By Sarah Schiffling, Liverpool John Moores University; and Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos,Technological University Dublin | Twenty million tonnes of grain are currently stuck in Ukrainian silos, exacerbating the global food crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of the country. Aside from the need to get the grain onto world markets, freeing up storage space will be crucial […]
Biden just declared Heat Pumps and Solar Panels essential to National Defense – here’s why and the Challenges Ahead
By Daniel Cohan, Rice University | – Solar panels, heat pumps and hydrogen are all building blocks of a clean energy economy. But are they truly “essential to the national defense”? President Joe Biden proclaimed that they are in early June when he authorized using the Defense Production Act to ramp up their production in […]
Regardless of seditious conspiracy charges’ outcome, groups like Proud Boys seek to build a white nation
By Matthew Valasik, University of Alabama; and Shannon Reid, University of North Carolina – Charlotte | – As the House Select Committee prepares to begin public hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, far-right groups including the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers are were a prominent topic of discussion. At the same time, both […]
Ice world: Antarctica’s riskiest glacier is under assault from below and losing its grip
By Ted Scambos, University of Colorado Boulder | – Flying over Antarctica, it’s hard to see what all the fuss is about. Like a gigantic wedding cake, the frosting of snow on top of the world’s largest ice sheet looks smooth and unblemished, beautiful and perfectly white. Little swirls of snow dunes cover the surface. […]
Guns in the US: Why the NRA is so Successful at preventing Reform
By Thomas Gift, UCL | – In the wake of the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 children and two teachers, Democrats in the US – led by the president, Joe Biden – have once again called for stricter national gun laws. Yet many experts believe prospects for reform remain bleak, a […]
Stinky seaweed is clogging Caribbean beaches – but a New Zealand solution could turn it into green power and fertiliser
By Saeid Baroutian, University of Auckland; and Terrell Thompson, University of Auckland | – Rotting seaweed has plagued the Caribbean for more than 10 years – but our research shows how we could clean up beaches and emissions at the same time, by turning what’s now rubbish into renewable electricity and fertiliser. Pelagic sargassum is […]
The ‘carbon footprint’ was co-opted by fossil fuel companies to shift climate blame – here’s how it can serve us again
By Marcelle McManus, University of Bath | – “You can’t manage what you can’t measure”, according to a famous business mantra often attributed to management guru Peter Drucker. This can help explain why carbon emissions are under more scrutiny than ever as we ramp up our efforts to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change. […]
Electricity from the cold Ocean Depths could One day Power Island States
By Rosalind Archer, Griffith University | – In the tropics, the deep sea is cold and the sea surface is very warm. That temperature difference can be harnessed and turned into electricity. If we can improve the technology, this method of producing power could be a godsend for island nations reliant on expensive and polluting […]
Elections: a Global Ranking rates US Weakest among Liberal Democracies
By Toby James, University of East Anglia; and Holly Ann Garnett, Royal Military College of Canada | – Defending democracy has suddenly become one of the central challenges of our age. The land war in Ukraine is widely considered a front line between autocratic rule and democratic freedom. The United States continues to absorb the […]