🪸 World's largest single coral colony, AI-designed wind turbine, COP29 key takeaways

Welcome back to the 21st issue of the Sustainability newsletter by Interesting Engineering. 

The last month of the year is here, with Christmas just around the corner, and scientists are getting ahead of new green innovations and research. Scientists from RMIT University developed a new sustainable application for air conditioners using waste polystyrene. A thin film, curated by stacking multiple layers of polystyrene, harnesses the plastic's ability to generate static electricity from motion and wind.

Last week, scientists discovered the world's largest single coral colony in the Solomon Islands. This massive organism, located in the Pacific Ocean, could serve as a refuge for coral populations, allowing them to recover and adapt to climate change.

With the global artificial intelligence (AI) market projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030 (Exploding Topics), scientists are leveraging it to invent wind turbines. Called the Birmingham Blade, the turbine is jointly developed by AI design specialists EvoPhase and precision metal fabricators KwikFab. The turbine is also tailored to the unique wind conditions of a specific geographic area.

In another development, China has successfully encircled the Taklamakan Desert, the country’s largest and the world’s second-largest shifting desert, with a 1,900-mile (3,050-kilometer) green belt of vegetation and solar-powered sand-blocking technology. This effort aims to prevent sandstorms, protect infrastructure, and boost regional economic opportunities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

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NEWS BULLETIN

• ⚡️ World’s first urban wind turbine designed by AI offers 7x more efficiency
  The evolutionary simulations conducted by EvoPhase have confirmed the Birmingham Blade is up to seven times more efficient than existing designs.
  

• 🔥 New catalyst boosts hydrogen yield by 50%, slashes production temperature by 300°C
  The catalyst enables hydrogen production at 300°C lower than conventional thermal methane cracking processes, improving hydrogen productivity by 50%.
  

• 🔋 Samsung could unveil world’s first foldable battery in new tri-fold phone
  The foldable battery patent focuses on optimizing capacity, output, and folding angles to improve efficiency and maximize battery space.
  

• ☀️ China tames ‘sea of death’ desert’s shifting sand with giant solar wall, trees
  The green belt, completed with the help of 600,000 people, includes desert poplar, red willow, and saxaul trees to stabilize the desert’s edge.
  

• ⚖️ Huge COP29 climate deal too little too late, poorer nations say
  The African Group of Negotiators described the final pledge as "too little, too late", while the representative from India dismissed the money as "a paltry sum".
  

• ⚡️ Bill Gates-backed firm builds floating wind base model in 40 hours, 10x faster
  The folding feature of the platform occupies two-third less space in a shipyard or port.
  

• 🌏 Heatwaves are surpassing the extremes predicted by climate models 
  Comparing historical heat extremes with climate simulations has revealed that in parts of the world the models are underestimating how extreme heatwaves are getting.

MUST READ

🌏 Scientists discovered the world's largest single coral colony in the Pacific

Scientists discovered the world's largest single coral colony in the Solomon Islands. This massive organism, located in the Pacific Ocean, could serve as a refuge for coral populations, allowing them to recover and adapt to climate change.

In a new study, scientists sought to identify and protect areas of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) that are more resistant to coral bleaching. GBR is the largest coral reef system in the world, located off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

Parts of GBR tend to be resistant to coral bleaching due to the natural upwelling of cooler water. These refugia could serve as sources for coral populations to recover and adapt to climate change

Scientists’ custom modeling and satellite observations show that climate refugia are created by the upwelling of cooler water to the surface through the interactions of tides and currents with dense reef structures.

Essentially, researchers developed a high-resolution regional ocean model to simulate the future oceanographic conditions of the GBR under a high-emission scenario. They identified two large refugia where upwelling mechanisms would likely persist, keeping the water temperature approximately one degree Celsius cooler than surrounding areas.

This scenario is projected to remain until at least into the 2080s, providing thermal relief to corals according to the study. Identification and protection of these refugia may help facilitate reef survival and related biodiversity preservation by allowing their corals time to acclimatize and adapt and ultimately provide source populations to replenish the rest of the reef.

The study was published on November 29, 2024 in the journal Science Advances.

OTHER IMPORTANT UPDATES

• 🍐 Cactus pear is a crop with potential in Italy's parched south and beyond

• 💰 "This New Finance Goal is an Insurance Policy for Humanity": Simon Stiell at Close of COP29

• ⚖️ International court to begin hearings that may shape global climate litigation

• ⚡️ Spin-powered crystals could boost clean hydrogen production 200 times 

• ☀️ Glencore agrees to solar plant deal with Pele Green Energy 

• 🗑️ Hope of breakthrough at international plastic treaty talks after two-year deadlock

🌍 Act to shrink your carbon footprint

COP29 took place last month from November 11 to November 24 in UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan. It’s considered one of the most crucial moments for global climate action. The climate conference this year focused on climate finance.

Some of the key takeaways are: 

Climate Finance

New Funding Goal: A new global climate finance goal was set, aiming to triple annual finance for developing countries to $300 billion by 2035.  

Broader Contributor Base: More countries, including emerging economies, will contribute to climate finance.  

Focus on Adaptation: More emphasis was placed on funding adaptation measures to help vulnerable countries cope with climate impacts.

Carbon Markets

• Operationalizing Article 6: Significant progress was made in operationalizing Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which establishes rules for international carbon markets.  

• Ensuring Environmental Integrity: Strict rules were adopted to prevent double-counting of emissions reductions and ensure the environmental integrity of carbon markets.

Fossil Fuel Phase-out

• Limited Progress: While there were calls for a phase-out of fossil fuels, no concrete agreement was reached on this issue.  

• Focus on Transition: Discussions centered on a just transition to clean energy, ensuring a fair and equitable shift away from fossil fuels.

Other Key Points

• Loss and Damage Fund: Operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, established at COP27, was a key focus.  

• Nature-Based Solutions: The importance of nature-based solutions, such as forest conservation and restoration, was highlighted.

• Youth and Indigenous Voices: Youth and Indigenous Peoples played a significant role in shaping the discussions and advocating for ambitious climate action.

More to come in the forthcoming edition of Sustainability.