Getting off fossil fuels is hard, but this city is doing it — building by building

The Seal Mammal Research Unit at the University of St. Andrews is recruiting and tagging pinnipeds to gather details on ocean conductivity, temperature and depth, collectively called “CTD profiles.” When tagged animals surface, the data they’ve collected are relayed to a global satellite system, decoded by computers, and disseminated to researchers.

Evidence continues to build that humans are contributing to a climate change issue that is nothing but bad news for the planet. Hopeful stories from seven countries, including India, Indonesia, and China, show that efforts to combat climate change might finally be working.

Urban areas contain the highest in concentration of burning fossil fuels, which negatively contributes to climate change. Spearheading the green energy movement, Burlington, VT claims that its city uses 100% renewable energy for electricity. Burlington’s efforts pilot a model for larger U.S. cities to follow.

The state of Louisiana is disappearing at an incredible rate, and its sinking deltas threaten some of the nation's crucial oil, gas, and fisheries industries. Industry and government have created an unprecedented plan to save and rebuild these wetlands over the next 50 years — and say failure is not an option.

With the threat of climate change, environmentalists are worried about the development of new technology and finding new ways to protect the environment. At Petra Nova, Carbon Capture technology removes carbon before it reaches the atmosphere and can be used for oil recovery, making it both productive financially and environmentally, to hopefully be a new solution and a way to maintain the coal industry.

Air pollution is a huge problem for China, but surprisingly, the Air Quality Index in several cities is improving because of a variety of experimental projects that are being rolled out and a number of clever pollution solutions from around the country.

In the face of the global climate crisis, conservative politicians and energy leaders in the US are an unlikely source for climate action. Through the promotion of a carbon tax, in which each ton of emissions gets taxed, these leaders are jumpstarting new forms of climate response. While some are hesitant towards both their support and the logistics of the tax, it may appear the best hope for climate action in the current political climate.

The rapid development of emerging economies across Asia and Africa is lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty - but there is much debate as to how to best structure this growth. If these economies evolve in the same way as in the West - with unchecked, excessive resource consumption and heavy pollution - the planet may be on the fast track to disaster. Earthrise explores how these nations can grow sustainably using improved, eco-conscious technologies like renewable energy and eco-friendly farming practices.

The commercially-based Wind for Prosperity initiative may have devised a solution to meet growing demands for electricity in developing economies, where fossil fuels are expensive, difficult to access, and take a toll on environmental and human health. The venture works to refurbish wind turbines from Europe and re-deploy them in the developing world, providing clean and affordable power where it’s needed most.

An economic shift to renewable energy could take decades, but thanks to rapidly evolving disruptive technologies, dropping prices of solar and wind power sources, and increasing market demand for green business, the new age of renewable energy could encompass the world economy much more quickly.