PHAs (polyhydroxy alkanoates) are interesting but difficult plastics. Interesting because they are produced in a natural way. From sustainable or waste resources. By microorganisms and not at high temperatures. PHAs are biodegradable. They have widely varying properties. In many applications, … Read more
There are no leaders in the world of microorganisms. All creatures have friends and enemies. Some of them are actual living organisms, others are at the intersection of living and non-living matter. Alternatively, they are only active in a reciprocal … Read more
Reforestation is an important instrument in the fight against climate change. Particularly in Europe, planting more trees would increase rainfall and reverse a drying trend. But do we know enough about woods, to be able to create healthy woodlands? New … Read more
Almost three years ago, in 2019, we voiced our concern over increased methane emissions. Although then we saw a bright side to this problem: unlike CO2 emissions, methane (CH4) emissions can easily be tracked down and repaired. But three years … Read more
A number of powerful people has embarked on a mission to defy death. The most recent among these is Jeff Bezos, former CEO of Amazon and one of the five richest people on earth. He was preceded by George Church, … Read more
Biological crop protection is on the rise. In many respects, biologicals are better than chemicals. Generally, they carry low risk for human health and for the environment. Not necessarily harmless however. And they may not protect crops as effectively as … Read more
Plastic pollution is everywhere nowadays. Even in the remotest places on earth. A problem that we need to address urgently. But nature may be working hard to help us solve the problem. By evolving microorganisms that eat this pollution. Researchers … Read more
This month, Science magazine devoted a long article to the ‘forest fight’ that rages in Germany. The debate on how the nation should manage its trees. Storms and drought played havoc on many forests over the past three years. Do … Read more
Solar energy is making a breakthrough. Solar panels become cheaper all the time. Therefore, structural problems, like their diluted electricity production, become less important. Even in a country with little space like the Netherlands. But how will solar energy be … Read more
We often assume that ecosystems existed in a pristine state when Western researchers first encountered them. But new research now undermines this concept of pristine nature. Ever since mankind existed, it has had a profound influence. Our forbearers promoted certain … Read more
In comparison to most utopian views, RethinkX devotes a lot of attention to the Organizing System required for the transition. It stresses that we cannot just rely on technological innovations. Our thoughts and systems need to coevolve with the new … Read more
For decades, the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) spread the message ‘that the energy transition will happen faster and be less costly than many people think’; in the words of CEO Jules Kortenhorst. And now, their predictions are becoming reality. In … Read more
Modesty is not one of the obvious virtues of the RethinkX authors. The subtitle of their report Rethinking Transportation 2020-2030 (May 2017) reads: ‘the disruption of transportation and the collapse of the internal-combustion vehicle and oil industries’. Brought about by … Read more
The second domestication of plants and animals, the disruption of the cow, and the collapse of industrial livestock farming. Nothing could better sum up the pretension of the RethinkX report on food (September 2019) than this subtitle. The disruption of … Read more
The RethinkX report doesn’t fool around. It starts with a clarion call: ‘We are on the cusp of the fastest, deepest, most consequential transformation of human civilization in history, a transformation every bit as significant as the move from foraging … Read more
Over the past few years, the RethinkX project has made the case for yet another revolution to come. Based on major leaps forward in many technologies; in particular in the fields of information, energy, food, transportation and materials. Five sectors … Read more
We discussed the Bt eggplant project in Bangladesh in an article by Hans Tramper, 3 years ago. It seemed to be very successful. Recently, professor Anthony Shelton of Cornell University reported on the project. He was involved in it from … Read more
Under the skin we are still Darwinists. Meaning that all living creatures are in a state of competition with each other. The strong drive out the weak, that’s how progress works. But recent research shows that on the contrary, there … Read more
A new book by journalist Don Saladino draws our attention to the unification of eating habits across the world. It carries major dangers for our food crops. The genetic variation in the world’s food crops is diminishing very fast. The … Read more
Integration of PV into the economy will become the main task in the years to come. Sustainability in the production chain is becoming more important all the time. The advantage of solar energy used to be that it was renewable: … Read more
In the past few decades, solar energy (PV) has grown a lot; the number of applications has much increased and production has become much more large-scale. Costs have taken a dive, and dramatically so. The ambitions for solar energy are … Read more
Floating islands as the lungs of a lake. Made from mycelium, sawdust and turfs made from reed. And island strong enough to carry a person and yet flexible enough to move with the waves. Erik Hobijn designed them and now … Read more
The Earth heats up; and in this process, towns are among the areas most hit. Buildings and streets tend to store incoming radiation. Towns urgently need to be turned greener, if only with the goal to keep them liveable. Green … Read more
This summer, the world has been shocked by disasters, probably caused by climate change. When will the global community take upon it in earnest the task of reducing greenhouse gas emissions? To this end, Dutch researchers have proposed a new … Read more
Lux Research, an international research policy company based in Boston, published a report on sustainable materials policy. What are the most effective policy instruments in this area? Sustainab-ility is growing in importance Lux’s new report, ‘Predicting Policy for Sustainable Materials’, … Read more
Why are the ‘green’ areas in our cities often so uniform? Why are they ‘blandscaped’, to create virtually uniform green spaces that are devoid of local character or distinctiveness? Just attractive to look and easy to manage, but devoid of … Read more
Around the world, meat consumption is on the rise. People eat more meat as they become more affluent. But meat alternatives are becoming popular. They are fashionable; and their environmental footprint is much lower than that of meat. Moreover, their … Read more
The Conversation recently devoted attention to the opportunities of genetic technology for warfare. Sure, there are international agreements overseeing (and restricting) such opportunities. But technology evolves all the time. Nations tend to explore the edges of what’s allowed, so we … Read more
This month, before publication of their NZE2050 scenario, the International Energy Agency considerably upped its forecast for solar and wind energy. Even after the major upward revision already done in its World Energy Outlook 2020. Solar PV is now ‘the … Read more
In an unprecedented move, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published its NZE2050 scenario this month: towards net zero carbon emissions in 2050. Required for a climate strategy that limits the rise of global temperatures to 1.5oC. NZE2050 marks a major … Read more
Marijuana and cannabis still rouse much stir. Many countries and US states have lifted the ban on cannabis use. But the effects on the human body and brain are still far from clear. Partly because marijuana is a poorly defined … Read more
We always learned that Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin; but penicillin-like substances have been used in medicine throughout the ages. In fact, we might use these historic practices as a source of inspiration for new therapies. Particularly in order to overcome … Read more
Conventional leather is an attractively priced and sought-after consumer good. But leather production has important negative environmental and social consequences. Animals often live in harsh conditions; the sector uses much land and emits a lot of greenhouse gases. Preparing the … Read more
Mankind has become cleverer all the time. Cleverness that manifests itself in subtlety: in order to arrive at a desired goal, we need less and less energy and resources. Fortunately so, because our planet can hardly sustain our growing wealth. … Read more
Thought that genetic modification (gene transfer) was artificial? Just done by human researchers? New research now reveals that gene transfer is quite a common event even among higher plants. And even among species quite far apart. Particularly among species that … Read more
At present, most seaweed is grown in Asia. But the North Sea, between England and the European continent, is an attractive location for growing seaweed. This sea is rich in nutrients. Seaweed can be processed to food, useful substances and … Read more
The art of forest gardening will eventually produce what we might call an ‘edible forest’. Highly valued because of its biodiversity, ecological resilience and the productivity of its biomass. Forest gardens need little maintenance and are climate resistant. An alternative … Read more
Ten years ago, last month, a tsunami struck the West coast of Japan. It flooded the Fukushima nuclear reactor. This resulted in a partial meltdown and a hydrogen explosion, that released a lot of radioactivity. The media devoted many articles … Read more
We need to move through the energy transition fast. Because continuous carbon dioxide emissions will result in unacceptable climate changes. That’s why we need transition paths that meet with little resistance. The Scientific American recently proposed a pathway in which … Read more
In a report released last month, Lux Research looked into CO2 utilization. The company forecasts a growth in this sector to $ 70 billion by 2030 and to $ 550 billion by 2040. CO2 will be put to good use … Read more
Wooden windows? Wood, not for the frame but for the transparent part, instead of glass? Yes, modern research has shown that we can make transparent wood with a relatively benign chemical treatment. A new application for this biobased material! Windows … Read more
‘The chemicals and materials industry is going to see more dramatic change over the next 20 years than it has in at least the last 50,’ says Anthony Schiavo, Senior Analyst at Lux Research. They just completed a report on … Read more
Costs of producing renewable energy keep coming down; and technologies for cheap energy storage keep evolving. Therefore, the eternal problems with solar and wind energy appear to be more and more outdated (‘what to do if the sun doesn’t shine … Read more
For those living in the 19th century, it was by no means evident that we could use chemistry as a weapon against bacteria. Chemistry was a young science. It found its applications in polluting and dangerous industries. The mere idea … Read more
The most important low-carbon energy sources, renewables and nuclear, compete for investment funds. But if we are not mistaken, the dice have already been thrown in this contest of renewables versus nuclear. Renewables have won. Although it might still take … Read more
A recent article in Nature Energy confirms what we might have surmised already: renewable sources are much better at creating a low-carbon energy future than nuclear power. They do need quite another electricity infrastructure. But grid companies quickly learn how … Read more
New biobased materials pop up everywhere these days. On the basis of organic materials, often processed with modern chemical technologies. They seem to be able to substitute many fossil-based and mineral materials. Just a few of these innovations. Natural materials … Read more
Animal tests are a controversial issue. On the one hand, many people object to actions that deliberately damage animal welfare. On the other hand, we need these tests in order to establish the safety of medicines and new materials; people … Read more
Our lifestyle greatly promotes the outbreak of pandemics like Covid-19, and this could have devastating consequences. Unless we take action. Says a new report by IPBES, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Policy measures are required. An era … Read more
Plastic recycling has become a hot topic. The seriousness of plastic pollution has forced itself upon us. Industry, indeed the world, needs to close the plastic loop. But we don’t know how yet. Industry and policy makers will have to … Read more