As news breaks that global carbon dioxide levels are at an all-time high, one scientist is developing “artificial trees“ to help cleanse the air and reduce greenhouse gas pollution. Columbia University’s Klaus Lackner has developed a carbon dioxide capturing material that acts as a powerful sponge – and it’s able to soak up CO2 faster than plants!

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Post tags: artificial trees, carbon dioxide sucking plastic resin, carbon emissions, Columbia University Mudd Building, eco design, green design, greenhouse gas, Klaus Lackner, sustainable design

The United States Department of Energy just announced that carbon dioxide emissions from energy consumption have fallen to their lowest level since 1994. Factors ranging from an increase in renewable energy sources to a decrease in coal consumption helped make 2012 one of the cleanest years since the early 1990s. The Energy Information Administration found that the United States’ carbon emissions fell 3.7 percent from 2011, and a whopping 12.1 percent since 2007.

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Post tags: Department of Energy, eco design, Energy Information Administration, green design, greenhouse gas, Lowest carbon emissions since 1994, sustainable design

Climate scientist James E. Hansen has championed global warming awareness for the length of his career – and he just announced that he plans to retire from NASA to focus on fighting greenhouse emissions in the courts. Hansen spent 46 years at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and although his retirement will take a key scientist out of the research lab, he’s looking forward to challenging federal and state governments on emissions and climate legislation.

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Post tags: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, eco design, goddard institute for space studies, green design, greenhouse gas, James E. Hansen, nasa, sustainable design

As an extension of China’s $16 billion plan to combat air pollution in its cities, today the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced an ambitious plan to export the nation’s emissions to Mars. China is currently the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases – its annual emissions total 8.9 billion tons. The unprecedented plan would greatly reduce emissions on Earth while warming the climate on Mars, causing the planet’s polar ice caps to melt and eventually creating an atmosphere capable of sustaining life.

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Post tags: air pollution, Beijing air pollution, carbon emissions, china, China air pollution, geoengineering, ghg emissions, green design, greenhouse gas, mars, sustainable design, terraforming

A new report by the National Research Council has some good news for the future of US transportation. By taking advantage of biofuels, new vehicle technology, and policy reform, America has the potential to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions up to 80% by 2050. The numbers apply to cars and small trucks, both of which are expected to become more efficient in both fuel economy and design in the coming years.

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Post tags: alternative vehicles, biofuel, CO2, cost effective, douglas m. chapin, emissions, fossil fuel, greenhouse gas, hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell, infrastructure, lignocellulosic biofuel, mpr associates, national research council, natural gas, petroleum, Policy

In the crusade to cut global CO2 emissions, we tend look to power plants, cars, and manufacturing. Nowadays, our building materials are also garnering attention, and researchers from Kansas State University have developed a type of concrete made from biofuel waste that has a lower carbon footprint than conventional concrete. The world uses about 7 billion cubic meters of the mixture each year, making it the most utilized industrial material after water. Taking advantage of the byproducts from biofuel production such as corn stover, wheat straw, and rice straw, the team was able to create a stronger concrete and save excess material from ending up in the landfill.

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Post tags: 2013 capitol graduate research summit, biofuel, byproduct, carbon dioxide, cellulosic enthanol, cement, CO2, concrete, corn ethanol, emissions, ETHANOL, feraidon ataie, global warming, greenhouse gas, high-lignin ash, kansas state university, national science foundation, Topeka, Waste, water issues

Japan is faced with a number of challenges when it comes to domestic energy production – the country is the world’s largest importer of natural gas, and since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdown it has greatly increased its purchase of fossil fuels. In order to find a local energy source, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has invested millions of dollars towards exploiting methane hydrate (also known as “flammable ice”) – and today they announced that they’ve successfully extracted it from the seabed for the first time. Methane is known to be an extremely potent greenhouse gas that is 20 times more damaging than CO2. If Japan taps reserves beneath the seabed, it could have catastrophic consequences for the environment.

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Post tags: atsumi peninsula, canada, chikyu, china, Climate Change, CO2, drilling, flammable ice, fukushima daiichi, global warming, greenhouse gas, ice, Japan, methane, Methane Hydrate, north carolina, norway, ocean, seabed, south carolina

When it comes to tackling the enormous challenge of curbing climate change, we humans may need to look to some very small organisms for help. A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has found large amount of particulate iron runoff from glacial melt in Greenland. The iron could possibly spur the growth of marine algae, which could then in turn absorb C02, one of the major greenhouse gases contributing to global warming.

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Post tags: algae, atlantic ocean, Climate Change, CO2, glacial melt, global warming, greenhouse gas, greenland, Iron, nature geoscience, nitrates, ocean, phosphates, sea level rise, sequester, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Do you feel a twinge of guilt every time you fill your tank with dirty gasoline? What if you could power your car with a carbon neutral fossil fuel substitute? Introducing Audi’s new e-fuel, an energy source that powers a standard engine like gas or diesel, but uses CO2 instead of dead dinosaurs and petrified algae. Seeing as most electric cars have a somewhat limited range, long charging time, and small nationwide re-fueling infrastructure, most believe that a majority of drivers will be riding around with an internal combustion engine for the next couple decades. The e-fuel has the benefit of already being able to take advantage of gas stations as well as the landfills and non-potable water sources it needs to create the compound. Here is how it works:

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Post tags: a3 tcng, AUDI, car, carbon-neutral, CO2, e-diesel, e-ethanol, e-fuel, e-gas, emissions, fossil fuels, gasoline, germany, global climate change, greenhouse gas, hydrogen, internal combustion engine, joule, methane, microbes, New Mexico, oil

Climate change is a world-wide problem, spanning nations, time zones and environments. Challenges of such a massive scale demand a powerful and comprehensive means through which to observe, collect, and process a huge amount of data. Created by the Center for Global Development, the Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) is a web-based program that keeps tabs on the greenhouse gas emissions of over 60,000 plants across the globe.

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Post tags: carbon monitoring for action, carma, center for global development, Climate Change, CO2, david wheeler, google earth, greenhouse gas, kevin ummel, landsat, scientific american, washington d.c., world bank

Rules introduced by the Environmental Protection Agency aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants may not receive presidential approval until the U.S. is in a less turbulent political environment, according to the National Journal. A recent study of beltway insiders by the publication found that 40 percent of respondents believe that President Obama will wait until after the November elections to issue the rules which would, according to one insider, “send shock waves through the important Rust Belt states.” The EPA is targeting the energy industry under provisions of the Clean Air Act, stating that fossil fuel power plants and refineries are presently responsible for around 40 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.

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Post tags: barack obama, Climate Change, environmental protection agency, epa lawsuit, fossil fuel, greenhouse gas, national journal, obama climate, power plant emissions, power plant pollution, white house climate

Here at Inhabitat we’ve covered many designs for greener roadways – from solar streets and kinetic-energy generating roads to that machines lay out fully-assembled streets. However a U.S. company called Pureti, Inc. has devised a plan to roll out pollution-fighting roads that actually clean up vehicle emissions.

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Post tags: air pollution, asphalt, concrete, green raods, greenhouse gas, PURETi, pureti inc, road surface agent, solar roads, titanium dioxide

Last week we reported on the EPA’s upcoming plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Yesterday 18 United States governors including Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty sent a letter to the EPA to protest the upcoming regulations. The governors are worried about the EPA’s ability to properly oversee the regulations as well as the potential cost on industry and the states’ governments in light of our frail economy.

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Post tags: administration, Climate Change, energy policy, epa, global warming, governors, greenhouse gas, lisa jackson, obama, regulations, tim pawlenty