Lifeboat Foundation

The new concept car will be “electric, circular, and digital.”

The future BMW plan calls for a large number of new electric vehicles. The company already has a strong portfolio of electric vehicles, but its new platform will only be focused on electrification.

BMW CFO Dr. Nicolas Peter previously announced at the end of the Q3 2022 quarterly report that BMW will unveil a new Vision Car at the upcoming CES 2023. “The next highlight on our way to the Neue Klasse will follow in January 2023. At the CES in Las Vegas, we will be presenting a visionary vehicle that will underpin our digital expertise. The future of the BMW Group is electric, circular, and digital,” Peter said.

In theory, it could mitigate the effects of global warming; but experts are wary.

Make Sunsets, a California-based startup, released weather balloons that carried sulfur particles into the stratosphere which possibly burst there, releasing the chemical, MIT Technology Review.

Continue reading “US startup wants to inject sulfur into the atmosphere to cool down the Earth” »

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite launched into Earth orbit on Friday, Dec. 16, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in central California, and engineers are working to prepare the mission to begin measuring the height of water on over 90% of Earth’s surface, providing a high-definition survey of our planet’s water for the first time.

But before it can do that, the satellite would need to unfold its large mast and antenna panels (see above) after successfully deploying the solar panel arrays that power the spacecraft. The mission monitors and controls the satellite using telemetry data, but it also equipped spacecraft with four customized commercial cameras to record the action.

Continue reading “Watch the latest water satellite unfold itself in space” »

Recently, a start-up company called Make Sunsets has begun releasing chemicals into the stratosphere as a form of geoengineering that is intended to help climate change. However, many are very hesitant about the startup and the result of what they are doing.

For perspective, geoengineering is when chemical particles are released into the stratosphere to manipulate the weather or climate. The theory is that when sulfur is released into the atmosphere that it mimics a natural process that occurs after volcanoes and that by doing this intentionally, we could ease global warming.

While it isn’t difficult to do this, it is very controversial. The reason for this is that it could potentially have dangerous side effects. Additionally, because some regions could endure worse side effects, it could cause issues across international lines.

While significant parts of the globe are already facing significant freshwater scarcity, the need for more freshwater is projected to increase in order to sustain the increasing global population and economic growth and adapt to climate change.

An almost limitless supply of fresh water exists in the form of water vapor above Earth’s oceans, yet remains untapped. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have proposed a new infrastructure capable of harvesting oceanic water vapor as a solution to limited supplies of fresh water in various locations around the world.

The study evaluated 14 water-stressed locations across the globe for the feasibility of a hypothetical structure capable of capturing water vapor from above the ocean and condensing it into fresh water – and doing so in a manner that will remain feasible in the face of continued climate change.

Vani Kannan and Balaji, a Bengaluru-based couple, built their sustainable dream home using recycled wood and mud.

It appears that Tesla’s 4,680 battery cell production line is hitting its rhythm. As recently announced by the company, its 4,680 team has managed to build 868,000 cells in the last seven days. That’s roughly equal to the battery packs of over 1,000 electric vehicles.

Tesla announced the milestone on its official Twitter account. The EV maker highlighted its appreciation for its 4,680 team in its post, while also including a couple of photos of the teams behind the milestone. “Congrats to the 4,680 cell team on achieving 868k cells built in the last 7 days—equal to 1k+ cars!” Tesla wrote.

While producing enough cells for over 1,000 electric cars may seem like a minor achievement considering the scale of Tesla’s overall operations, the accomplishment was likely achieved with just the company’s initial 4,680 production lines. Tesla currently produces 4,680 cells in its pilot line at Kato Road, close to the Fremont Factory. Giga Texas also has a 4,680 line.

There’s not enough fresh water to go around on planet Earth, and it’s a problem that’s expected to only worsen in the coming years.

To meet growing demand, recycling and restricting our water will only get us so far. Scientists will need to find new sources of this life-sustaining liquid to meet our needs.

One currently untapped source is the water vapor above the oceans, which is almost limitless as far as supplies go. A new study outlines how harvesting structures could be used to convert this vapor into drinkable water.

This portable unit needs less power to operate than a cell phone charger and could make it much easier for those in resource-poor areas to desalinate water.