A new UAE-based technology has been launched to tackle sustainable issues such as mangrove restoration. Nabat.ai, an initiative by the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), aims to boost mangrove regeneration – with an estimated seed success rate of about 30 per cent. The technology uses artificial intelligence (AI) and drones developed and built in the UAE to map […]
Planting certain kinds of trees can make cities hotter at night, not cooler, according to a new study. Trees can significantly reduce the temperature of cities during the day by providing shade, changing the airflow and through the evaporation of water from microscopic pores in their leaves. But a new study has found that tree canopies can trap heat, […]
More than three quarters of the Earth have become irreversibly drier over the past three decades, according to a UN report which says there is an existential crisis that could affect billions more worldwide. About 77.6 per cent of Earth’s land was under drier conditions during the three decades up to 2020 compared to the 30 years […]
Pesticides can be made more effective and environmentally friendly by improving how they stick to plant surfaces, thanks to new research led by Dr. Mustafa Akbulut, professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University. Akbulut and his research group have developed an innovative pesticide delivery system called nanopesticides. These tiny technologies, developed through a collaboration […]
New findings, published today in Royal Society Open Science, have revealed that changes in ocean density have a significant impact on the rate at which marine plankton incorporate carbon into their shells. This has profound implications for carbon cycling and the ocean’s ability to absorb atmospheric CO2 in response to climate change. Up to now, researchers have […]
More than $12 billion has been pledged to tackle the issue of land degradation at a major climate conference in Riyadh this week. The funding boost announced at the UN Convention to Combat Desertification at Cop16, which began on Monday, comes after an injection of $10 billion from the Arab Coordination Group, a strategic alliance of […]
An ice-free Arctic is possible by the summer of 2027, even earlier than previous pessimistic predictions by climate scientists. Arctic ice is shrinking at an unprecedented rate of 12 per cent every 10 years due to greenhouse gas emissions, potentially leading to its first ice-free day before the end of the decade. Such an event is expected […]
The talks were about phasing out plastic production, improving waste management, design requirements for plastic products and funding the global transition away from plastic. Talks to reach an agreement on how to tackle the epidemic of plastic waste have collapsed. Countries spent the past week trying to create the first ever legally binding treaty on […]
Even if 50 per cent more plastic was recycled there would still be a pollution problem, a French minister said this week. In Busan, South Korea countries are trying to negotiate a landmark treaty to reduce plastic pollution. It is now entering the final stretch of talks before the treaty becomes legally binding – two […]
Talks to tackle desertification will kick off in Riyadh on Monday, the first time the UN’s Convention to Combat Desertification Cop, or Cop16, will be held in the Middle East. Desertification linked to climate change is on the rise and land degradation affects nearly 40 per cent of the planet and the lives of more than 3.2 billion […]
