With Climate change becoming a bigger and more pressing problem, people from all fields are coming together to try to find a solution and fix the problems we’ve caused. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on climate change, about 90 climate scientists agree that if we do not slow global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2040, there is no reversing our mistakes. Thanks to some brilliant minds, there are some wild and cool innovations that are being made to combat climate changes and its effects.
1. Pumps to cool down Coral Reefs
Credit: The Ocean Agency / XL Catlin Seaview Survey
Mo Ehasni, a civil engineer, has come up with a way to slow down and prevent the process of coral bleaching. Since coral reefs are really sensitive to increases in heat this invention pumps cool water to the stressed corals. While coral reefs can recover from bleaching, they need to return to their normal temperatures to be able to do so. The water would be pumped through a pipe and it would use energy created by ocean waves to pump the cool water.
2. Plastic Eating Enzyme
Credit: Troy Mayne
Researchers in Japan accidentally developed an enzyme that can “eat” plastic in just a few days. That’s crazy when you compare it to how long it currently takes to break plastic down, which is hundred of years! While this enzyme cannot completely get rid of plastic, it is able to break plastic back into its original elements which, in turn, can be used to make recycled plastic. While this is still very much in the beginning stages, these enzymes could be a game changer and help eliminate the 91% of plastic that still has not decomposed or been recycled.
3. Floating Wind Farm
Statoil/Øyvind Gravås/Woldcam
Scotland approved in 2017 a project that would use five floating wind turbines that are anchored to the ocean floor. It was estimated that combined they would be able to create enough energy to power 20,000 homes! As of 2018 they are operating at 65% of its maximum theoretical capacity and proving to be a huge success. While this may not seem like a lot this means that the wind farms are generating 100% of their potential electricity capacity around 65% of the time.
4. Pollinating Drones
Credit: CNN
Researchers in Japan have recently had success with using a tiny drone to pollinate a flower! The key to the drones success is the special gel that coats the horse hairs connected to the drone. The researchers attached horse hair to the underside of the drone to mimic a bee and then coat the hairs with the gel, which is able to capture the pollen from the flower. With 40% of invertebrate pollinators facing extinction, this could help make sure that the food we eat can still be pollinated. This type of technology still has a long way to go before it can be mass produced, and will most likely not be able to replace what bees and other pollinators currently do.
5. Plastic made out of plants.
Credit Avani Eco
Kevin Kumala set out to help rid the world of plastic by creating a “plastic” made out of biodegradable materials. They have has success in creating things like ponchos, bags, and food packaging by using a cheap vegetable found in Indonesia, cassava. He eventually launched his own company in 2014, Avani Eco, which produces four tons of plant based plastic products every day! With about 9 million plastic particles entering the ocean yearly, these kinds of products are desperately needed!
While all of these inventions are amazing and will do a lot of good, every single one of us still has to make changes and work on becoming more environmentally friendly. There is no quick fix to climate change, if there was we wouldn’t need these products. Make as many changes as possible in your lives to help the earth.
Check out more cool inventions: https://medium.com/shapers-on-climate/8-of-the-coolest-sustainable-inventions-in-the-world-9eee973e08f4
Written by Sarah King
Edited by Sydney Graham