The Possible issue 08: Hard targets, harder choices
There is no shortage of promising solutions for reaching net-zero, but there are no easy answers either
Blank Canvas: How do we isolate pathogens, but not scientists?
High-containment labs are among the world’s most secure buildings. Three teams take on the challenge of making them into smarter workplaces
Blind data: solving smart buildings’ UX problem
Smart buildings are useless if people can’t interpret the reams of complex information they generate. We need to completely rethink the interface between human and machine, says James Kinch
The realist’s road to zero
We can’t build a net-zero world without using steel and concrete, and these industries are relying on the same limited pool of green resources as many others to decarbonize. In this series, The Possible explores the tough choices ahead
The realist’s road to zero: #5 Carbon capture and storage
As things stand, almost all decarbonization roads eventually lead to CCUS technology. But there are currently fewer than 30 plants operational worldwide. So how do we get from here to net-zero?
The realist’s road to zero: #4 Nature-based offsets
We could — and should — grow more trees. But that won’t be anywhere near enough to avert the climate crisis. We need to look further than nature-based offsets, and perhaps more closely at forests themselves
Five reasons why emerging economies don’t need to copy the West
Abul Mahdi of humanitarian architecture charity Article 25 on the importance of keeping things local
The realist’s road to zero: #3 The hydrogen economy
Hydrogen could help many of the world’s most carbon-intensive processes to reach net-zero — just as long as we can decarbonize the production of hydrogen itself
The realist’s road to zero: #2 Decarbonizing renewables
There’s no getting round it: to decarbonize the world’s power supply, we are going to have to “spend” a lot of carbon in the process. But there are ways we can reduce the size of the bill
The realist’s road to zero: #1 Concrete and steel
The production of cement and steel requires huge amounts of energy. We can’t do without them, but can they ever be zero-carbon?
Carbon fingerprints: The science of climate attribution
Attribution science is giving us new ways to drive action on carbon emissions, and to support communities to adapt. L Delta Merner at the Union of Concerned Scientists explains how it’s changing the game
Active travel: The overnight cycle city
Road closures and pop-up cycle lanes were a common aspect of the Covid-19 response across the UK. But few cities were as well placed as Exeter to act quickly, for the long term — and without upsetting too many local residents
Active travel: The park that became an island
Like many US inner cities, West Baltimore has been blighted by car-centric planning and historic disinvestment. Now, its transportation planners want to right past wrongs by turning an eight-lane expressway into a ‘Complete Street’
Living proof: how to measure a sustainable city
How do we measure something as complex as sustainability or equality in cities? The answer is right in front of us, says Helena Klintström. Just look at the health of the people who live there
‘Mussels have a carbon footprint even lower than apples or carrots’
Not only are blue mussels a low-carbon protein source, they can clean water of pollution too. Are they the missing link in the sustainable food chain?
The trouble with vertical farms…
Fruit and vegetables must have strong, direct overhead light — which means recreating the sun
The whey forward: can lab-grown meat and animal-free dairy change the world?
Life cycle assessments show that ‘clean’ production methods are drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Roots of recovery: Christchurch’s urban farm
New Zealand earthquake prompted 10-year plan to “look after ourselves”
Urban agriculture: 160 farms in Quezon City
Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of self-reliance in the Philippines’ most populous city
Dinner for 10 million
Our food system isn’t sustainable and it isn’t working. We urgently need to find new ways to feed fast-growing 21st century cities — or to help them feed themselves
‘The person with the box of photos has the stories’
Zhee Chatmon on documenting Baltimore’s car-blighted neighbourhoods for The Possible, and the unique power of street photography
Five ways net-zero aviation could reshape life on the ground
Aviation experts Mattias Frithiof and Gaël Le Bris on the wider benefits of greener flying
PFAS come to town
“Forever chemicals” have been an issue on industrial sites for some time. Now we need to address them in urban spaces too, says Stefano Marconetto
Biodiversity offsets: The price of survival
Not only can we put a value on nature — we must, argues welfare economist Scott Cole. Offsets will be an essential part of the fight against biodiversity loss