U.S. Small Towns Take on Energy-Guzzling Bitcoin Miners
Environmentalists warn carbon emissions from power-intensive bitcoin mining could harm efforts to limit global warming. By Avi Asher-Schapiro In mid-April 2021, nearly 150 local environmentalists marched to the gates of Greenidge Generation, a bitcoin mining facility in upstate New York, in a last-ditch effort to block its expansion. Their objection: that the creation of the […]
Could Putting a Value on Nature Transform U.S. Policymaking?
Famous for its golden beaches, clear waters and unusual flora and fauna, Hawaii is full of natural riches. For the past year, researchers have been asking whether putting an economic value on nature could help protect the islands’ unique environment. Ecological economist Kirsten L.L. Oleson and her research assistants have been combing through and standardizing […]
Can Sewers Provide the Low-Carbon Heat We Need?
In the search for cheap, green heat, cities from Toronto to Seattle are harnessing a wasted asset: human poop. Michael Shank is director of engagement for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance. As the saying goes, waste is a terrible thing to waste. They don’t say that, but they should. Because one of our member cities, Toronto, […]
How One Indian Village is Lighting the Way in Green Energy Drive
Tucked away in the Himalayan foothills of northeast India and frequently battered by strong winds and landslides, the isolated village of Hengbung is well-accustomed to prolonged power cuts. But the village’s challenging terrain – it is mountainous, hard to reach, and criss-crossed by streams – is now proving an opportunity to ensure reliable electricity for […]
Can Recycling Metals From Steel to Lithium Boost Green Transition?
As demand surges for metals such as lithium, recycling could cut the impact of mining on people and nature. At a metal recycling facility in central England, thousands of tonnes of shredded scrap from cars to construction debris arrive daily to be processed into individual materials and sold. A mixture of metals, plastics and other […]
