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ENVIRONMENT

Earth science

It’s hard to talk about space-based solar — that is, transmitting the energy — without conjuring images of a death ray. But the team at the California Institute of Technology says the power density of the beam would be comparable to the power density of sunlight.

ENVIRONMENT / Earth science

Oct 27, 2023

Beam solar energy from space? These scientists say yes

By David R Baker

The hurdles that have grounded space-based solar in the past aren’t merely technical, they’re also financial.

A report by the Climate Overshoot Commission said that potentially dangerous experimental geoengineering methods — including controversial "solar radiation modification" — need to be halted until they have been researched thoroughly.

ENVIRONMENT / Earth science

Sep 15, 2023

Risky geoengineering should be banned, climate group says

Cutting CO2 emissions is vital, but potentially dangerous geoengineering methods need to be halted until they have been researched thoroughly.

Many scientists say more research into volcanoes is vital to gauge how far eruptions can briefly affect the long-term trend of global warming, which is primarily driven by burning fossil fuels.

ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / ANALYSIS

Sep 15, 2023

Why is 2023 so hot? A rare Pacific volcano is among the suspects

By Alister Doyle

Greenhouse gas emissions are overwhelmingly to blame, scientists say, but water vapor from the Tonga eruption last year may have played a role too.

Commercial fishermen form the word "SOS" to spread the message about ocean acidification caused by fossil fuel emissions, in Homer, Alaska, in 2009. Ocean acidification is one of nine planetary boundaries that determine life on Earth.

ENVIRONMENT / Earth science

Sep 14, 2023

Humanity pushing Earth far beyond 'safe operating space': study

By Marlowe Hood

Six of nine planetary boundaries — within which the world is livable for most species, including our own — are already deep in the red zone.

Residents clean up debris in the aftermath of Typhoon Hagibis in Date, Fukushima Prefecture, in October 2019.

ENVIRONMENT / Earth science / OUR PLANET

Aug 20, 2023

A Japan research team dares to ask: Can typhoons be controlled?

By Daniel Traylor

Researchers in Yokohama are probing whether tropical cyclones can be weakened or diverted, with energy they produce also tapped to generate power.

You can often see generations of families enjoying performances together at Fuji Rock Festival.

Japan’s summer music festivals are feeling the heat in more ways than one

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.

The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'

By Tomoko Otake

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality

Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality

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