Ward: Infrastructure

236

Turning plastic waste into valuable chemicals with single-atom catalysts

The rapid accumulation of plastic waste is currently posing significant risks for both human health and the environment on Earth. A possible solution to this problem would be to recycle plastic waste, breaking it into smaller molecules that can be used to produce valuable chemicals.

222

Dunedin's inner-city greening project shows even small spaces can be wildlife havens

Even small green spaces can bring nature back into cities, as our project in Ōtepoti Dunedin has shown.

133

Scientists Solve a Long-Standing Solar Cell Problem, Boosting Efficiency by Nearly 30%

The introduction of a nanometric germanium oxide layer drastically improved device performance and stability. As the global demand for clean energy accelerates, solar power continues to attract attention because it is widely available and can be scaled to meet growing needs. Alongside this push, sci…

120

Inside the illegal trade of endangered species in the Amazon

The illegal animal trade is a global industry estimated to be worth $20 billion, according the United Nations. "CBS Saturday Morning" heads to Yuramaguas, Peru, for a closer look at how the black market threatens endangered species, and how some people are trying to help.

109

Passenger Train in India Hits Elephant Herd, Killing Seven

No people were injured in the accident, despite a partial derailment. As elephant habitat shrinks, such deadly encounters are on the rise.

109

‘The biggest transformation in a century’: how California remade itself as a clean energy powerhouse

The Golden State’s clean energy use hit new highs in 2025. As the Trump administration abandons US climate initiatives, can California fill the void?As officials from around the world met in Brazil for the Cop30 climate summit last month, the US president was nowhere to be found, nor were any member…

223

How Europe’s new carbon tax on imported goods will change global trade

The new regulation arrives on New Year's Day.

122

What a crumbling power grid means for disabled Americans

Angela Frederick’s new book is a call to put disability at the center of disaster planning.

221

15+ eco-friendly gifts that someone would actually use

Shop useful sustainable gift ideas, from clothes made from recycled bottles to reusable versions of disposable things they use every day.

111

Dover ferry delays hit Christmas travellers after French border IT failure

Port working to resolve issues but urging passengers not to arrive more than two hours before their ferry departsThe Christmas travel plans of tens of thousands of ferry passengers at the Port of Dover have been delayed by IT problems with French border control.This weekend, millions of motorists hi…

223

‘Borrowed time’: crop pests and food losses supercharged by climate crisis

Heating means pests breeding and spreading faster, warn scientists, with simplified current food system already vulnerableHow climate breakdown is putting the world’s food in peril – in maps and chartsThe destruction of food supplies by crop pests is being supercharged by the climate crisis, with lo…

415

Was 2025 the year that business retreated from net zero?

From retailers to banks, carmakers to councils, the bold pledges for carbon-neutral economies are being watered down or scrappedAlmost a year since Donald Trump returned to the White House with a rallying cry to the fossil fuel industry to “drill baby, drill”, a backlash against net zero appears to …

231

High-speed passenger train kills 7 elephants crossing railway tracks in India

Seven wild Asiatic elephants were killed and a calf was injured when a high-speed passenger train collided with a herd in Assam, India

10

Weighing sustainability of real vs. fake Christmas trees

As people contemplate their holiday plans, they may find themselves in an environmental quandary, asking: Which is more sustainable, a real or artificial Christmas tree?

132

Solar, wind and storage: stable prices, stable grid

In its latest monthly column for pv magazine, the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) explains how Australia’s rapid expansion of solar and wind energy has not increased wholesale electricity prices, which have remained stable since 2016. Rooftop solar, now widespread and highly cost-effective…

220

Volcano Watch — One year of Kīlauea’s episodic summit fountaining: highlighting the hazards

On December 23, 2024, a unique eruption began in Kīlauea’s Halemaʻumaʻu crater, with a style of activity not seen for nearly 40 years. The eruption, characterized by high lava-fountaining episodes, has continued for nearly a year. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park visitors see remarkable views, but th…

210

This year’s Christmas could be Britain’s greenest yet, energy operator says

System operator Neso predicts lowest carbon intensity ever on Christmas Day after new wind and solar power come onlineBritain’s energy system operator has predicted that this year’s Christmas Day could be the greenest yet.If the weather remains mild and windy for the rest of December, the National E…

120

Poland allocates subsidies to 14.5 GWh of energy storage projects

Poland has awarded public support to 172 large-scale battery storage projects totaling 14.5 GWh, with construction required to be completed by the end of 2028.

208

Shooting hares in England to be banned for most of the year

Exclusive: Ministers also expected to announce trail-hunting ban in sweeping changes to animal welfare lawShooting hares in England will be banned for most of the year as part of sweeping changes to animal welfare law.At the moment, it is legal to shoot the animals during their breeding season, with…

431

Four years after the Mariana mining disaster in Brazil, river fish remained contaminated

Four years after the Fundão dam collapse—the world's largest mining disaster, which occurred in 2015 in the city of Mariana in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil—a study found that fish in the Doce River were still highly contaminated by metals and other toxic substances.