sustainability

Having lived in Japan, one thing that Japanese people never tire of telling foreigners is that Japan has hardly any natural resources of its own. Often that point is made to aggrandise Japan's achievements in becoming one of the richest countries in the world (at least until the 1990s) despite...

I don't like to use the term 'game changer' anymore as it's been overused and abused over the last 15 years, but in this case I could make an exception. Imagine a world where all EV cars are self recharging and no outside electricity source is needed. That may soon become a reality. Of course...

The future of energy may not be in renewables like solar, wind and hydro, but in nuclear energy, and more specifically the long-awaited nuclear fusion (as opposed to the nuclear fission powering all existing nuclear plants). Fusion power plants offer numerous benefits that make them a promising...

Concrete, and more specifically reinforced concrete, has allowed humans to build huge structures, like bridges, tunnels and skyscrapers, which have revolutionised the urban landscape since the mid-20th century. But concrete has been overused. Cities have been defaced by ugly concrete buildings...

About 9% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by the methane emitted from cattle flatulence. Additionally, large swathes of the Amazon rainforest are being destroyed (usually burned) to expand cattle ranching. Tropical deforestation itself is responsible for 10% of global warming, and...

The popularity of meat substitutes has been soaring in the last few years. Meat alternatives are hailed as healthier and more eco-conscious choices. These include vegan burgers (patties), vegan sausages, vegan bacon, vegan chicken, which typically use proteins from soybeans or peas. Other...

The Belgian comapny Vanden Borre, one of the largest retailer household appliances and electronics in the country, has just released a sustainability barometer for household appliances. This barometer is based on two indices: reliability (calculated from the number of devices under warranty that...

This ranking is from the article Integrated European Majors Lead on Preparedness for a Low-Carbon World Among 39 Global O&G Companies. The BI carbon score is based on the reduction in operational emissions intensity and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The BNEF business model score is...

The companies ranked here include food and drink manufacturers, international supermarket chains (also selling their own food products) as well as restaurant and café chains. Most of these companies have a global presence, or are at least operating in Europe and North America (for some...

Cleaning products, detergents, liquid soaps, shampoos, sunscreens and cosmetics can all potentially contain chemicals harmful to health or for the environment (especially to aquatic life, where these products usually end up). But their ecological impact can be even greater at the source, in the...

Following the ranking for the most eco-friendly fashion brands and electronics companies, I am now tackling the automobile industry. Car manufacturing has a considerable environmental impact, especially on deforestation and resource depletion. Discover which car makers are doing the most effort...

On 15th July the French Parliament voted to make ecocide (mass damage and destruction of ecosystems) a crime, with 99.3% approval. President Macron calls for ecocide to be made a crime in international law. Six days later, the Belgian Green parties, who are the second largest political group...

You may have noticed that Eupedia now has an Ecology section. I have written five articles in the last few days. I'll let you read them. Your feedback is welcome. :smile:

Eco-friendly & ethical shopping: What brands of clothing & shoes to buy and to avoid? We have all heard of climate change, plastic pollution, toxic wastes, the loss of biodiversity caused by deforestation carried our for the sake of intensive agriculture, or the horrible working conditions in...

I am reading Matt Ridley's excellent book The Rational Optimist, in which he denounces (pp. 149-156) the irrational fears toward GM crops held by a lot of people (especially in Europe) and by organisations such as Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth. Organic food causes more problems that it...