environmental impacts from food production.

Using European plant and dairy waste as an alternative to soy-based animal feed could see a big drop in agricultural emissions and prevent deforestation. Every year around a third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted, according to the United Nations. That equates to 1.3 billion tonnes of food down the drain and huge … Read more

Garbage-collecting aqua drones and jellyfish filters for cleaner oceans

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It is estimated that more than 150 million tonnes of plastics have already accumulated in the world's oceans.

A Roomba-like ocean trash collector modelled on a whale shark and a microplastic filter made from jellyfish slime could prevent litter from entering our oceans and help tackle a growing problem that poses threats to wildlife, deters tourists and impacts on coastal economies. The cost of sea litter in the EU has been estimated at up to … Read more

Light pollution is altering plant and animal behaviour

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Light pollution can be problematic for animals like the Cory's shearwater.

by Gareth Willmer You could call it fatal attraction. Drawn by artificial lights in our brightening night-time world, animals find their lives in peril. Fledgling birds disorientated by lights can collide with human structures on the ground and then get hit by cars, or become more vulnerable to predation, starvation or dehydration. Or newly hatched … Read more