Trees struggle when forests become too small
As forest areas shrink and become fragmented, many tree species face problems. They often rely on animals that can no longer disperse their seeds effectively.
Energy and environment
LOADING CONTENT
SF6: The Truths and Myths of this Greenhouse Gas
The atmospheric concentration of the highly-potent greenhouse gas SF6 has never been higher. Fingers have been pointed at the expanding renewables industry, but is that a fair assessment?
Climate change fuels Australia’s enormous wildfires
Bushfires are a normal part of the cycle of nature in Australia. But not like this. And it is going to get worse.
Ocean acidification a big problem — but not for coral reef fish behaviour
Several high-profile studies report that ocean acidification will affect coral reef fish behaviour enough to jeopardize their survival. One research team looked more deeply at this assertion — and found it is simply not true.
Need to reduce oil activity to create new industry, say researchers
Offshore wind energy is seeing renewed wind in its sails as a major industrial opportunity for Norway. But researchers warn that economic and political players could hinder this development if they get locked into the existing industrial structures.
If the world can capture carbon, there’s capacity to store it
Humankind will need to harness carbon capture and storage technologies to help keep global warming to 2 degrees C or less. New research shows that there’s plenty of room to store captured CO2 — in offshore geologic rock formations.
When art turns climate activist
Can art that literally takes your breath away make you more climate friendly? You can find out yourself if you happen to be in Madrid, at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP 25.
Lithium can now be recycled
Lithium from Norwegian electric car batteries isn’t recycled that often. Instead, it ends up as waste when other metals it’s mixed with are recycled. But this may change.
Testing CO2 transport on the laboratory roof
When scientists carry out experiments to investigate safe and efficient CO2 transport on the roof of the thermal power engineering laboratories at Trondheim, Norway, the noise they make will sound like a jet engine.
Water was a winner in capturing CO2
Reducing the level of CO2 in the atmosphere will probably require carbon capture. A surprising substance just might be the ticket.
Svalbard reindeer populations rebounding from centuries of hunting
As reindeer go, the animals living on Svalbard might not be Santa’s first choice. They’re a smaller subspecies of their common mainland relatives, and to save energy they basically never run. But because they were nearly exterminated from Svalbard around 1900 — and were then protected in 1925 — the animals provide unique insights into how conservation can help species thrive.
Computer video simulation can limit flooding
Floods are expensive and at times dangerous. But what if a computer disaster simulation game could show politicians and local people what potential floods in their town would look like?
More hydropower and a better environment
The Norwegian public authorities’ estimates of the potential to expand the country’s power plants are probably too low. A new approach is creating opportunities for increased production while also enhancing environmental aspects.
Buy less, be happier and build a healthy planet
You may feel like you can’t do anything to stop climate change. But climate activists who joined in grassroots movements managed to cut their carbon footprints and were still happier than their non-activist peers, new research shows.
Turning waste heat into hydrogen fuel
Hydrogen as an energy carrier can help us move away from fossil fuels, but only if it is created efficiently. One way to improve efficiency is to use waste heat that’s left over from other industrial processes.
Hydrogen plant will make the “whisky island” Myken self-sufficient in electricity
If this solar and wind-based hydrogen project succeeds, it may become a model for many thousands of other small island communities worldwide.
Tracing the journey of microplastics in the Arctic
By now it’s well established that microplastics are a problem in the environment, even in the remotest parts of the planet. But where do different microplastics come from and how they get there, especially in the Arctic?
Your life depends on these rare raw materials
The green transition is impossible without a few relatively unknown substances. Find out more about the raw materials we cannot manage without – and why we have to act smart with them.
Ammonia may hold key to greener combustion
One way to reduce flight shame may lie in a ring of flames. And in the gas that’s generated in an outhouse.
This is what you need to know about CCS – Carbon Capture and Storage
Why is there so much talk about storing CO2 underground? Doesn’t it cost more than it’s worth? Here we provide the research scientists’ answers and explanations of why CCS is climate technology that we are completely dependent on. And yes, this can be performed in a safe manner.
What happens in the Barents Sea if the ice disappears?
The Arctic’s once impenetrable ice cap is melting away, with profound consequences for everything from ocean circulation patterns to fish numbers and diversity. The Nansen Legacy Project, including NTNU biologists, chemists and engineers, is working to better understand what these changes mean for the Barents Sea and the Arctic Basin
NTNU cools down CERN
CERN’s two Large Hadron Colliders detectors to get a climate-friendly cooling system upgrade.
This technology replaces coal power with wood power
The Norwegian company Arbaflame is intent on persuading the world to abandon polluting coal power. The new technology makes it possible to replace coal with eco-friendly wood pellets.
NTNU will lead European sustainability project
Through the Research Centre on Zero Emission Neighbourhoods (FME ZEN) in Smart Cities, NTNU has received funding from the EU to research sustainable plus energy neighbourhoods in Europe. SINTEF and OBOS are partners.