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Spain, Environment
Elena Mozhvilo by Unsplash
“Reinventing the wheel” in the struggle to cut global waste: the food upcycling challenge
The fact that Finland has staged an annual herring festival ever since 1743 tells you something about the historical and cultural significance of the country’s most populous fish.
Reuse or let die. Crucial for life but threatening if in excess: the nutrient challenge
Reuse or let die. Crucial for life but threatening if in excess: the nutrient challenge
Nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are  a double-edged sword . As key components of fertilizers, they are  essential for life on Earth, but become a threat to human health and the environment when they are in excess and run off into water courses and wastewater.
Photo from Pexels
Recovering nutrients to save the planet: the fertilizer challenge
The Earth is a sick patient, struggling to survive and feed its inhabitants.
Being human to be Smart: the cities’ challenge in the AI era
Being human to be Smart: the cities’ challenge in the AI era
It’s all about connection. This is the key to making a city “smart”, say the smart people working on the subject. And by “connection”, they mean not only the technological kind but especially the human one.
Agriculture in the era of the water challenge: how to survive drought and climate change
Agriculture in the era of the water challenge: how to survive drought and climate change
Spring is a season that turns our world green, but olives trees in the hills of Andalusia in southern Spain have never been so pale. For local farmers it is yet another difficult year.
Circularity for all? "There is a real risk of it becoming a privilege for the rich".
Circularity for all? "There is a real risk of it becoming a privilege for the rich".
“If I just look at my courtyard , three of my neighbors have an electric car" , says Christian Patermann, long-time program director at the European Commission and now internationally known as the “father of the bioeconomy”.
Cover Photo by Endri Killo on Unsplash
Pollinators play role in renaturing our cities
What do cucumber, almonds, onions and avocados have in common? Besides being potential ingredients for your next salad, all those plants need pollinators to reproduce : animals that move pollen from the male part of the flower to the female one.
The steel industry’s quest for an emissions-free future
The steel industry’s quest for an emissions-free future
As part of the Green Deal presented by the EU Commission last year, the bloc now proposes raising emissions-reduction targets to 55% of 1990 levels, with a 40% cut in greenhouse gases over the same period.
Brexit and the UK’s decarbonisation efforts: a hit or a miss?
Brexit and the UK’s decarbonisation efforts: a hit or a miss?
In the summer 2019 Britain was the first G7 member to incorporate a new commitment to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 into law. Since then the country has maintained ambitious green targets for the coming years.
Renaturing cities: good for health and the economy
Renaturing cities: good for health and the economy
Would you enjoy a city full of parks, where streets were tree-lined, where cycling and walking were pleasant, a city with grass-insulated roofs on houses and public buildings to keep you warm in winter? According to a Eurobarometer study , there is an 84 per cent chance that your answer is yes.
Sexism also exists in botany
Sexism also exists in botany
Urban green spaces provide several benefits beyond aesthetics. They offer shade, help to reduce pollution, offer habitat for birds and insects, a space to meet and socialise or for kids to play.
Rooting sustainability starts on school benches
Rooting sustainability starts on school benches
Do young people know what a smart city is? Do they care about saving energy and preserving the Earth’s resources? “Rooting sustainability starts on the benches of schools,” affirmed UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova at the recent UN Climate Change Conference ( COP22 ) in Marrakech, Morocco.
The cost of blackouts in Europe
The cost of blackouts in Europe
In January 2005, a severe storm swept across Northern Europe, from Ireland to Russia. More than 500,000 homes were left without power, with Denmark and Southern Sweden being particularly hard-hit.
Biomass: a green source of energy?
Biomass: a green source of energy?
Bioenergy represents two-thirds of the energy produced from renewable sources in Europe, though biomass sustainability is not taken for granted.
Greater granularity on anthropogenic emission
Greater granularity on anthropogenic emission
Anthropogenic emissions have, until now, been collected, but not harmonised . These consist, for example, of data of nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, smog, methane, CO 2 and even pollen and dust produced, among others by heavy industry and power plants.
When air quality governs traffic management
When air quality governs traffic management
Poor air quality costs Europe more than €700 million per year, in health expenditures and loss of economic performance, according to official EU sources.
When urban waste become bioplastics
When urban waste become bioplastics
Each year, the European Union produces three billion tonnes of waste. This equates to six tonnes of solid waste for every EU citizen, according to Eurostat. A major challenge is findings ways to reduce and reuse a large amount of such waste .
Global solar radiation map
Global solar radiation map
Renewable energy sources play an important role in securing future energy supply and mitigating climate change.
Is desertification on the increase?
Is desertification on the increase?
News of increased desertification has made headlines. Yet this process is not well understood.
Acoustic waves warn of tsunami
Acoustic waves warn of tsunami
When a coastal area is about to be hit by the waves of a tsunami, time is everything. The earlier we know where and when it is going to hit the coast, the more chances there are to evacuate the area.
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