environment Archives

The ultimate veg patch: Can phytotechnology save cultivated peatlands?

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Intact, water-logged peatlands are a stable store of the world’s carbon, but if drained they can become near perfect (organic) soils for growing high-cost vegetables. It was thought that you couldn’t cultivate a peatland without ruining it and releasing its carbon into the atmosphere. Dr Jacynthe Dessureault-Rompré, with her team at Laval University in Québec, Canada, has been investigating whether […]

Could acesulfame potassium be leaving the bittersweet taste of a toxic environment?

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Dr Guiney’s review shows that ACE-K has a negligible impact on aquatic organisms.

Our modern sewage is defined by many potential toxic threats from new chemical compounds we use in our daily lives. One potentially unexpected entrant for this phenomenon is acesulfame potassium (ACE-K), a calorie-free sweetener. As it is not digested by the body, ACE-K is excreted straight into the toilet, arriving in our wastewater and surface water. Dr Patrick Guiney, Principal […]

Using thermal imaging to prevent and forecast particulate emissions from mine tailings

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Fugitive dust emissions from dry mine tailings surfaces is an environmental concern that undermines the mining industry’s social acceptability. Aluminium refining waste material management involves intensive mud farming activities intended to accelerate drying prior to the residue’s permanent storage and site remediation. Throughout this process surface evaporation occurs much faster, requiring continuous and in-situ monitoring of mine tailings’ drying state […]

The importance of people’s values and self-identities in the acceptability of geoengineering technologies

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Why is the acceptability of geoengineering technologies important? For many, climate change is regarded as one of the most pressing issues in modern times. By 2050, the European Union is aiming to have 70% of its energy supplies come from renewable energy sources. Similarly, one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals is to provide clean, affordable, and sustainable energy […]

Exploring mental benefits of the natural environment

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Treetops look like faces beneath a cloudy sky

Natural environments affect behavioural and neural processes, facilitating increased positive emotions and creativity, and reducing stress and impulsive decision-making. Kerry Jordan of Utah State University explores this domain, focusing on impulsive decision-making. With limited neurological literature on mental benefits of natural environments, she recently employed event-related potentials and attention restoration theory in an electrophysiological exploration of implicit decision-making when viewing […]

Genetically modified cotton: How has it changed India?

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The aim of introducing Bt cotton to India was to reduce the amount of insecticide needed in farming cotton.

Nearly two decades ago, a genetically modified type of cotton, known as Bt cotton, was introduced to India to reduce farmers’ insecticide use. Today, researchers want to understand the effects that the introduction of this new cotton crop has had on Indian farmers. Using advanced statistical methods, Professor Ian Plewis from the University of Manchester investigates the effect of Bt cotton on […]

Sufficiency economy philosophy: buddhism-based sustainability framework in Thailand

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Buddhism-based sustainability framework in Thailand The Thai Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) framework directly reflects the concept of Buddhism. In fact, the word root of Buddha’s teachings, Dharma (Dhamma in Pali), literally means “sustain.” One of the central doctrines of Dharma is to take a middle path between the two extremes of continuum, namely maximizing growth and minimizing utility or […]

Protein as a Unifying Metric for Carbon Footprinting Livestock

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The GHG-protein indicator can be used to inform consumers and producers about the impact of red meat consumption on GHG levels in Canada.

Agriculture and livestock production contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. To reduce these emissions, some environmental groups advocate reducing the amount of red meat that we consume. James Dyer and Raymond Desjardins, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), were interested in the impact that reducing red meat, diversifying meat consumption and changing cattle diets could potentially have on […]

Antlers: The long and short of it

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Antlers play a central role in deer mating behaviour as both a weapon for competition between rivals, and a visual signal of mate quality. However, antler growth is energetically costly and the allocation of resources must be balanced against survival. Research led by Dr Bronson Strickland and Dr Steve Demarais, co-directors of the Deer Ecology and Management Research Laboratory at […]

Measure what you treasure How Global Footprint Network is using data to show people how to protect our planet

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There is only one Earth, but humans are consuming biological resources as if there were more Earths available. Last year, Global Footprint Network marked ‘Earth Overshoot Day’ on 1st August; humanity had used our budget of resources for the year five months early. For over a decade, Global Footprint Network has been striving to reduce this ecological deficit through education […]