United Nations: World is On Course to Run Out of Water
The world is on a crash course to run out of freshwater, according to United Nation’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. At yesterday's UN’s International Day of Biological Diversity, Ban Ki-moon
Water Issues
Byproducts from Greek Yogurt Prove Toxic to the Environment
Greek yogurt is delicious, high in protein, and a good alternative to sugary snacks. However the $2 billion dollar a year industry has a dark side that comes in the form of toxic acid whey. It takes three
Minnesota Lakes Are Contaminated with Cocaine and Antidepressants
Photo via Shutterstock Lake Superior and other bodies of water around Minnesota have been found to contain a disturbing amount of chemicals, including prescription drugs and even cocaine. A recent
Antarctica’s Taylor Glacier Appears to Be Bleeding with a Five-Story Crimson Waterfall
There are some phenomena in nature that inspire tears of joy, some that spark a sense of awe, and then there are those that send chills up your spine. The Taylor Glacier in Antarctica, which was
David Graas’ Colorful Modular Lamps Divert Plastic from the Ocean
Most plastics can be endlessly recycled without losing their indestructibility. But instead of being reused, the majority of plastics will end up as one-time-use products, finding their end as pollutants
Thames Water to Transform London’s Sewage Into Drinking Water for Entire Population
London photo from Shutterstock Thames Water, the company that provides drinking water for the city of London, has unveiled a new long-term strategy that will recycle sewage to provide drinking water
Bercy Chen Studio’s Cylindrical Boat House in Austin Has its Own Waterfall
Bercy Chen Studio’s one-of-a-kind shelter consists of two elliptical floors that are joined by a swirling staircase. The lower level has a wooden deck mainly used for lounging next to the water and
Tiny New York Town Wins Landmark Case to Uphold Fracking Ban
As of 2012, 2.5 million oil and gas wells have been drilled worldwide using the hydraulic fracturing method, and more than 1 million of them are located in the United States. The result of this trend
West 8 Plans to Transform a Polluted Area of China into an Ecologically Sound Flower City
Like much of China, the Flower City will inhabit an area of the country with heavily polluted waterways. In order to ensure the longevity of the region, the local government called for urban plans that
Haunting Images Show What Major US Cities Would Look Like if Sea Levels Rose 25 Feet
To create these images, Nickolay Lamm contacted Remik Ziemlinski from Climate Central, who provided more precise versions of the same maps that were originally featured in the New York Times article. Lamm
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to Be Downgraded From World Heritage Site
Photo via Shutterstock The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warned the Australian government on Saturday that it may downgrade the World Heritage status of the
Chemicals from Personal Care Products Are Polluting Chicago’s Air
Photo via Shutterstock When the gales blow across the Windy City, residents may have more to worry about than mussed hair. According to a new study led by Keri Hornbuckle from the University of Iowa,
27,000 Rivers “Disappear” in China, According to Recent Waterway Census
20 years ago there were an estimated 50,000 rivers running through China - but a recent survey has found that over 27,000 of the waterways have disappeared. An extensive three-year waterway census
The Fallacy of Cleaning the Gyres of Plastic With a Floating “Ocean Cleanup Array”
As the policy director of the ocean conservation nonprofit 5Gyres.org, I can tell you that the problem of ocean plastic pollution is massive. In case you didn't know, an ocean gyre is a rotating current
Infographic Shows the Impact of Rising Sea Levels and Eroding Coastlines Around the World
This infographic by Vouchercloud details some of the perils facing mankind and thousands of species as a result of melting icecaps and rising oceans. The greatest influence on the current increase in
Heavy Rainfall in Chicago Causes Sewage to Spew into Lake Michigan
Heavy rain overwhelmed Chicago's aged infrastructure yesterday, causing sewage to back up into homes and burst through manhole covers in the middle of the street. The videos make for pretty horrifying
Student-Designed Chaac Ha Water Collector Can Harvest 2.5 Liters of Drinking Water from Dew Each Night
World Water Day may have come and gone, but the importance of preserving water remains. There are some amazingly innovative ways to harvest water out there, like this award-winning Chaac Ha Water
Coral Reef-Saving Coralbots Take a Step Closer to Reality
Last year we reported on Heriot-Watt University's Coralbot project, which aims to deploy swarms of intelligent robots to help rebuild coral reefs around the world. Now the Coralbots' makers have turned to
Scientists Discover a Great Garbage Patch in Lake Erie
Photo via Shutterstock Researchers have confirmed reports of an alarming increase in plastic pollutants in the Great Lakes - and the mass of plastics is beginning to behave like the concentrated toxic
Ocean Cleanup Array Turns to Crowd Funding to Raise $80K For Feasibility Study
Inhabitat recently reported on 19-year-old Boyan Slat's proposed Ocean Cleanup Array, which the designer believes could potentially remove 7,250,000 tons of plastic from the world's oceans. The project
Herzog & de Meuron’s Naturbad Riehen Natural Swimming Pool Breaks Ground in Switzerland
Construction on Naturbad Riehen just began, and the project is set to be completed sometime in early 2014 in time for the summer season. Herzog & de Meuron originally designed a pool for the town in
Wave Glider SV3: Liquid Robotics Unveils Faster, More Powerful Wave and Solar-Powered Robot
We’ve been following Liquid Robotics’ solar and wave-powered robot here at Inhabitat for some time as it's gone from tracking great white sharks and hurricanes to making a record-breaking trip across
Carbon Pollution is Creating Giant Crabs in the Chesapeake Bay
Photo via Shutterstock A surge of giant crabs might sound like something from a 1950s B-movie, but that is exactly what is happening in the Chesapeake Bay. According to a new study done by researchers
Toxic Algae Bloom Kills 241 Manatees in Florida
Life for a manatee is tough. Sure, it may look like a lot of grazing and lazy swimming at first glance, but these docile creatures have to contend with boats, tourist harassment, and habitat destruction.
Study Shows Why Global Warming is Adding Ice to the Antarctic
Even though the planet is warming, the sea ice around Antarctica is expanding in the winter. This paradox has stumped scientists, who have struggled to understand why the ice is growing there while ice at
Exxon Will Not Pay for Cleanup of 12,000 Barrels of Crude in Arkansas as Leak is Not “Oil”
Photo via Shutterstock Due to a thirty-year-old law, Exxon will not be paying into the federal fund that will pay for the cleanup of 12,000 barrels of crude oil that leaked from its Pegasus Pipeline in
Caffeine-Addicted E. Coli Bacteria Could Decontaminate Coffee-Ridden Wastewater
Photo via Shutterstock The news that the Pacific Ocean is polluted with coffee, or rather, caffeine in general, was pretty baffling. But one research team has developed a solution that may be even
World’s Largest Solar Boat Announces Trans-Atlantic Trip to Conduct Climate Change Experiments
In 2010, PlanetSolar’s Tûranor solar-powered boat completed a 19-month voyage around the world. Now the eco-vessel is set to set sail again over the Atlantic Ocean in order to conduct experiments
China Sets Forth a 3-Year, $16-Billion Plan to Fight Extreme Pollution in Beijing
The air quality in Beijing has been hovering above the “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” levels since the beginning of this year and there has been mounting frustration with the government in China
Streams Polluted by Pharmaceuticals Show Signs of Stress
Photo via Shutterstock Much of the world's human population has some sort of pharmaceutical running through their veins, and as it turns out, so does the planet's streams and rivers. According to a
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