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Small in Size, Big on Power: New Microbatteries a Boost for Electronics

Tue, 2013-06-18 15:21 — Kathy Gilbeaux

The graphic illustrates a high power battery technology from the University of Illinois.  Ions flow between three-dimensional micro-electrodes in a lithium ion battery.  Image - Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology

submitted by Albert Gomez

news.illinois.edu - by Liz Ahlberg - April 16, 2013

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Though they be but little, they are fierce. The most powerful batteries on the planet are only a few millimeters in size, yet they pack such a punch that a driver could use a cellphone powered by these batteries to jump-start a dead car battery – and then recharge the phone in the blink of an eye.

Developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the new microbatteries out-power even the best supercapacitors and could drive new applications in radio communications and compact electronics.

Led by William P. King, the Bliss Professor of mechanical science and engineering, the researchers published their results in the April 16 issue of Nature Communications.

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Introducing Global Sustainability

Sun, 2013-06-09 21:38 — Kathy Gilbeaux

huffingtonpost.co.uk - by HRH The Prince of Wales - June 3, 2013

I have long been deeply concerned about the effect our modern, highly industrialised approach is having on nature's capacity to sustain life on Earth. There is a growing set of alarming problems which, if not addressed with real urgency, will severely affect nature's capacity to keep her life support systems running and thus guarantee the well-being of billions of people around the world.

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Underlying Resilience Theoretical Foundations

Thu, 2013-06-06 03:31 — mdmcdonald

Dear all,

Yesterday was a great pleasure for me, thank you all for the inspirations and very nice atmosphere.

Instead of writing a decent summary, I have summarised some notes in the way of formulating questions that could be of interest for the project. (Or, at least to myself.) I think it could also be very useful to write a paper to help structuring all ideas.

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Geospatial Data Release Calendar

Thu, 2013-06-06 03:21 — mdmcdonald
Mike, Alexander,

Good to meet you both today (and help eat the food).

The official data release calendar id here:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/release-calendar/index.html
<http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/release-calendar/index.html>

Also attached is the National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies for the UK.
Enjoy.

Regards, Allan.

Professor Allan J. Brimicombe MPhil PhD CGeog FRGS FGS AcSS
Head, Centre for Geo-Information Studies
University of East London

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The Incredible Shrinking Cost of Solar Energy Drives Mega-Projects around the World

Wed, 2013-05-15 16:49 — Maeryn Obley

Graph of All-in Module Cost

Image: Graph of All-in Module Cost

juancole.com - May 3rd, 2013 - Juan Cole

Rob Wile uses a graph to point out the obvious, the dramatic fall in the cost of solar power generation. In many countries– Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal — and in parts of the US such as the Southwest, solar is at grid parity. That means it is as inexpensive to build a solar plant as a gas or coal one.

(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Patuca Reserve Resilience Network

Wed, 2013-05-15 09:18 — mdmcdonald

Honduras' ecosystems are being destroyed at an incredible rate, taking with it the rich natural heritage of biodiversity that has required million of years to evolve.  In 20 years, human populations in Honduras will be be threatend from ecosystem collapses that are likely to create abect misery and population collapses at an extraordinatry level.  Already population crashes are happening in small scale collapses due to the degradation of social ecology.  

There is a need to build a Patuca Reserve Resilience Network to help preserve the remaining 30% of the Patuca Reserve that has not been destroyed by deforestation and gold mining in the rivers. Association Patuca and Dr. Perinjaquet are working on introducing Resilience Capacity Zone Assessments and Mapping in order to identify solution sets local communities would embrace for preserving their environments and livelihoods, considering that they are squating within a national preserve that to date has had no environmental enforcement. 

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Video - Urban Resilience for a New Century

Tue, 2013-05-14 22:08 — Kathy Gilbeaux

huffingtonpost.com - by Dr. Judith Rodin - May 14, 2013

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Video - Scrap Fuel Subsidies and Price CO2, Urges World Bank

Tue, 2013-05-14 10:04 — Kathy Gilbeaux

Reuters - trust.org - May 6, 2013

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters Point Carbon) – The world’s nations must scrap fossil fuel subsidies and put a price on emitting carbon dioxide if the planet is to avoid dangerous climate change, according to the president of the World Bank. The two measures are part of a five-point plan that the bank urged the world’s environment ministers to take, including building low carbon cities, improving agricultural practices and sharing new technology that will save energy.

“We need a global response equal to the scale of the climate problem.

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Meet BRCK, a Backup Generator for the Internet

Sun, 2013-05-12 22:42 — Kathy Gilbeaux

                   

ushahidi.com - by Rob Baker - May 7, 2013

Ushahidi is a team of programmers and mappers who are constantly on the move.

Being constantly handicapped with spotty internet access has led us to realize that the way the entire world is connecting to the web is changing.

So Ushahidi set out to redesign the modem for the changing way we all connect to the web.

Enter BRCK: The easiest, most reliable way to connect to the Internet, anywhere in the world.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE) 

BRCK
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1776324009/brck-your-backup-generator-for-the-internet

 

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Chapter 2. The Ecology of Population Growth - Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity

Sun, 2013-05-12 15:53 — Kathy Gilbeaux

earth-policy.org

Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity

Chapter 2. The Ecology of Population Growth

by Lester R. Brown

Throughout most of human existence, population growth has been so slow as to be imperceptible within a single generation. Reaching a global population of 1 billion in 1804 required the entire time since modern humans appeared on the scene. To add the second billion, it took until 1927, just over a century. Thirty-three years later, in 1960, world population reached 3 billion. Then the pace sped up, as we added another billion every 13 years or so until we hit 7 billion in late 2011.

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