Magazine

Matthew Lackner, University of Massachusetts Amherst and Erin Baker, University of Massachusetts Amherst There are only five wind turbines operating in U.S. waters today. But that will likely soon change, partly because of states with ambitious offshore wind targets. Off the Massachusetts coastline, for example, Vineyard Wind aims to build one of the nation’s first […]

Howard J. Herzog, Massachusetts Institute of Technology In a much-anticipated report, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the world will need to take dramatic and drastic steps to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change. Featured prominently in the report is a discussion of a range of techniques for removing carbon dioxide from

An Interview with Sharon Danks, Founder of Green Schoolyards America Sharon Danks, the author of Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation, is one of the world’s leading experts on living schoolyards. She’ll be the keynote speaker in the opening session of the upcoming Green California Schools and Community Colleges Summit. In a Green Technology

Patrick Gonzalez, University of California, Berkeley Human-caused climate change is disrupting ecosystems and people’s lives around the world. It is melting glaciers, increasing wildfires, and shifting vegetation across vast landscapes. These impacts have reached national parks around the world and in the United States. Until now, however, no analysis had examined climate change trends across

William Moomaw, Tufts University; Gillian Davies, Tufts University, and Max Finlayson, Charles Sturt University “Drain the swamp” has long meant getting rid of something distasteful. Actually, the world needs more swamps – and bogs, fens, marshes and other types of wetlands. These are some of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth. They also

Sarah Kurtz, University of California, Merced California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a new law mandating that the electricity the state consumes not cause carbon emissions by 2045. He also issued an executive order that goes even further: It commits California to “achieve carbon neutrality” across the board and not just for power generation by

Anthony F. Arrigo, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Los Angeles is looking into whether it should spend an estimated US$3 billion on a massive, 20-mile underground pumped hydropower storage system that would be connected to the iconic Hoover Dam on the Colorado River outside of Las Vegas. If it does get built, this system would essentially

Derek E. Lee, Pennsylvania State University Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is blaming this summer’s large-scale wildfires on environmentalists, who he contends oppose “active management” in forests. But the idea that wildfires should be suppressed by logging the forest is far too simplistic. Most scientists agree that large hot wildfires produce many benefits for North American

David R. Montgomery, University of Washington One of the biggest modern myths about agriculture is that organic farming is inherently sustainable. It can be, but it isn’t necessarily. After all, soil erosion from chemical-free tilled fields undermined the Roman Empire and other ancient societies around the world. Other agricultural myths hinder recognizing the potential to

Danny Ducat, Michigan State University With news that companies like Starbucks, Hyatt and Marriott have agreed to ban plastic straws, it’s a fitting time to consider the role of plastic in our daily lives. Plastics are an often overlooked modern wonder – cheap and multipurpose substances that can be fashioned into myriad products. Drinking straws