The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has begun work on what could be a blueprint for cities of the future: Masdar City on the edge of Abu Dhabi is intended to be the world's most environmentally friendly city.

Masdar has been designed from the ground up with green principles in mind. Power requirements will be less than other cities and the power that is required will come from renewables. Waste will be reduced the re-use and recycling whilst water will come from a desalination plant. Perhaps most importantly Masdar City will have an emission-free public transport system.

More controversially, the carbon reductions achieved by Masdar will be "monetised" by selling unused pollution licences on the world emissions market agreed under the Kyoto protocol.

Work began this weekend with a ground breaking ceremony presided over by Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The city is expected to be completed by 2016.

Labels: Environment, Kyoto, Masdar City

Reasearchers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Webb Research Corporation of Falmouth, Mass. have tested an ocean robot that "harvests" heat energy from the water.

The thermal glider is the first autonomous underwater vehicle to traverse great distances or stay at sea for long periods powered only by "green" energy. Instead of using a power source such as batteries the thermal glider "harvests" heat energy from thermal differences between ocean layers. This is known as "thermal stratification".

WHOI reports that the robot glider was launched in December 2007 and has been travelling under thermal power since then, crisscrossing the 4,000-meter-deep Virgin Islands Basin between St. Thomas and St Croix more than 20 times.

Oceanographer Dave Fratantoni of WHOI said:

"Gliders can be put to work on tasks that humans wouldn't want to do or cannot do because of time and cost concerns. They can work around the clock in all weather conditions."

Using renewable energy clearly has great potential for the future of robotics in general. Freed of the need for human produced power sources they could one day become truly autonomous.

Labels: Environment, ocean, Robots, WHOI

We've become used to the fact that climate change is a part of our future, however so far the assumption seems to have been that it will be a gradual process. Now new research suggests it may be sudden and dramatic.

New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal (PNAS) has identified a number of critical "tipping points" expected to be reached this century. The international team behind the research believes that human induced climate change is contributing to these potential disasters.

Critical tipping points expected this century include:

Collapse of the Indian summer monsoon Disruption of the West African monsoon Greening of the Sahara/Sahel Melting of Arctic sea-ice Dieback of the Amazon rainforest Dieback of the Boreal Forest

So the world as we know it could end not with a whimper but a bang.


Photo Credit: itzafineday (Creative Commons)

Labels: climate change, Environment

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NAOAA) is planning to use unmanned robotic aircraft to monitor extreme weather conditions. The NOAA has invested $3 million in a project to explore the possible use of such craft which are known as "Unmaned Aircraft Systems" (UAS).

NOAA research meteorologist Marty Ralph said:

"This technology has the potential to revolutionize our monitoring of the entire Earth. Data gathered by unmanned aircraft can help us understand how humans are affecting the planet and how we might mitigate the impacts of natural disasters resulting from severe weather and climate."

Three test projects will begin this summer and will monitor Atlantic and Gulf hurricanes, Arctic climate change and Pacific and West Coast storms.

Possible future missions for the robot weather drones include monitoring fisheries, tracking Greenland glaciers and providing firefighters with key wildfire data.

Labels: climate change, Environment, NOAA, Robots

The Amazonian rainforests had a bad year in 2007. In 2008 it could be much worse.

Carlos Nobre from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has been monitoring the rainforest. He reports that after a good few years for the region the problem of deforestation has returned. Thousands of square kilometres of forest have been destroyed since October 2007 and the trend looks to get worse in 2008.

In the last four months almost 6000 km² of rainforest has been destroyed. Annual rates of deforestation had been down to around 10,000 km² a year so this is a major increase.

Environmental groups believe this to be part of a cycle: massive deforestation leads to available clear land so the deforestation slows. Once the land is used up, the deforestation starts again. Saving the rainforest means breaking that cycle.

Preserving the rainforests must be a major plank in any strategy to combat global warming. Arguably it's just as important as trying to reduce carbon emissions. However Brazil is a major global food producer, hence the pressure to create more farmland.

All of which is another argument in favour of a future with more locally produced fresh food and a reduction in food miles.


Photo Credit: laszlo-photo (Creative Commons)

Labels: Brazil, climate change, Environment, rainforest

A team of scientists from the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas has created what is being described as a "supercarrot".

The researchers report that by slightly modifying one gene (sCAX1) they have made a carrot that is a better nutritional source of calcium. Volunteers in a study who ate the GM carrots absorbed 41% more calcium than those who ate natural vegetables.

The creators of this artificial carrot hope that it can help in the fight against osteoporosis, however they stress that no "magic food" can cure nutritional problems. Doctor Kendal Hirschi who led the study notes that "Much more research needs to be conducted before this would be available to consumers".

Whilst I applaud the intentions of these researchers, I remain strongly opposed to introducing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the food chain. Like many others, including Greenpeace, I hope that these carrots have no part in our future.

Labels: Environment, GM Food, Health

The UK government has announced today that the UK will be building new nuclear power stations to replace the old ones currently reaching the end of their life. The announcement is part of a larger scheme for UK power generation that also includes greater use of Renewable resources and Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS).

The most bizarre thing about this is that nuclear energy is being put forward as the most environmentally sound option. Proof if any were needed that the future takes strange turns.

The argument in favour of nuclear energy production is that it produces no waste CO₂ and hence is a useful tool in the fight against global warming. Environmentalists point out that although this is true, nuclear power makes a relativly small impact on CO₂ emissions at the cost of storing up nuclear waste for future generations to deal with. Building new nuclear power stations is said by many to be a distraction from more environmentally sound renewable options.

What worries me most about the government's plans is that responsibility for the new nuclear plants will be handed over to the private sector. So I'm glad that the Scottish Government has ruled out more nuclear power here in Scotland.


Photo Credit: Akuppa (Creative Commons)

Labels: energy, Environment, nuclear power, Scotland, uk

Have you switched from old-fashioned "incandescent" light bulbs to the new energy-saving ones? I have and so have most people I know. It's a simple thing we can all do to help reduce our carbon footprint.

Unfortunately the BBC reports that these may cause problems for some people. Specifically, people with certain medical conditions may find that they exacerbate skin rashes. There have also been people who believe low-energy bulbs have brought on migraine headaches and some ME sufferers have had bad reactions to fluorescent light.

None of this would be a problem were it not for a voluntary agreement in the UK which will see old-fashioned incandescent bulbs phased out by2011.

Andrew Langford, chief executive officer of the Skin Care Campaign, said:

"We certainly don't want to say no to greener bulbs just that other bulbs need to be available."

and Dr Colin Holden, President of the British Association of Dermatologists, said:

"It is important that patients with photosensitive skin eruptions are allowed to use lights that don't exacerbate their condition.

"It is essential that such patients are able to protect themselves from specific wavelengths of light emitted by fluorescent bulbs, especially as they are often trapped indoors because they can't venture out in natural sunlight."

The lighting association has replied that not all incandescent bulbs will be phased out and there will be other alternatives such as LED lighting.



Photo Credit: brionv (Creative Commons)

Labels: Environment, lighting, uk

The British Conservative party has announced plans to encourage small-scale electricity generation by individuals, schools, etc. They want to make it easier for people to buy and install home electricity generators, for example solar power or biomass systems. Extra power would then be sold back to the private power companies for use in the national grid. Such a "feed-in" system has been successful elsewhere in Europe.

The proposals have been generally well received however some experts point out they they could take many years to have an impact. They are not a short term solution and don't address the fundamental issue of whether or not electricity production should be in the hands of profit-motivated companies.

My personal opinion is that micro-generation of this sort is an excellent idea however it has to go hand in hand with greater regulation of the market to enforce the adoption of environmentally friendly technology and systems.

Labels: Environment, power, UK

Research published in Nature Geoscience suggests that climate change may be having a significant impact on the tropical region.

To geographers The Tropics are defined precisely as the region between 23.5 North and 23.5 South. However climatologists define the tropical region by other factors such as the jet stream. According to these measurements the tropics have expanded several degrees since 1979. This conclusion was reached by studying satellite data from a number of sources.

This change is less dramatic than the melting of the polar ice caps but could prove just as significant. It will not only affect the societies living in those regions but could have global implications. A shift in the position of weather systems such as the jet stream could have major effects elsewhere in the world.


Photo Credit: phunkstarr (Creative Commons)

Labels: climate change, Environment