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New Tech to Tackle the Climate Crisis

Here are seven emerging technologies that could help us kick the carbon habit

Roland Weihrauch/picture-alliance/dpa/AP

Climate change can make us feel hopeless. From superstorms and megafires to melting ice caps and rising seas, the ravages of global warming are only getting worse. If human activity is driving us to the brink, the good news is that humans are also developing and deploying new technologies that can help the world kick the carbon habit. We already have affordable, market-ready solutions like solar, wind, and hydropower — the massive deployment of which could make America carbon neutral by 2050. And there are new technologies on the near horizon that could accelerate our trajectory toward a green future. What follows are seven advances — from electric planes to “green” cement to tidal-power generation — that could make modern living more sustainable for our only planet.

From Rolling Stone US

Tidal Energy

The ChallengeTidal currents — a huge, largely untapped source of energy for coastal communities — have been hard to harness because the turbulent ocean waters can batter and damage the underwater equipment.The TechIn February, Sustainable Marine launched the world’s first floating tidal-energy platform in Canada, a barge with six submersible turbines that can pivot with the tidal flow, creating steady power.The PotentialDeployed in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, famous for its high tides, the initial project will power 3,000 homes. If tidal energy emerges as a reliable, scalable technology, it could provide more than five percent of global energy needs.