By ScienceAdviser.  Excerpt: ...on a hot summer day... Concrete sidewalks and buildings practically exude heat, requiring extra powerful air conditioners on the inside while contributing to an “urban heat dome” on the outside. The warming climate is slated to make these effects even worse. Researchers may have found a solution: a special cement, a key ingredient of concrete, that stays cool. ...test their cooling cement, the researchers placed a slab on a roof for a day, finding that it stayed chill even at the toastiest temperatures. Another panel was left outside for a year and experienced minimal degradation. ...Since the cement dries in as little as 10 minutes, the authors propose that it could be applied to existing building surfaces, including concrete, metals, and ceramic tiles. The team conducted in-depth modeling of how the cooling cement could be used in seven cities around the world to help achieve net-zero or negative carbon emissions for buildings by reducing the high ...

By Cara Buckley , The New York Times.  Excerpt: Pittsburgh is replacing most of its streetlights — more than 33,000 inefficient high-pressure sodium lamps — with LED versions that are projected to save about $942,000 a year in energy costs while tackling light pollution. The old lights cast an orange glow that bathed the heavens and anything nearby in what Flore Marion, the city’s assistant director of sustainability and resilience, described as “horror-movie” lighting....  Full article at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/climate/pennsylvania-pittsburgh-light-pollution.html . See also article in Eos, Artificial Light Lengthens the Urban Growing Season .

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk9614 By DONGLIANG ZHAO  AND  HUAJIE TANG , Science.  Excerpt: Terrestrial surfaces exposed to sunlight absorb solar heat and shed heat back to outer space as infrared radiation. If the radiated heat is greater than the solar energy absorbed, then daytime radiative cooling is achieved passively, without any energy input. However, this approach requires materials that strongly reflect sunlight and simultaneously emit long-wavelength infrared light—the wavelength needed to escape Earth’s atmosphere and not be reflected back. Ceramics composed mainly of silica (SiO 2 ) and alumina (Al 2 O 3 ), and that permit long-wavelength infrared emission, can meet these requirements. ...Zhao  et al.  ( 1 ) and Lin  et al.  ( 2 ), respectively, describe microporous materials— a glass-based ceramic coating and a ceramic composite—that exhibit passive daytime radiative cooling and resistance to harsh environments. ...

https://www.science.org/content/article/scientists-may-have-found-magic-ingredient-behind-ancient-romes-self-healing-concrete By Jacklin Kwan, Science.  Excerpt: ...when the researchers tried to make their own Roman concrete in the lab with quicklime, they ended up with material that was “identical” to the samples they gathered from Privernum, Masic says. When the team created small cracks in the concrete—as would happen as the material aged—and then added water (as would happen with rainwater in the real world), the lime lumps dissolved and recrystallized, effectively  filling in the cracks and keeping the concrete strong , the researchers report today in Science Advances. ...Modern concrete typically doesn’t heal cracks larger than 0.2 or 0.3 millimeters across. The team’s Roman-inspired concrete, in contrast, healed cracks up to 0.6 millimeters across. Masic hopes the work will inspire today’s engineers to improve their own concrete, perhaps with quicklime or a related...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/07/world/americas/belize-coral-reef-preservation.html By Anatoly Kurmanaev , The New York Times.  Excerpt: ...Under the blue bonds deal, the Nature Conservancy, a Virginia-based nonprofit, lent Belize more than $350 million to enable the Central American nation to buy back international bonds worth more than half a billion dollars. ...The deal freed up more than $200 million, or nearly a tenth of Belize’s annual economic output, to be spent in other areas. In exchange, Belize agreed to designate 30 percent of its waters as protected, limiting the extent of activities such as fishing and construction. It also committed to spending $4.2 million a year on preserving these areas’ biodiversity. Proponents of the deal hope the financial and climate incentives  will help small or poor nations escape the interrelated challenges  of excessive debt and environmental degradation, opening a path to sustainable growth.…

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/06/world/europe/germany-autobahn-speed-limits.html By  Christopher F. Schuetze , The New York Times.  Excerpt: ...Germany is trying any range of measures to combat an energy crisis that is only expected to worsen this winter. Public buildings can be heated to just 66 degrees and most private pools not at all. Starting this month, billboards and other landmarks go dark at 10 p.m. The government has even  extended the lives of two of the country’s last nuclear reactors . But the one thing Germany will not do, apparently, is put a general speed limit on the fabled autobahns, a proposal raised — and shot down — even though it could save gasoline and cut carbon dioxide emissions. ...The German Environment Ministry found that if a speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour, about 62 miles per hour, were put in place on the autobahns, with an 80 k.p.h. limit on other roads, Germany’s 48 million automobiles could save 2.1 billion liters of fuel every y...

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/opinion/energy-office-buildings-net-zero-climate.html By  Carlos Gamarra , The New York Times, guest essay.  Excerpt: ...by paying close attention to every aspect of our energy use, my co-workers and I have seen how even the smallest actions can have an impact on climate change. We now take pride in the fact that the office’s electricity bill is $0. What’s more, the local utility pays our organization, the Houston Advanced Research Center, over $1,000 a year in rebates for the energy our solar panels provide to the power grid. ...Some  40 percent  of annual global carbon dioxide emissions come from buildings and construction, and commercial buildings, which have an average life span of 50 to 60 years, account for  around 20 percent  of U.S. energy use. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that on average,  30 percent  of the energy used in these commercial buildings is wasted.… 

https://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/winter-2021/water-runs-low-san-joaquin-valley-adapts-drier-future By Glen Martin, California Magazine.  Excerpt: As the drought has deepened in the state, growers have turned to groundwater, resulting in severe overdraft in many areas—particularly the San Joaquin Valley. That led to the passage of the 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), which required the identification of the state’s overdrawn and at-risk basins, quantification of their yields, and the development of pumping plans that achieve sustainability within 20 years of being implemented. ...Almond trees are only commercially productive for about 20 years, and his groundwater plan means replacement trees won’t be planted in many areas. Instead, Woolf will concentrate on growing tomatoes for processing, as well as pistachios, which are longer-lived and less thirsty than almonds. ...Woolf is also experimenting with alternative crops—specifically, drough...

https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2021/Q3/purdue-record-for-the-whitest-paint-appears-in-latest-edition-of-guinness-world-records.html From Purdue University News.  Excerpt: ...the world’s  whitest paint , ... may dramatically reduce or even eliminate the need for air conditioning. The paint, developed at Purdue University, has earned a  Guinness World Records TM  title . ...“When we started this project about seven years ago, we had saving energy and fighting climate change in mind,” said  Xiulin Ruan , a professor of  mechanical engineering  at Purdue, in a podcast episode of “ This Is Purdue .” Ruan invented the paint with his graduate students. ...The formulation that Ruan’s lab created reflects 98.1% of solar radiation at the same time as emitting infrared heat. Because the paint absorbs less heat from the sun than it emits, a surface coated with this paint is cooled below the surrounding temperature without consuming power. Typical commerc...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/06/08/cool-roofs-cooler-designs-nations-building-industry-embraces-energy-sustainability/ Source: By Ben Ikenson, The Washington Post  Excerpt: ...American Institute of Architects in its  top-10 list of sustainable projects , reflect the expansive reach of “low-energy” design strategies and the building industry’s embrace of sustainability as a de facto imperative. They’re part of a remarkable evolution, one that could prove crucial since the building sector globally accounts for at least 40 percent of the world’s emissions of carbon dioxide — far more than transportation sources. Some advocates think the U.S. sector can achieve net-zero emissions within 20 years, a decade ahead of President Biden’s net-zero goal for the country. The administration’s initiative includes new codes and efficiency standards for homes, appliances and commercial buildings — and a clean electric grid. Dozens of cities and states are moving forwar...

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/climate/nft-climate-change.html Source:  By  Hiroko Tabuchi , The New York Times.  Excerpt: Making the digital artworks requires colossal amounts of computing power, and that means greenhouse gases. When Chris Precht, an Austrian architect and artist, first learned about nonfungible tokens, the digital collectibles taking the art world by storm, he was so enthralled, he said, he “felt like a little kid again.” So Mr. Precht, who is known for his work on  ecological architecture , was devastated to learn that the artworks, known as NFTs, have an environmental footprint as mind-boggling as the gold-rush frenzy they’ve whipped up. “The numbers are just crushing,” he said from his studio in Pfarrwerfen, Austria, announcing that he was canceling his plans, one of a growing number of artists who are swearing off NFTs, despite the sky-high sums some have fetched at auctions. “As much as it hurts financially and mentally, I can’t.” ...by...

https://eos.org/articles/youth-call-climate-change-a-generational-justice-issue Source:   By Randy Showstack, Eos/AGU. Excerpt: “Climate change is a generational justice and equity issue,” Jonah Gottlieb, a high school junior in Rohnert Park, Calif., told youth and adults in a jam-packed room in the U.S. Capitol Building. It was filled with earnest middle schoolers and high schoolers as well as adult climate change activists and some members of Congress. Climate change, Gottlieb said, “disproportionately affects students and young people in future generations.” As the codirector of Schools for Climate Action [ https://schoolsforclimateaction.weebly.com/ ], Gottlieb was at the Capitol for the Youth and Educator Climate Advocacy Summit on 28 March to encourage Congress to support climate change policies.... See also "Template Email to School Board Members" and "Student Council Resolution Toolkit" [ https://schoolsforclimateaction.weebly.com/resources.html ]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/25/climate/copenhagen-climate-change.html Source:   By Somini Sengupta, Photographs by Charlotte de la Fuente, The New York Times. Excerpt: COPENHAGEN — Can a city cancel out its greenhouse gas emissions? Copenhagen intends to, and fast. By 2025, this once-grimy industrial city aims to be net carbon neutral, meaning it plans to generate more renewable energy than the dirty energy it consumes. Here’s why it matters to the rest of the world: Half of humanity now lives in cities, and the vast share of planet-warming gases come from cities. The big fixes for climate change need to come from cities too. They are both a problem and a potential source of solutions. The experience of Copenhagen, home to 624,000 people, can show what’s possible, and what’s tough, for other urban governments on a warming planet. The mayor, Frank Jensen, said cities “can change the way we behave, the way we are living, and go more green.” His city has some advantages. It is...

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/climate/climate-change-historic-sites.html Source:   By Kendra Pierre-Louis, The New York Times. Excerpt: ...some of the most important ancient sites in the Mediterranean region — the Greek city of Ephesus, Istanbul’s historic districts, Venice’s canals — might not survive the era of climate change. Those places joined a list of others that we’ve covered extensively here at The Times. Our series on cultural heritage has looked at the Cedars of Lebanon , the Stone Age villages of Scotland and the statues of Easter Island , all of which are threatened by climate change. In the case of Scotland and Easter Island, the menace is from rising seas. Many civilizations of the past, much like many present-day cities, were centered on coastal areas. As sea levels rise — both because warmer water takes up more space than cooler water, and because of melting glaciers — these heritage sites face sharply increased risks from both coastal erosion and floodin...

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/climate/air-conditioning.html Source:   By Kendra Pierre-Louis, The New York Times. Excerpt: ...there is growing concern that as other countries adopt America’s love of air-conditioners, the electricity used to power them will overburden electrical grids and increase planet-warming emissions. The number of air-conditioners worldwide is predicted to soar from 1.6 billion units today to 5.6 billion units by midcentury, according to a report issued Tuesday by the International Energy Agency. If left unchecked, by 2050 air-conditioners would use as much electricity as China does for all activities today. Greenhouse gas emissions released by coal and natural gas plants when generating electricity to power those air-conditioners would nearly double, from 1.25 billion tons in 2016 to 2.28 billion tons in 2050, the report says. Those emissions would contribute to global warming, which could further heighten the demand for air-conditioning. Right now a...

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/09/business/energy-environment/california-solar-power.html Source:   By Ivan Penn, The New York Times. Excerpt: SACRAMENTO — Long a leader and trendsetter in its clean-energy goals, California took a giant step on Wednesday, becoming the first state to require all new homes to have solar power. The new requirement, to take effect in two years, brings solar power into the mainstream in a way it has never been until now. ...“This adoption of these standards represents a quantum leap,” Bob Raymer, senior engineer for the California Building Industry Association, said during the public comments before the vote. “You can bet every state will be watching to see what happens.” ...California’s move is by far the boldest and most consequential of any. California law requires at least 50 percent of the state’s electricity to come from noncarbon-producing sources by 2030.  ...The building-code change is one dimension of a broader transition away from c...

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/climate/what-is-climate-change.html Source:   By Justin Gillis, The New York Times 2017-11. . . For GSS Climate Change chapter 10. Excerpt: We know. Global warming is daunting. So here’s a place to start: 17 often-asked questions with some straightforward answers.... 

https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/climate-lab Source:    By Vox and the Climate Lab of the University of California For Investigation:   10.3 Video #4 in a series: Eat your peas! It’s the easiest way to fight climate change. ....

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/28/business/energy-environment/navigating-climate-change-in-americas-heartland.html Source:   By Hiroko Tabuchi, The New York Times For Investigation:   10.3 Excerpt: GLEN ELDER, Kan. — Doug Palen, a fourth-generation grain farmer on Kansas’ wind-swept plains, is in the business of understanding the climate. Since 2012, he has choked through the harshest drought to hit the Great Plains in a century, punctuated by freakish snowstorms and suffocating gales of dust. His planting season starts earlier in the spring and pushes deeper into winter. To adapt, he has embraced an environmentally conscious way of farming that guards against soil erosion and conserves precious water. He can talk for hours about carbon sequestration — the trapping of global-warming-causing gases in plant life and in the soil — or the science of the beneficial microbes that enrich his land. In short, he is a climate change realist. Just don’t expect him to utter the word...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/business/energy-environment/offshore-wind-energy-long-island.html Source:   By Diane Cardwell, The New York Times For Investigation:   10.3 Excerpt: Only a few years ago, the long-held dream of harnessing the strong, steady gusts off the Atlantic coast to make electricity seemed destined to remain just that. ...Now the industry is poised to take off, just as the American political landscape and energy policy itself face perhaps the greatest uncertainty in a generation. Last fall, five turbines in the waters of Rhode Island — the country’s first offshore farm — began delivering power to the grid. ...Last year in Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, signed into law a mandate that is pushing development forward. And in New York, after years of stymied progress, the Long Island Power Authority has reached an agreement with Deepwater Wind, which built the Rhode Island turbine array, to drop a much larger farm — 15 turbines capable...