Energy

an overhead shot of land split in three. the left side is dry and dusty. the middle has some vegetation, and the right side has a lot.

Desertification is destroying fertile land. Here’s how we’re fighting it.

a female presenting person in a lab coat holding a solar cell

New “tandem” solar cell breaks world record

A new tandem solar cell containing layers of silicon and perovskite has demonstrated an unprecedented efficiency of 33.7%.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

These 4 charts show the unstoppable growth of solar

Solar is growing fast enough to displace fossil fuels from the entire global economy before 2050, but infrastructure needs to keep up.

Andrew Blakers

Climate Crisis

This new concrete soaks up a greenhouse gas

Engineers in Japan have discovered a new method for making concrete by recycling concrete rubble — and combining it with carbon dioxide drawn from the atmosphere.

Teresa Carey

Series| Make It Count

Building homes with hemp

6:46

In partnership with Million Stories

Cannabis was an ancient building material. Now it’s legal again - and coming to a home near you.

Stephen Johnson

Clean Energy

Japan is restarting aging nuclear reactors after 10 years offline

Three of Japan’s nuclear reactors closed after the Fukushima disaster are restarting, a controversial move designed to reduce CO2 emissions.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Electric school buses: good for the planet, better for kids

School bus electrification is on the rise and heading toward a national fleet of people-movers that is healthier all around.

Teresa Carey

Agriculture

Inside Europe’s largest vertical farm

At a massive vertical farm in Denmark, food tech startup Nordic Harvest is demonstrating the benefits of moving agriculture indoors.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

Solar panel recycling: how companies will make it work

By recovering the high-value materials, solar panel recycling could become an economically viable option for aging panels.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

Can sponge cities help us prepare for more floods?

Deadly floods are expected to get worse over the next decade. One design solution for cities is to make them more porous — like a sponge.

Amanda Winkler

Series| Make It Count

How vertical farming can save the planet and feed the world

6:04

In partnership with Million Stories

Vertical farming is a radical new way to feed our growing population sustainably. But can it replace traditional farming?

Stephen Johnson

Sustainability

Lab-grown milk proteins prove more environmentally friendly

It’s less environmentally costly to produce milk proteins in the lab than to source them from cows, according to a new report.

Kristin Houser

Series| Make It Count

How biomaterials could save the planet

5:21

In partnership with Million Stories

By 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. But biomaterials may be the solution.

Stephen Johnson

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