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Do we need nuclear power in the energy mix to stop climate change?

Do we need nuclear power in the energy mix to stop climate change?

25 May 2022

Some say it is indispensable if we are serious about hitting net-zero emissions targets. Others insist it is unnecessary and unconscionable. Here is what you need to know about nuclear energy now


Endlessly recyclable materials could fix our plastic waste crisis

Endlessly recyclable materials could fix our plastic waste crisis

2 March 2022

Untold amounts of plastic waste is polluting our land and seas. Now, we're using chemical tricks to design infinitely and easily recyclable materials


How to make sustainable batteries that won't wreck the planet

How to make sustainable batteries that won't wreck the planet

2 March 2022

The batteries we need to power the transition to 100-per-cent renewable electricity require rare metals, and that means destructive mining – but researchers are working on alternatives


New ways to suck up methane can buy us vital time in the climate fight

New ways to suck up methane can buy us vital time in the climate fight

2 March 2022

Remove a billion tonnes of methane from the air and we could cool Earth by 0.2°C, extending the window of opportunity to remove carbon dioxide before it is too late


Artificial leaves: Bionic photosynthesis as good as the real thing

Artificial leaves: Bionic photosynthesis as good as the real thing

2 March 2022

Converting sunlight into liquid fuel through artificial photosynthesis would be a huge environmental victory – and the latest prototypes look surprisingly effective


A hydrogen fuel revolution is coming – here's why we might not want it

A hydrogen fuel revolution is coming – here's why we might not want it

3 February 2021

Hydrogen is widely touted as a green fuel for everything from cars and planes to heating homes. But all too often it has a dirty secret


Can static electricity make chemistry more efficient – and greener?

Can static electricity make chemistry more efficient – and greener?

12 August 2020

Making medicines and complex materials is messy and wasteful. Using electric fields as catalysts could make chemistry far cleaner


Green protest

18 up-and-running projects that could save us from climate change

20 February 2019

Slashing greenhouse-gas emissions doesn’t have to be hard, and can even be an economic win – as these big low-carbon success stories from around the world show


Iceland landscape

Supercharged geothermal energy could power the planet

17 October 2018

The next generation of geothermal plants will unlock more of Earth's bountiful, underground energy and could allow the technology to finally fulfil its promise


Pile of coins

Capitalism broke the planet. Here’s how it’s going to fix things

20 June 2018

The environment and high finance are strange bedfellows – but a new movement is raising billions to fight climate change. A breakthrough – or green hogwash?


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