13 Technological Fix 2013-2014

very clever us eof technology

"We discard huge amounts of electronics every year, creating a toxic wasteland - often in the poorest countries"

"This week in the Planet Earth Podcast: Phil Kerrison and Lars Brunner from the Scottish Association for Marine Science explain how seaweed could be cultivated to fuel a power station, your car or even aircraft."

"US biotechnology firm AquaBounty given green light  * FDA expected to follow with decision on sale of GM salmon"

"Retractable Needle, Single-Use, Safety Syringe 100% Reduction in Needlestick Injuries Needle is Retracted in Plunger. All Components Interlocked After Use. Single-hand Operation & Passive Retraction User-Friendly Robust Design"

"Lack of vitamin A kills 6,000 children a day, and genetically modified rice meets the needs of those who can't afford alternatives"

"US and European groups are at odds over genetically modified foods being introduced in Africa"

"Pollution fears are on the up-and-up in Beijing once again as winter, the smoggiest season of them all, fast approaches. After the World Health Organization released a report labelling air pollution as a leading cause of cancer earlier this month, China's government is more frantic than ever to curb the level of PM 2.5 particles in the air"

"Daan Roosegaarde came up with idea during visit to Beijing and has won agreement to test system in one of city's public parks"

"Fed up with living in near darkness for six months of the year, the Norwegian town of Rjukan has found a solution, first dreamed up 100 years ago, which could boost tourism"

"GM food is incredibly controversial but to decide whether or not it has a place in sustainable agriculture, is a dose of perspective needed?"

"Russia's call to include geoengineering in the UN's climate report makes sense, given the country's fossil fuel strategy"

"Russia is pushing for next week's landmark UN climate science report to include support for controversial technologies to geoengineer the planet's climate, according to documents obtained by the Guardian. As climate scientists prepare to gather for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Stockholm to present the most authoritative state of climate science to date, it has emerged the Russian government is asking for "planet hacking" to be included in the report. The IPCC has not included geoengineering in its major assessments before"

"Country's status as world's major producer and exporter of food could be severely threatened unless its farming methods are urgently adapted to take account of climate change" GM crops ?? possible solution

"Battery-powered version of best-selling car can travel up to 100 miles on a single charge and reach top speed of 85mph"

"Group chaired by former UN secretary general urges farmers to shake fear of the unknown and adopt new technologies" Excellent argument arguing for the development of GM crops in Africa. Will be useful for your homewrok next 1/2 term.

"Japan is to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into building a frozen wall around the Fukushima nuclear plant to stop leaks of radioactive water."

"The most hated company in the world right now isn't a member of Big Oil. It's not a shady Internet company or a bailed-out megabank. Populist discontent toward dirty energy, high-tech snoops, and greedy bankers has occasionally been fierce, but it's never been laser-focused like the outrage that drew an estimated (by the organizers) 2 million protesters to anti-Monsanto rallies in more than 50 countries at the end of May."

"Scientists are attempting to control the weather by using lasers to create clouds, induce rain and even trigger lightning."