This week’s ten biggest climate innovation stories — 14 December

Posts 13 Dec 2017

What material could finally provide a green alternative to plastic? What’s growing beneath the streets of Paris? And, how can we get the most out of lithium-ion batteries?

This, and more, in the week’s ten biggest climate innovation stories.

1. New 3D-printed algae could revolutionize the way we make things

Dutch designers Eric Klarenbeek and Maartje Dros have created a bioplastic made from algae that can be 3D printed into virtually any shape—and could finally provide the world with a viable green alternative to plastic.

2. World Bank to cease financing upstream oil and gas after 2019

The World Bank will no longer finance upstream oil and gas projects after 2019, apart from certain gas projects in the poorest countries in exceptional circumstances, it said on Tuesday, drawing praise from environmental groups.

3. Paris has a new underground—a massive farm for mushrooms and veggies

La Caverne is a unique urban farm that grows mushrooms, herbs, and greens located in the La Chapelle neighborhood in north-central Paris. It’s owned and operated by Cycloponics, an indoor farming startup that focuses on growing sustainable, local food, and boosting local economies.

4. Well designed environmental regulations can deliver positive economic outcomes

A new report based on interviews in the waste, construction, and car industries in the UK has concluded that well designed environmental regulations are seen as a potential positive which can deliver economic benefits through increased business investment, rather than unnecessary bureaucratic red tape.

5. Wild grasses grow atop this Icelandic home’s folded roof

Reykjavik-based Studio Granda designed B14, a villa partially built from the recycled remains of the clients’ former dwelling. The undulating landscaped roof appears to mimic the nearby Bláfjöll mountain ridge, while the roofline’s valleys and folds help collect rainwater that trickles down the walls in open copper channels.

6. New analysis of lithium-ion batteries shows how to pack in more energy

Using a combination of theoretical computer modeling and sophisticated X-ray methods, researchers have for the first time found a relationship between the way atoms rearrange themselves in an electrode when it’s being charged and how electrons are stored in a battery’s atomic and chemical structures. This insight should give battery-makers a blueprint for building lithium-rich electrodes that could dramatically improve battery performance.

7. Big investors press major companies to step up climate action

More than 200 institutional investors with trillions in assets under management said on Tuesday they would step up pressure on the world’s biggest corporate greenhouse gas emitters to combat climate change.

8. A new era: The digitalisation of Europe’s energy system

The clean energy transition requires first and foremost bridging energy and digital economy. The single energy market and the digital single market must go hand-in-hand, argues Dominique Ristori.

9. Why private ‘actors’ are taking center stage on climate change

Although the climate problem will not be solved without government responses, it’s been demonstrated that private actors—including corporations, advocacy groups, individuals and households, civic, cultural, philanthropic and religious organizations, universities and hospitals—are achieving major emissions reductions around the globe.

10. EU pins hopes on ‘regional forums’ to unlock electricity trade

A seamless pan-European energy market is still a long way off but decisive steps can be taken now with stronger regional cooperation and the introduction of cross-border bidding zones for electricity, policymakers, and industry experts argue.

This week’s ten biggest climate innovation stories — 14 December

1.

New 3D-printed algae could revolutionize the way we make things

2.

World Bank to cease financing upstream oil and gas after 2019

3.

Paris has a new underground—a massive farm for mushrooms and veggies

4.

Well designed environmental regulations can deliver positive economic outcomes

5.

Wild grasses grow atop this Icelandic home’s folded roof

6.

New analysis of lithium-ion batteries shows how to pack in more energy

7.

Big investors press major companies to step up climate action

8.

A new era: The digitalisation of Europe’s energy system

9.

Why private ‘actors’ are taking center stage on climate change

10.

EU pins hopes on ‘regional forums’ to unlock electricity trade

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