since modern meteorological records began in 1880, nine of the last 10 years have been the warmest wherein 2010 was the warmest.
"As greenhouse gas emissions from energy production, industry and vehicles have increased, temperatures have climbed, most notably since the late 1970s." NASA
Since 1880 the carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere was approximately 225 parts per million (ppm), but since 1960 the average amount rose to be 315 ppm. Today however it's more than 390 ppm and continues to increase to rise at an accelerating pace.
World water shortages are now more apparent than ever. The present dire situation in Somalia and the huge drought in Texas, USA to name a few bears this environmental degradation out.
"The United Nations estimates up to 750,000 people may die as a result of the drought and subsequent famine in Somalia. That figure eclipses the death toll of the Asian tsunami and Haiti earthquake combined."
Here below is a short film entitled Watershed from Temujin Doran, which is a brief explanation of how the planet's freshwater reserves have become depleted and is based on figures taken from the 2006 Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, no less.
is environmentally friendly, reusable 260 times and will only cost US$2 an A4 sheet !
A team of Taiwanese research scientists have developed a new generation film that can be printed on a thermal printer.
According to the Taiwanese developers ""i2R e-Paper is paper but not paper as we know it -- not yet, anyway."
The material is based on a plastic film covered with choleric liquid crystal, a type of liquid crystal structured similarly to cholesterol molecules and can be erased by simply plugging it to a power source.
As they say in the video; the researchers anticipate saving many trees since it will offer multiple reuses for transportation tickets, ID badges, paper signs and posters among many more. The developers anticipate their e-Paper will be widely available within 2 years.
"Climate change–related increased burden of disease, specifically from allergy and asthma, is anticipated because of changes in the distribution, quantity, and quality of pollen, and lengthening of the pollen season. Asthma and allergic disease will also likely be worsened because of interaction between heavier pollen loads and increasing air pollution from natural and man-made sources. People with allergy and asthma may expect worsening disease, more days with symptoms, and reduced quality of life as a result of these environmental changes."
Quick, go grab your decongestant spray since the ensuing exquisite media art piece de resistance may either spontaneously trigger a tickling sneeze, or merely lightly entertain and educate our awareness of its delirious outcome in our global warming world.
Fabrice Mathieu filmed Flying Pollen in slow motion at 50 frames per second using his Canon 550D 18-55mm, 100-300mm with a shrilling zinging sound design.
While this charming slow motion video beautifully illustrates the dispersion of flying pollen we may need to reflect on Scott Browns climate progress analysis, of the health allergies associated with early and more pronounced flying pollen. This nevertheless appears likely to result in an unanticipated boom in decongestant pharmaceuticals.
"Scientists and health experts reveal that chemicals in many of the plastic products we take for granted are toxic and potentially to blame for epidemics of cancer and other diseases."
Almost everyday of our consumerist lives we purchase something in plastic, albeit as an object of use, wrapping or a container. Some of us are likely concerned with how we discard the used plastic items, but perhaps too many of us don't give it much thought as to how we dispose of the used materials and clearly see nothing wrong with discarding it into waterways. As all water and what it carries drifts, down and out into the ocean currents it consequently travels to a place now known as the Great North Western Pacific Garbage Patch. Some commentators refer to this location as an island, and although there maybe some truth in that a great deal of the refuse also gets lodged on many sandy beach islands within the area.
Midway Atoll is one such island and here in the video below, TV host and Filmmaker Angela Sun shows how riddled with plastic waste the Atoll has become. Angela is on a personal quest of discovery to uncover the mystery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and in so doing illustrates the growing toxic confetti that causes the depletion of many marine animals.
"She encounters environmental activists staging elaborate stunts to raise awareness and legislators struggling to address the problem. She investigates the hidden truth about recycling and attempts to contact the leaders of a powerful petrochemical industry in control of our limitless production and consumption of plastic, an industry that does not take kindly to questions about oceans filling up with its garbage."
The video above is a promo and Angela Sun believes that if she can complete her documentary film, she can greater influence, empower and motivate others into further forms of positive action. Thus, she needs more funds to complete her project and is seeking donations via her website.
A collaborative team of sail boat engineers, computer hardware and robot scientists are researching and developing a low cost open source hardware platform or sail boat skimmer to more efficiently collect oil from waterway oil spillages.The sailing boat is being specifically designed to autonomously sail upwind, intercepting oil sheens going downwind.
"Spilled oil moves downwind from its source following surface currents. Traditional oil skimmers pull oil-absorbent booms and trace random linear paths in a sea of oil. But a better way to capture this oil is to sail upwind, intercepting the oil sheens traveling downwind. Protei harnesses the wind in order to power an unmanned sailing drone, pulling a long oil-absorbent ‘tail’ upwind. A fleet of many Protei will work automatically as a swarm, or be remotely controlled by coastal residents and on-line gamers."
The Protei team need more funds to continue to develop the project and are seeking financial assistance from anyone who either simply wants to donate, invest or even build their own vessels. The video here demonstrates a critical understanding of the issues, the international flavor of the collaboration, and a developmental line of the technology. Although the video suffers from poor sound quality, at least at the beginning of the video, it oughtn't be to difficult for you to do a little knob twiddling whilst watching this ecologically sound and environmentally friendly idea.
The flooding never stops as Australia's Victoria (see video, below), gets a creeping massive inland sea that obliterates townships, villages, lively-hoods and municipal infrastructure throughout its north west.
Sydneysiders have just this afternoon received a very welcome cool strong burst of cool air lifting us out of the worst full 7 days on record of a 'round the clock' severe heatwave. Albeit north east Queensland has progressed to the mopping up phase, of tropical cyclone Yasi; hopefully giving rise to some worthwhile form of social and infrastructural remediation from the worst tropical cyclone in recorded history.
Simultaneously at present the remnant cyclonic stream from Yasi is rummaging across inner west Queensland towards the center of Australia, as the worst flood in recorded history is swamping multitudinous hectares of north western Victoria. Into this mix Australians struggle, perspire, sweat, or boat across wide open expanses of temporary flooded plains, hopefully to nearby evacuation centers.
Hey, but if things couldn't get any worse, with news just in; South Australia has just now been impacted by the petering out tropical cyclone Yasi.
"The landscape is sodden across a wide area of South Australia. Yongala received 128 millimeters of rain in 24 hours, beating a record set 121 years ago. Hallett in the mid-north also had a record fall of 98 millimeters, beating a mark set in 1890".
Go read the full story and view the video, from ABC News.
The biggest category 5 cyclone in recorded history is presently beginning to batter the geography of far north Queensland coastal region, at a breadth of more than 200 kilometers. The nastiness is expected to penetrate the inland for at least another 3-400 kilometers, until if we can believe the meterologists, should begin to subside.
"This time lapse (video) uses false color infrared imagery from JMA's MTSAT geostationary satellite & radar data from the Australia BoM to track the path of the Tropical Cyclone Yasi as it forms and heads towards the Queensland Coast."
Environmental degradation, possible risks to human life and possessions are expected to deliver expotential ill outcomes.
For the most current versions of this satellite imagery, go here.
is a huge insect-like structure that moves independently and gracefully with the wind.
Theo Jansen has been developing his beach based environmentally friendly kinetic sculptures for about 20 years. His first biomorphic machines walked only in one direction. Since then he has developed his Strandbeest's as he affectionately calls them, to walk, powered by the wind.
Essentially, Strandbeest's are made from recycled materials - cable, PVC conduit and plastic bottles. Animaris Siamesis, his most recent incarnation is driven pneumatically - wind-powered pistons compress air into bottles, from which it's released to drive the walking legs.
Amazingly his latest version stores some of the wind's energy in plastic bottle 'stomachs' to be used when there is no wind, as we see in his video, here, his graceful creature doing a short walk on compressed wind from the wind stomach.
He intends these graceful creatures to continue to walk up and down the beach long after his life has passed, as we hear in this other video.
Totally dire flood predicament causes anguish and despair with floating detritus playing havoc across the Brisbane flood plain ripping at the very hearts of architecture, infrastructure, lives and families.
"Watching Australian TV you might be forgiven for thinking you're in the middle of an apocalyptic Hollywood movie going crazy with the CGI. From the gunmetal gray skies to the torrential rains and powerful floodwater tossing cars around as if they were Hot wheels toys you can't but feel a tremor run down your spine." Liz Pereira
There are 18 people confirmed dead and up to 20 something still missing after 6 days. 1000's of homes completely destroyed, 10's of thousands of people have had to leave their homes knowing that they will come back to utter environmental devastation ?
A couple of days ago Geoff Mackley and Bradley Ambrose who are in Brisbane covering this unfolding disaster, documented some unique perspectives of the raging torrid down the Brisbane river, cajoling dozens of boats as other items smash into bridges over the Brisbane River.
The river has since reduced its girth and the long and grinding road for clean up and rebuilding is underway. Go here to read more about how the flood unfolded and how the community is now dealing with it.
Peter Murphy has some captured some really excellent photographic panoramas of the devastating floods here.
Also, Australian online mapping company Nearmap, has released a flyover map of the flood devastation, in "super high resolution and you can zoom in and see a walnut on the ground without it pixelating." via
is the worlds largest solar powered boat and is presently preparing to depart Cancun having been there, promoting the use of sustainable energy to the delegates of the World climate conference of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).
The 'Tûranor', a Swiss creation, is set to become the first boat ever to circumnavigate the world using dedicated solar power, slicing the water at a top speed of 14 knots
The double-hulled boat is 31 meters long, 29 m wide and 7.6 m tall with a crew of six, was developed and by Raphaël Domjan from Switzerland and funded by the German businessman Immo Ströher.
The craft was built with incredibly light yet very durable carbon fibre sandwich construction.by New Zealander, Craig Loomes who is considered to be one of the world’s most innovative boat designers and built by the Kiel-based boat-building firm, Knierim Yachtbau. The following video shows the boat crisply sailing through the water with its almost 2 meter wide specifically engineered propellers.
'Tûranor' PlanetSolar uses the highest rated Lithium battery cells available, powering two electric motors and the 500 square meters of solar panels allowing the catamaran to travel for up to three full days, even without direct sunlight. Go here to read more and or view more photographs of it here.
is a revolutionary new Nanoscale invention that is non-toxic, transparent and can protect almost any surface against any damage from hazards such as water, UV radiation, dirt, heat and or microscopical bacteria. The material is also breathable, flexible and environmentally friendly, which makes it suitable for an enormous array of everyday products.
"The liquid glass spray (technically termed “SiO2 ultra-thin layering”) consists of almost pure silicon dioxide (silica, the normal compound in glass) extracted from quartz sand. Water or ethanol is added, depending on the type of surface to be coated. There are no additives, and the nano-scale glass coating bonds to the surface because of the quantum forces involved. According to the manufacturers, liquid glass has a long-lasting antibacterial effect because microbes landing on the surface cannot divide or replicate easily." physorg
Sprayed onto almost any surface, an invisible film 100 nanometers thick some 500 times thinner than a human hair, forms a completely impermeable layer. Central to the product's ubiquity is that it's available in a solution of either alcohol or water dependent on which surface needs to be protected. Spray-on-glass looks as though it will make most cleaning products obsolete, since it can be used on almost any surface in the home, and one spray is said to last a year.
"Several organizations are said to be testing the product, including a train company in Britain, which is using liquid glass on both the interior and exterior of the train, a luxury hotel chain, a designer clothing company and a German branch of a hamburger chain. " Telegraph
According to Nanopool, sometime in the near future, almost every product you purchase will be protected with a highly durable easy-to-clean coating.
"Liquid glass spray is perhaps the most important nanotechnology product to emerge to date. It will be available in DIY stores in Britain soon, with prices starting at around £5 ($8 US)." physorg
Creative ecology activist Natalie Jeremijenko puts art to work, to address environmental issues by combining engineering know-how, public art and a team of volunteers. Among her real-life experiments are; walking tadpoles, texting "fish," planting fire-hydrant gardens and more.
She outlines a paradigm shift in how we administer medical health in order to usurp the ecological disaster we are continually creating in our globally warming world. In the video below she interprets health as outside of the body and a collective effort rather than an individual one.
She clearly exemplifies how displacement is the wrong method to use in dealing with environmental pollution, in relation to the oil containment's running down the roadways and gutters of Lower Manhattan.
In this fast paced wordy but articulate TED lecture Natalie interweaves art, engineering, environmentalism, biochemistry and more to create real-life experiments that enable social change.
Natalie Jeremijenko is based in New York, but currently in Sydney until December 10 working on her latest collaboration: Remnant/Emergency ArtLab project.
"The focus will be on the issues surrounding the long-running attempt to remove a large colony of Grey Headed Flying Foxes ('fruit bats') from the Sydney Botanical Gardens. It will be conducted between the 17th-30th November in Sydney with outcomes presented both at the UTS Gallery and at the International Participatory Design Conference at UTS. "
I'm certain many a Botanical gardens enthusiast will be crossing their fingers and hoping with baited breath that she succeeds with her project !
Many computer and electronic gadget manufacturers are or have become increasingly aware of, building their devices with recyclable materials through which they promote their products with Green Energy Certification. This is all well and good for consumers and green industrial standards alike, but what of the packaging used for these devices ? Most if not all computer hardware and just about every gadget we pick up from the electronics store is boxed using preformed polystyrene foam, or Styrofoam. And while many artists, architects, model makers and diy-ers, etc love to create and build with it, the material has a huge downside - it doesn't and will never, ever ever break down and disintegrate with the earth - in other words its simply not compostable.
According to Eben Bayer the USA alone currently spends $20 billion a year to produce all sorts of Styrofoam, from coolers to carryout containers and untold amounts of packaging. It takes 1.5 liters of petrol to produce just one cubic foot of the stuff, and Styrofoam occupies 25 percent of our landfills.
Eben Bayer, in the video here, talks about a better solution based on natures recycling system using Mycelium found in mushrooms as the glue for his new packaging called Mycobond. His initiative transforms low-value agricultural byproducts into strong biological composites that can be used as biodegradable alternatives to conventional polluting plastics, foams, and packaging materials.
is rooted within their interaction with their environment. The sounds and soundings within it have inspired them to create a style of singing in which two or more pitches sound simultaneously over a fundamental pitch.
Tuva a tiny republic of southern Siberia, reverberates in long eerie wind swept cadences, together with whistling birds, bubbling streams, howling wolves and brutishly cold wide open country of icy lakes, fields and the occasional mountain range.
Truly interactive with nature geographically situates Tuvan's oral tradition within what we understand as onomatopoeia or the word that describes words which "sound like they are".
The actual lyrics that the ethnic Tuvan lads, are singing in this first video, are
So in case your wondering how it maybe possible to sing like the Tuvan's, Vocatrix, demonstrates, in this next video his interpretive assessment of low throat oscillation singing, where he likens it to the sound of the Didgeridoo. Nevertheless I'm really taken aback by Vocatrix's ability to create on the fly beatboxrhythm with low throat singing, towards the end of his tutorial.
Read and listen to the many variants and styles of Tuvan throat singing, here or equally fascinating are their guitar like instruments.
Biologist Willie Smits has discovered a method of sustainable energy production: using the forest to generate biofuels with a carbon-positive impact. His idea is grounded on his experience of having lived and worked in Indonesia for the last thirty years searching for ways to restore fragile ecosystems.
"The world is in need of bio-fuels, but most have many problems, Tapergy's does not. It is produced from a previously untapped, efficient and sustainable resource —the Sugar Palm, a tree that is three times more efficient than sugar cane and yields more than seven times the productivity of corn. Sugar Palm grows best in a bio-diverse forest environment and does not compete with food crops for valuable agricultural land. Our proprietary, zero-waste process is scalable and can satisfy a significant part of the world's energy needs while providing meaningful, everyday employment in developing countries across the tropical forest belt. Degraded land is reforested, watersheds protected and our carbon positive approach moderates our global climate."
"it is estimated that 7% of the world’s annual oil production is used to produce and manufacture plastic. That is more than the oil consumed by the entire African continent. Plastic trash is also polluting our oceans and washing up on beaches around the world. Tons of plastic from the US and Japan are floating in the Pacific Ocean, killing mammals and birds."
Akinori Ito, CEO of Blest has invented a machine that turns plastic back into oil using temperature controlling electric heater. The interesting thing he says in the video is how he uses the machine to teach people that plastic is not waste, but a resource that can be reused.
"The machines are able to process polyethylene, polystyrene and polypropylene (numbers 2-4) but not PET bottles (number 1). The result is a crude gas that can fuel things like generators or stoves and, when refined, can even be pumped into a car, a boat or motorbike. One kilogram of plastic produces almost one liter of oil. To convert that amount takes about 1 kilowatt of electricity, which is approximately ¥20 or 20 cents’ worth. The company makes the machines in various sizes and has 60 in place at farms, fisheries and small factories in Japan and several abroad. Currently the smallest version, shown in the videobrief, costs ¥950,000 (US $9,500)."
Although Akinori Ito'smachine seems to be a worthwhile invention, I do wonder whether using 650Wh of electricity to produce one liter of oil from 1kg of plastic is all that environmentally sustainable ?
Update
Due to much interest in this technology and since posting this story the Japanese Blest company has further developed its technology. The machine demonstrated in the video above is now available to purchase for $12,700 plus tax, and they have also have added to 2 industrial scaled machines as well as two machines to refine the oil into useable gasoline. Click here to learn more.
Scott Brusaw of northern Idaho is an environmental visionary who is aiming to build roadways using his solar roadway design of prefabricated glass solar panels embedded with photovoltaic solar cells and LED lights. The panels would be engineered to withstand the forces of traffic, that is, anything up to 40 tons of traversing truck.
Scott Brusaw outlines his entire concept and design within the the video here including taking into account the possibility of making drivers aware of ensuing road conditions ahead. All up its an amazing idea, not only does it get the energy from the roads, it opens up the opportunity to run power alongside the roadways, the power can go straight into the grid.
Many scientists are puzzled as to why the thermosphere is contracting. The upper most layer of the earths atmosphere begins 80 to 90 kilometers above the surface and extends several hundred kilometers into the sky. This region is occupied by numerous satellites and the International Space Station.
In a recent study of satellite orbital decay (due to light atmospheric drag) found that the contraction during 2008 and 2009 was unusually more severe than expected, leaving researchers at a loss for how to explain it.
Nevertheless the following video/animation clip, from NCAR scientist Stan Solomon offers us his theory as to why the thermosphere is contracting.
"With anthropogenic activities there has been an increase in global carbon emissions. The concentration of CO2 in the thermosphere has therefore increased. When the CO2 atoms are energized in the thermosphere by collisions with other atoms and molecules, their energy is radiated as heat before it can transfer its energy by other means such as another collision. Over time this manifests itself as an overall cooling and contraction of the thermosphere." Source
Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have developed a wood-based hot-melt composite adhesive that doesn't use any organic solvents or toxic chemicals, and is based purely on vegetable oils.
According to CleanTechnica, adhesive tape accounts for a $26 billion global industry. Hence a more sustainable adhesive could help speed up the long, slow fade out of petrochemicals in the production of masking tape, packing tape, duct tape, sticky notes and other tapes in daily use by industry, office workers and residences.
The development of this new glue implies a new approach to finding more sustainable ways in the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. This sentiment is born out in the video below by Martyn Poliakoff outlining his thoughts on the development of Green or Sustainable Chemistry. You may be inclined to take notice when he refers to the amount of chemicals used to produce a batch of viagra, before and now!
Coincidently, a team of scientists in Wyoming, have been studying spider web glue from the golden orb weaving spider in the hope to develop a new super tech bio-based glue for a variety of specific scientific purposes.
Nevertheless you may be interested in reading more about the basic principles of green chemistry, here.
Nevertheless is a showcase of ideas, inventions and creative inventiveness of individuals, groups and companies, concerns for things green that can help change a polluted and climate disrupted world. Also of interest is the harm that human penetration and exploitation is doing to the world around us especially habitat destruction and species extinction.
