Battery technologies are improving rapidly, and so is the search for batteries with lower environmental impacts. New lithium batteries developed for use in electric cars, for example, have a longer life and are up to 90 percent recyclable. The number of wearables is increasing, requiring energy storage to operate, and adding to the growing e-waste …
Information on people’s cultural values in different states in the US can inform conservation efforts. A recent study found that people supporting conservation efforts have values that tend to favour habitat protection and animal rights. Those people who support hunting, for example, are more likely to believe that animals are for the benefit of people.
Honey bees are important pollinators of commercial crops and produced an estimated total honey crop of 1.85 million tons in 2019. Varroa mites are a serious pest of honey bee colonies around the world and chemical miticides are typically used to control them. Entomologists at Washington State University have bred a strain of a fungus …
In our endeavour to create better lives for ourselves, our families and our communities, we have also damaged the environment. Thousands of years ago, this did not matter much as people inhabited only a very small area. Over time, however, especially in the last few hundred years, our impact footprint has increased considerably. The value …
Ecological restoration: using ecological processes to repair degraded habitat Read More »
Project teams working in developing countries, and especially in remote areas, face several challenges. One of these challenges is understanding the culture of the local communities that become the project’s neighbours. These cultures are often very different from the cultures the expats in the project team have grown up in. What is unknown can be …
Large engineering projects shock local socio-economic systems Read More »
During the height of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, millions of people were confined to their homes or allowed only limited travel. Sooner or later, depending on personal circumstances, like the condition and size of one’s home, people wanted time outdoors—time to be out in the open, under a blue sky and in nature.A recent study published …
Temane Thermal Power Plant, Mozambique. Construction of a new 450 MW gas-fired power plant and transmission line has been launched this week at Temane in Inhambane Province in Mozambique. The project will supply power to EDM (Electricity of Mozambique / Electricidade de Moçambique) .The natural gas for the project will be supplied from the Pande …
Social and livelihood impacts of the Ugandan section of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline Project (EACOP) The research article considers the social and livelihood impacts of the Ugandan section of the USD $3.5 billion EACOP. The 1443 km pipelines will transport crude oil from the Kabaale Industrial Park in Uganda to a storage facility …
Well designed and managed engineering projects provide a valuable platform and opportunity to contribute to economic development. This is especially the case in developing countries that lack infrastructure, industrial capacity and investment. Goal 8 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment …
Major engineering projects contribute to economic growth Read More »
Guidelines for eco-industrial parks based on food webs: Three researchers at Texas A&M University drew inspiration from food webs found in nature to develop guidelines for designing more resilient eco-industrial parks. The results suggest that the approach will assist in addressing environmental, economic and resiliency concerns. Glacial meltwaters in Greenland contain mercury: An international team …
