Of Australia’s capital cities, Perth has the saltiest tap water, while Melbourne, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra have the least salty. And while all are within guidelines, the variation is striking.
Research shows that when Americans are aware of the scale of food waste, and how much energy and water are used to produce food, they support measures to reduce the problem.
Leftover lactose from cheese production shows early promise as a treatment that can help soils retain water and nutrients, making them more resistant to drought.
After declining for nearly a decade, the number of hungry people in the world is growing again. Climate change, which is disrupting weather patterns that farmers rely on, is a major cause.
When people form local networks to take care of resources such as drinking water, they strengthen their communities. Technology can support these efforts and promote learning and innovation.
On the outskirts of Bangalore, families must piece together drinking water from communal supplies, intermittently available tap water, and “water ATMs”.
Dairy cows are sensitive to heat, so farmers cool them down with sprinklers and fans. Researchers are designing better, more efficient systems to keep cows comfortable through hot California summers.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has suggested changing the rules to allow ‘environmental’ water to be diverted to drought-hit farms. But the idea would be far less straightforward in practice.
Research shows that campaigns that try to make consumers feel guilty about the amount they waste often make things worse, not better. A new study poins the way to more effective anti-waste campaigns.
Professor of Civil, Environmental & Ecological Engineering, Director of the Healthy Plumbing Consortium and Center for Plumbing Safety, Purdue University
Professor in Practice on Environmental Innovation, School of Social and Environmental Sustainability, University of Glasgow, UK, National University of Singapore
Associate Professor of Environmental Economics and Policy, School of Environment, Science and Engineering, and Fellow of the Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University