Sahara

11.22.09

Scientists Concoct a $2-Trillion-Per-Year Plan To Geoengineer The Sahara Desert

By Stuart Fox Posted 09.15.2009 at 5:41 pm 15 Comments

Now that scientists agree that humans have profoundly changed the Earth's climate, many have begun asking if we can use our globe-altering power to simply change it back.

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READ MORE ABOUT > desert, geoengineering, global climate change, global warming, Sahara, science news, terraform

The Future of Farming: Eight Solutions For a Hungry World

The challenge of growing twice as much food by 2050 to feed nine billion people—with less and less land—is everyone’s problem. But scientists are hard at work fomenting a second green revolution.

By Hilary Rosner Posted 08.07.2009 at 10:45 am 44 Comments

Today’s crops crisscross the globe: Mexico’s tomatoes end up on your plate, our wheat heads to Africa. As a result, the challenge of growing twice as much food by 2050 to feed nine billion people—with less and less land—is everyone’s problem. But scientists are hard at work fomenting a second green revolution. Here’s how nitrogen-spewing microbes, underground soil sensors and fruit-picking robots will help keep food on our tables.

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Containing the Sahara with Bacteria-Built Walls

Bacteria that construct walls out of sand could save a third of the world's population from desertification

By Dan Smith Posted 07.27.2009 at 9:40 am 12 Comments

The Sahara, as well as other deserts around the world, is growing, in a process called desertification that ends up displacing people and crops. The situation has become drastic in a number of sub-Saharan countries. One suggestion from architect Magnus Larsson at the recent TED Global conference suggests constructing a massive wall, 3,700 miles long -- built from the sand itself. The trick would be to use bacterial labor to build it.

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READ MORE ABOUT > bacteria, desertification, deserts, eco tech, green tech, Sahara, sand

Solar Collectors Covering 0.3 Percent of the Sahara Could Power All of Europe

A company plans to construct the world's largest solar power project ever, in the Sahara

By Dan Smith Posted 06.22.2009 at 12:29 pm 16 Comments

Solar power is an exciting source of renewable energy, but has so far mostly been used to power little things like homes, cars and small villages. But what if solar energy was used on a scale that would power the majority of Europe?

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READ MORE ABOUT > alternative energy, desalination, energy, irrigation, Sahara, solar panels, solar power, the future of energy