Category: Sustainability

Forging the Modern World

Written by Ryan McGuine // The modern age has been characterized by the skyrocketing use of a number of materials, including steel. Remarkable for its strength as well as its durability, steel is the key metal of industrialization — in 2014 steel production was almost 20 times larger than that of aluminum, copper, zinc, and lead combined. As countries build out the infrastructure needed for the energy transition and urbanization, global steel demand is poised to grow by over one-third by 2050. Continue reading

Green, Green Grass of Songshan 

Written by Ryan McGuine // Beijing became the only city in the world to host both a summer and winter Olympics when it opened the 24th Winter Olympics last Friday. The Games put on by Beijing in 2008 were exactly the kind of thing all host countries hope for — China used the Games to demonstrate its technological and economic might on a global stage, pairing dramatic pageantry with impressive organization to cement its role as an emerging superpower. This year, China plans to use the Games to emphasize the environment, so let’s dig into some of their initiatives. Continue reading

The Deep Roots of Deforestation

Written by Ryan McGuine // Humans have been changing the landscapes around them for millennia. Some began electively breeding crop varieties, grazing livestock, and clearing forests to do so as early as 3,000 years ago. The population was quite small then by today's standards, but the amount of land per person required to grow enough food was quite large. While clearing forests is not a new phenomenon, and crop yields today are much higher than they once were, deforestation has still accelerated in recent decades. Continue reading

Demography & Development: Fruitful Multiplication

Written by Ryan McGuine // For millennia, there was very little change in the number of humans on earth, but like so many other measures of physical well-being and consumption, the global population skyrocketed in the 19th and 20th centuries. While it seems intuitively obvious that fewer people is good, because fewer people means higher incomes, as well as smaller environmental impact, there is actually good reason to be worried about declining populations. Continue reading

Growing Energy on Trees

Written by Ryan McGuine // Biomass is the oldest source of energy harnessed by humans. The history of energy transitions has been one of moving away from biomass and toward fuels with greater power densities, like coal, natural gas, and petroleum, but today it is making a comeback in high-income countries as a way to help combat climate change. While replacing all fossil fuel consumption with biomass would be a disaster for the climate, it will certainly play a role in the decarbonization of the economy. Continue reading

Lean Machine: The Greening of Supply Chains

Written by Riley Collins // Big business has long been synonymous with oil spills, environmental degradation, and the overall promotion of a system that emphasizes quarterly profit above all else. However, many corporations are now turning a new leaf and using their size to exert influence across the economy by improving the environmental sustainability of their supply chains. The scale and quickness with which large businesses can act makes this an area that is extremely promising in reducing environmental degradation globally. Continue reading

Pouring the Foundations of Modernity

Written by Ryan McGuine // The modern age has been characterized by the skyrocketing use of a number of materials, including concrete, the most widely-used construction material in the world. The basic foundation of concrete is cement, a remarkable material due to its combination of robustness and ability to be shaped into all manner of beautiful forms, and one which would seem futuristic if it weren’t thousands of years old. Going forward, rapid urbanization and rising incomes in developing countries will ensure the continued use of concrete for decades to come. Continue reading

Grow Crops, Not Algae

Written by Ryan McGuine // The incredible crop yields made possible by modern, intensive agriculture have literally made it possible to feed the world. Fossil fuels, which are used to power mechanized cultivation and as feedstocks for fertilizers and pesticides, are central to intensive agriculture. Chief among the fossil fuel-derived agrochemicals is nitrogen fertilizer, in the form of ammonia. Continue reading

Coronavirus & Climate: Silver Linings & Red Herrings

Written by Ryan McGuine // The COVID-19 outbreak has dramatically changed daily life around the world. The global economy has ground to a halt as governments and individuals take unprecedented social distancing measures to "flatten the curve." Everything humans do affects the natural environment in some way, and coronavirus-related changes to daily life present an interesting contrast to before the virus. Continue reading