Megadrought, Device collects water from fog, Rise in self-sufficiency, Turn scrap metal and seashells into energy

"Drought has scorched western North America for the better part of two decades, withering crops, draining rivers and fueling fires. Scientists now warn that this trend could be just the beginning of an extended megadrought that ranks among the very worst of the past 1,200 years and would be unlike anything known in recorded history."

"Without water, our lifespan would be 14 days. Our entire existence is closely dependent on one single, exhaustible resource. In a moment where we all feel vulnerable, and surprisingly dependent on more external systems than we imagined, life is reminding us of what makes us human, and where we should probably focus our attention."

"Cody Friesen, PhD ’04, invented panels that harvest water from the air—even in arid Arizona. And that’s after he’d figured out how to make rechargeable high-energy batteries that are cheap and eco-friendly."

"The hope behind the fog harp's development was simple: in areas of the world where water is scarce but fog is present, pulling usable water from fog could become a sustainable option. "

"Fire is essential for survival, and anyone who has spent any time back country camping normally has two or three ways to start a fire in their kit. I believe that everyone should practice starting a fire in a safe controlled area using a variety of techniques such as the ferro rod, flint & steel, the friction bow line, even a mirror/magnifying glass lens until you have mastered each of them and any other way possible. Under stress in a survival situation is not the time to realize it’s much harder than it looks."

"If you’ll pardon the pun, it’s a seed of hope that in such challenging times, so many are seeking down-to-earth, nourishing respite where they can. The move into growing your own food is a hugely positive step on a multitude of levels right now and I believe, offers the potential for a more sustainable food system and society post-pandemic."

"We have a high-efficiency washer with which we do on average two and a half loads per week, amounting to about seven gallons per day. And no matter how much I talk about it, the children seem to think 'please wash your hands' means 'please recreate Lake Superior on the bathroom floor.'"

"The heat engines used to convert fuels to electricity in a power plant, or for power in your car have an efficiency of 30% to 35% percent. With hydrogen peroxide in a fuel cell, the conversion of chemical to useful energy could be as high as 80% to 90%, with the added benefit of not having to carry hydrogen gas"

"The initiative builds on Microsoft’s 2.5-year-old AI for Earth program, which has supported grants for more than 500 environmental data projects in 81 countries. Google and Amazon have invested in cloud resources and artificial intelligence platforms working toward similar missions, but not on the grand scale that Microsoft seeks to achieve."

"Robots that could recharge by chowing down (in varying degrees) scrap metal as they move about. While that carries the faint whiff of robot cannibalism, it could, as strange as it might sound, result in robots that function more like biological beings."

"A team from Purdue University used chitosan—an abundant natural biopolymer from marine crustacean shells—to create triboelectric nanogenerators. TENGs help conserve mechanical energy and turn it into power."

"Record-breaking flooding across the Midwest and Northern Great Plains last year caused an estimated $10.8 billion in damage to homes, businesses, crops, and infrastructure. This year’s forecast indicates that 23 of our 50 states could experience flooding. It warns: 'This spring season, 128 million people face an elevated flooding risk in their communities, with 28 million at risk for moderate or greater flooding, and 1.2 million at risk for major flooding.'"

"Radiation levels in the Chernobyl exclusion zone spiked 17 times over the normal background reading Sunday, the head of Ukraine's ecological watchdog said Sunday, as forest fires blazed about 12 miles into the Chernobyl disaster area."