sustainable cities
If sustainability efforts in 2010 can be summed up in one sentence, it’s this: “Some of us are trying — really hard in some cases — but it’s still not good enough.” Consider the threat of peak global oil production. After years of all but ignoring the risk of peak
Average citizens might not have much influence on the latest round of international climate talks getting under way in Mexico City today. But they can exert some pressure on climate action in another way: by choosing to support — or avoid — businesses based on the environmental efforts they’re making. Climate-focused
By Raphael Raggatt The new ‘atmosphere…Exploring climate science’ gallery in the Science Museum, London opens to the public next Saturday (Dec 4) and the centre piece is a hydrogen fuel-cell car built by UK company Riversimple. The prototype two seater car has a composite body, four electric motors, no
By Andrew Eagles, Sustainable Homes As part of the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill, Chris Huhne has recently announced that the Green Deal would create up to 100,000 new green jobs by 2015 as the lead part of Government’s efforts to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of
waste
By Katie Shaw, Forum for the Future Businesses could save an average of 4 to 5 per cent of their turnover through avoided landfill costs, according to the UK’s environmental regulations advisor NetRegs. Among those quick to cash in on the savings have been United Biscuits, PepsiCo and InterfaceFLOR,
conservation
Across America, a number of homeowners are beginning to reduce their household energy usage. But why? It seems like a simple question with an obvious answer: those who conserve energy are probably doing so either to save money or to reduce their impact on the environment. But, as with many
UK
By Anna Simpson, Forum for the Future In the UK, around nine in ten people live in towns and cities, drawn to their vibrant lifestyles and dynamic economies. But cities face growing challenges, too: ageing housing stock, clogged-up transport systems, not to mention the need to “future proof” themselves against
peak oil
Despite the progress we’ve made in expanding renewable energy supplies, we’re simply not moving fast enough right now to make a difference when it will matter. And we’re not just talking about bringing down carbon emissions to avoid dangerous climate change. We’re talking about having a
energy
What does it take to build a smarter, more sustainable city? Not surprisingly, the answer depends on the specialty of the organisation you ask. Ask information technology giant IBM, and the answer you’ll get: more and better IT products and services … LOTS of them, to gain intelligence into how
water
Not too worried about the prospects of future water shortages because you live somewhere with healthy aquifers and free-flowing faucets? Then consider this: without adequate supplies of clean, fresh water on a global scale, agriculture — the most water-intensive of industries — will suffer. And if agriculture suffers, so too will the
internal combustion engine
Hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles promise to be the future of transport. In the present, though, the old-style, fossil-fuel-based internal combustion engine still rules. But what if we could get a wildly more efficient internal combustion engine into the market over the next few years? How much of an impact
