Question: What are the next technological advances that are likely to be made in the near future to increase environmental sustainability?

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  1. Hey magda I love this question cos it talks about one of the most fun things to do for me… Look at new inventions! Part of the fun of having your own website is I get to see crazy new things all the time in science. I’m not sure what the next one out will be, because there is a LOT of research and idea being put out there with all the climate change problems. But I found an article a little while ago that explains some that are not too crazy (well most of them anyway) and might work!

    https://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2010/05/04/2889681.htm

    Try it yourself! Type “climate change inventions” or different things similar to that and see what you can find.

    I have a question for YOU. What do you think needs to be fixed with a new invention?

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  2. Cool question Magda. Unlike Sam, I don’t have my own awesome website and sometimes I get stuck reading mostly evolutionary microbiology papers! So I like this question because it pushed me outside my comfort zone! It is however hard to answer in any definite way because there’s so
    much going on and you never really know what’s around the corner in
    science or technology until suddenly it’s right there in front of you!

    Some cool ideas are new ways of getting power without burning fossil fuels, like improved wind and solar power generators, wave-generated electricity and things like that. Other possible near-future developments might be carbon “scrubbers” that do something similar to what trees do: they suck in air and get carbon dioxide molecules to stick to them so they can be captured and (hopefully!) stored somewhere they won’t wind up in the atmosphere or oceans again. Other things might be more efficient high-speed, long-distance transport systems like the Hyperloop: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperloop. Imagine travelling between Sydney and Brisbane in an hour without leaving the ground or needing fuel-hungry planes! I’m all for this technology!!!

    On a more theoretical side, new ecological models that focus on preserving ecosystems (rather than trying to save individual threatened
    species) could suggest new ways of managing land so that it’s more sustainable and saves more species. It’s not a new/improved invention like some of the ideas above are, but the point is about making new ideas and approaches work for us, which is what technology really is.

    I want to know what you think will be the next big thing! Won’t you share your thoughts with Sam and I? 🙂

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