ITER is moving forward to demonstrate viability of fusion—the power of the sun and stars—as an abundant, safe, carbon-free energy source for the planet. This remarkable geopolitical achievement is the result of sustained collaboration by China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and the USA. Thousands of scientists and engineers have contributed components from hundreds of factories on three continents to build a single machine, demonstrating that when humanity faces existential challenges like climate change and energy security, we can overcome national differences to advance solutions.

In what could represent a milestone in ecological restoration, researchers have implemented a method capable of restoring peatlands at tens of thousands of oil and gas exploration sites in Western Canada. 

Researchers from the University of Waterloo led the project that involves lowering the surface of these decommissioned sites, known as well pads, and transplanting native moss onto them to effectively recreate peatlands. This is the first time researchers have applied the method to scale on an entire well pad. The study found that the technique results in sufficient water for the growth of peatland moss across large portions of the study site. 

Increasing urban vegetation by 30% could save over one-third of all heat related deaths, saving up to 1.16 million lives globally from 2000 to 2019 according to a 20-year modelling study of the impact of increasing greenness in more than 11,000 urban areas.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials have developed a carbon-free, energy-saving method to extract nickel for batteries and stainless steel

Imagine a natural fortress standing strong against raging storms. That’s what mangroves and other forested wetlands do for our coastlines. But how well do they protect us, and against which storms? Researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University, China and the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) have uncovered a new and easy method to predict the effectiveness of these natural barriers during extreme weather events. This is an important new insight and tool for coastal managers and policymakers.

Forests play a crucial role in mitigating climate change by acting as carbon sinks. However, accurately tracking the carbon dynamics of forests, especially in rapidly urbanizing regions, remains a challenge. A recent study published in Forest Ecosystems offers new insights into the carbon effects of continuous forest change in China’s Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2000 to 2020, using advanced monitoring techniques.