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

How oyster reefs protect against hurricane damage

Coastal cities are turning to eco-engineering to protect their coastline from storm surges and hurricane damage. Their floodwater solution: building oyster reefs to act as a natural breakwater.

Teresa Carey

Clean Energy

Can these mirrors give us solar power at night?

Concentrated solar power plants could help us achieve our clean energy goals, but it won't come cheap.

Tom Hartsfield

Climate Crisis

Probiotics could help coral survive the changing climate

A new study has found that probiotics can help corals fight coral bleaching.

Teresa Carey

Climate Crisis

How artificial clouds could save the Great Barrier Reef

Scientists conducted the first “cloud brightening” field experiment to artificially thicken clouds with seawater mist, creating shade for the Great Barrier Reef

Teresa Carey

Agriculture

Scientists toilet-train cows to reduce air pollution

To combat the negative environmental impact of cow urine, researchers have proven it's possible to potty-train calves.

Kristin Houser

Series| Make It Count

The man hacking hot water to save the planet

5:16

In partnership with Million Stories

The U.S. Energy Department estimates that tankless water heaters can be up to 34% more efficient than conventional storage water heaters - cutting your annual heating costs by 40%.

Stephen Johnson

Sustainability

Think smart about disposable packaging with this scorecard

A new scorecard called the Understanding Packaging (UP) Scorecard is helping businesses make sustainable decisions on disposable packaging.

Teresa Carey

Activism

Unique underwater sculptures thwart harmful illegal fishing

Paolo Fanciulli, a fisherman from Maremma, is sinking artists’ sculptures to the seafloor to stop bottom trawling.

Teresa Carey

Engineering

Rule-bending engineers protect New Orleans from Hurricane Ida

By going beyond the "100-year storm" standard for flood protection, U.S. engineers helped minimize the impact of Hurricane Ida on New Orleans.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

The world’s largest direct air capture plant just opened

A partnership between Climeworks and CarFix just started the largest direct air capture plant, storing carbon dioxide in solid form deep underground.

Teresa Carey

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