One radiator to heat a whole floor
What happens to people’s comfort level when the heating system in a super-insulated building is simplified by installing only one radiator per floor?
Climate
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Big data shows how what we buy affects endangered species
We don’t have to snuff out species when we eat a hamburger or buy a tee-shirt— if we know how our consumption affects endangered and threatened species.
– The world doesn’t realise how much we need CO2 storage
The world will not be able to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement without technology capable of capturing, transporting and storing CO2.
Global hot spot maps link consumers with impacts
A new model creates global hot spot maps to illuminate how what we buy pollutes the planet and where. The idea is to help governments, industries and individuals target areas for cleanup.
Green cooling with CO2
Man-made refrigeration gases threaten the Earth’s climate. The use of natural compounds like CO2 is an effective counter-measure.
Using EV tyres to counter traffic noise
Research shows that fitting tyres with very low rolling resistance, combined with the right road surfacing, can provide just as much noise reduction as traditional noise barriers.
Japan-Norway Arctic Science and Innovation Week
Representatives from Japanese and Norwegian universities, research institutions, government agencies and industries interested in polar issues will gather in Tokyo in early June to present research results and build partnerships.
Freezing plants to predict the fate of the Arctic
Global warming means much warmer winters in the Arctic, with more rain and icing. Researchers are working to understand what that will do to plants that have evolved to overwinter under a thick blanket of snow.
Keeping Arctic villages, infrastructure from falling into the sea
The Arctic is set to be a 21st century boomtown, as summer sea ice melts away, opening the area to increased trans-Arctic shipping and oil and gas development. A new understanding of Arctic coastal erosion offers clues to how to best protect the docks and other infrastructure this development will bring.
Household consumption significant driver of climate, other environmental impacts
You won’t make big cuts in your environmental impact by taking shorter showers or turning out the lights. The real environmental problem, a new analysis has shown, is embodied in the things you buy.
Hacking Trondheim to cut greenhouse gas emissions
NTNU and Norway’s technological capital—Trondheim—hosted a Climathon to give the city the tools it needs to make ambitious greenhouse gas cuts. The results might be helpful to other cities around the globe that face the same problem.
Food waste recycling not always the best idea
With Norway as a case study, a first-ever effort to quantify the benefits of recycling food waste versus preventing it shows prevention is the best policy. But Norway continues to invest significant funds in biogas facilities for food waste recycling.
The Paris summit is over— now what?
The climate summit in Paris ended with an agreement. But how do we ensure that the agreement is translated into action?
Prime-time charging of electric cars could be a problem
If everyone drove electric cars, there wouldn’t be enough power to charge them all when people got home in the afternoon. The solutions could affect your wallet.
Why we struggle to change our climate habits
Overfishing is part of the climate problem. There is little doubt that we need to change our habits, but what exactly do we need to do, and why is it so difficult?
ABC — anything but coal
Policymakers, industry and government officials will have to invest US $2.5 trillion for electricity generation over the next 20 years. A new report presents the environmental costs and benefits linked to different renewable energy sources, and makes one thing abundantly clear: anything is better than coal.
Norway’s coast challenging for offshore wind turbines
An offshore wind turbine currently costs twice as much to build as an onshore wind turbine. Truer pricing of environmental costs will help make renewable energy cost-effective.
Timing is everything for renewable energy use
There’s no time to waste in shifting to renewable energy sources if we are to avoid dangerous climate change. That’s especially true when it comes to bioenergy, which causes a temporary increase in CO2 levels that is later removed as replacement biostocks grow.
Uncovering secrets of ice that burns
Methane hydrates can be seen as a potential energy source or as a dangerous source of methane – a greenhouse gas that is 20 times more potent than CO2. With the help of a supercomputer and an interdisciplinary team, scientists have uncovered important details about their stability if they are disturbed by human-induced or natural forces.
Going for a geothermal world record
In Italy, researchers and drilling technologists are on the verge of making a geological breakthrough. They’re drilling deep enough to find what they call ‘supercritical’ water. If they succeed it will be a major technological breakthrough.
Turning political pledges into action on climate change
Beginning on 30 November, the nations of the world will gather in Paris to discuss a new global agreement on climate change. But what will it take to transform international political will into real action to curb global warming?
Drilling down to understand sea ice
Global warming is upending virtually everything that scientists know about the Arctic ice cap. During the first half of 2015, a multinational team of researchers froze the RV Lance into the Arctic ice to learn more about how this ice has changed. NTNU researchers were among the scientists seeking to learn more about this changing environment.
Clay can be used for carbon capture
Ordinary clay can be as good as more advanced materials for capturing carbon dioxide.
Carving up the global carbon pie in a new way
When negotiators come to Paris this December to discuss a binding and universal agreement on controlling climate change, they have to know how much each country contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions problem. A new method offers the best hope yet for accurately accounting for these emissions by providing the right incentives and assigning fair responsibilities.