DOE Announces Nearly $34 Million to Advance Waste and Algae Bioenergy Technology

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced nearly $34 million in funding for 11 projects that will support high-impact research and development to improve and produce biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts. These biomass resources, otherwise known as feedstocks, can be produced by municipal solid waste (MSW) streams and algae and converted into low-carbon fuels that can significantly contribute to the decarbonization of transportation sectors that face barriers to electrification, like aviation and marine. By lowering the carbon footprint of the transportation sector, biofuels will play an important role in reaching the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Click here to learn more

Better Bioblendstocks for Cleaner Diesel Vehicles

There’s no driving around it: most vehicles on the road today are still powered by gasoline and diesel fuels that create and emit greenhouse gas emissions. But new fuel blendstocks from biomass and waste resources, combined with advanced engine designs, are bringing us ever closer to a vision of clean transportation. Achieving this vision is critical for meeting our nation’s renewed goals for reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to address climate change.

Click here to learn more

Planting forests may cool the planet more than thought

Planting trees and replenishing forests are among the simplest and most appealing natural climate solutions, but the impact of trees on atmospheric temperature is more complex than meets the eye.

One question among scientists is whether reforesting midlatitude locations such as North America or Europe could in fact make the planet hotter. Forests absorb large amounts of solar radiation as a result of having a low albedo, which is the measure of a surface’s ability to reflect sunlight. In the tropics, low albedo is offset by the higher uptake of carbon dioxide by the dense, year-round vegetation. But in temperate climates, the concern is that the sun’s trapped heat could counteract any cooling effect forests would provide by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

But a new study from Princeton University researchers found that these concerns may be overlooking a crucial component — clouds. They report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that the denser cloud formations associated with forested areas means that reforestation would likely be more effective at cooling Earth’s atmosphere than previously thought.

Click here to learn more

July 2021 was Earth’s hottest month ever recorded, NOAA finds

If you thought this July was just toasty, you probably didn’t realize you were living through the hottest month in modern history. On Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared July 2021 the world’s hottest month in 142 years of records.

“In this case, first place is the worst place to be,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. “This new record adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”

Click here to learn more

https://theconversation.com/the-water-cycle-is-intensifying-as-the-climate-warms-ipcc-report-warns-that-means-more-intense-storms-and-flooding-165590

The world watched in July 2021 as extreme rainfall became floods that washed away centuries-old homes in Europe, triggered landslides in Asia and inundated subways in China. More than 900 people died in the destruction. In North America, the West was battling fires amid an intense drought that is affecting water and power supplies.

Click here to learn more

How extreme is this year's extreme weather? Here's a closer look

As the world staggers through another summer of extreme weather, experts are noticing something different: 2021's onslaught is hitting harder and in places that have been spared global warming's wrath in the past.

Wealthy countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany and Belgium are joining poorer and more vulnerable nations on a growing list of extreme weather events that scientists say have some connection to human-caused climate change.

Click here to learn more

World Nature Conservation Day

There is a realisation about the importance of Pancha Bhutas in the Indian ancient Knowledge systems and profess the need to maintain a balance. The journey of mankind to achieve progress and enhance the quality of life has resulted in imbalance, overexploitation of resources, and the planet’s survival is being challenged. It is crucial to be conscious that everything we do depend on Nature and impact it. Conservation of Nature is of utmost priority for all human beings and their life on this planet. World Nature Conservation Day is observed on July 28 to raise awareness about the importance of preserving natural resources and protecting them. The origin of commemorating and the history of World Conservation Day is unknown. It is good to see people worldwide come together and organise events to preserve precious natural resources.

Click here to learn more

Maine Becomes First US State to Make Corporations Pay for Recycling if They Don’t Use Sustainable Packaging

By putting the recycling costs on the producer rather than the consumer, Maine becomes the first U.S. state to hold companies responsible for the waste they create.

In putting what is essentially an import duty on packaging, Maine is telling companies there is a limit to the amount of reliance they can have on Mainers and municipalities to recycle their material.

Click here to learn more

Open Navigation