A packaging quandary: Plastic may have less environmental impact than alternatives
Plastic is lightweight and uses relatively little material, so in the big picture it crushes the competition
Researchers engineer crops to pluck more CO2 from the air and amp up photosynthesis
Tinkering with the enzyme Rubisco, they created plants that respond to rising levels of atmospheric CO2 with increased photosynthesis—and higher yields.
First global study of the extraordinary role of animals as architects of Earth
Researchers calculated that creatures large and small rival the landscape reshaping power of half a million major floods each year.
On an overheating planet, which comes first: the chicken or the egg?
A fresh look at the paradox from a carbon perspective
Amphibious Architecture
Amphibious structures are not static; they respond to floods like ships to a rising tide, floating on the water’s surface.
Carbon-Negative Construction
A new generation of building materials aims to actively pull carbon out of the air.
It's time to upgrade not just our technology, but also our collective imagination.
Discover Anthropocene’s newest and most forward-looking project: Climate reporting from the future. Live story-telling events and online stories.
Trading cows for forests in a few wealthy countries could deliver huge climate benefits
A new study found that reducing world cattle production by a mere 13% and rewilding select pastures could lock away the equivalent to 3 years' worth of global carbon emissions.
Making fast shipping cheaper and more fuel efficient could ironically backfire for climate
“Policies that focus on particular technological solutions rather than an end goal can lead to unintended consequences,” say researchers.
What will it take to shrink the carbon footprint of health care?
A small but growing group of researchers and physicians working to quantify the environmental impact of healthcare—and to reduce that impact without compromising patient care.
Get Ready for Sticker Shock Carbon Therapy
Carbon labeling shifts consumer behavior. But does that actually translate to fewer emissions?
Swiss study shows that paying people to conserve biodiversity pays off
The government reimburses farmers for conserving country’s tremendous plant diversity.
A crackdown on shark finning paradoxically might be helping fuel a global shark crisis.
Many countries have banned shark finning as cruel and unsustainable. New research shows it might have led to a rise in shark deaths.
As the climate changes, what changes people’s minds?
How far has opinion moved from climate-change denial toward acceptance and, ultimately, action?
David Quammen
What if evolution isn’t linear, as Charles Darwin proposed when he first sketched the tree of life?
Emily Anthes
Amphibious architecture responds to floods like ships to a rising tide, floating on the water’s surface.
Oliver Morton
The godlike powers of geoengineering irrevocably change the human’s relationship with Planet Earth.
Frances Cairncross
What is the optimal rollout of carbon taxes and research subsidies to speed up the transition to a low-carbon economy?
David Biello
Welcome to the brave new world of artificial intelligence for conservation.
Veronique Greenwood
The rise of fast fashion and the technology that needs to change to keep your clothes out of the garbage.
Fred Pearce
Some economies may be quietly, and surprisingly approaching a phenomenon economists call “peak stuff.
Akshat Rathi
What if we could transform cement from a climate wrecker into a carbon sponge?
Ted Nordhaus
The climate change apocalypse problem
Andrew Revkin
The word “anthropocene” has become the closest thing there is to common shorthand for this turbulent, momentous, unpredictable, hopeless, hopeful time—duration and scope still unknown
Vandana Singh
How might science fiction constructively contribute to the Human Age?
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