Sustainability Momentum Sdn Bhd

Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is expected to sign an extended deal to protect some of the world’s most threatened habitats. Indonesia, home to about a third of the world’s remaining tropical forest has been the victim of palm oil and pulp, paper and timber businesses development for economic benefits for a fair amount of time. For the past two years, the government has imposed a moratorium on felling forests as an effort to halt deforestation, as this moratorium is about to expire the termination would leave loggers and plantations free to expand into fresh areas. The local Association of Indonesian Palm Oil Producers spoke against it openly fearing further extension of this moratorium would cause them the title of world’s biggest producer of palm oil.

The process of photosynthesis in plants to produce sugar by harnessing solar energy to spilt water molecules is no stranger to men. The University of Georgia have recently revealed an unknown side of this process where they believe electricity can be harness through photosynthesis. By connecting superfine nanotubules to plant cells, electron created by the plants during photosynthesis can be harnessed through a wire as electrical current. Scientists have also discovered that the electricity produced is twice as powerful as electricity gathered from traditional solar cells of the same size!

The daily average atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide as measured by the Mauna Loa Observatory has officially passed four hundred parts per million. Scientists around the globe have been expressing their concern over this new milestone as CO₂ concentrations have never exceeded 280 ppm over the last million years. While some scientists believe this milestone will be a turning point towards clean technology to reverse this trend, others believed we are in a danger zone as we hit 400 ppm in carbon dioxide atmospheric concentration.

The Port of Long Beach, California has become the first port in the world to require container fleets that dock at its major ports to shut off their diesel engines and use electricity for 50 percent of their visits. This move has been estimated to cut 41 percent of a ship emission while they are at berth or equivalent to taking 33,000 cars off the roads. One of the challenges that shipping companies will face though is the installation of the plug-in locations which would be difficult for older ships as they have to find room for the equipment and put in a lot of wiring.

According to the United Nations Secretary General, nearly 1.3 billion people or about 1 in 5 in the world lack basic electricity at home, and this is apparent in rural areas like Yuhualichan, Puebla, Mexico. Uncharted play has thus decided to tackle this problem and came up with their invention called Soccket, a soccer ball that generates electricity. This happens through the transfer of kinetic energy from the children’s kicks to the pendulum inside which then turns gears and creates electricity, which is stored in a battery. A 30-minute play would generate up to three hours of electricity. Unexpectedly, with the introduction of Soccket into the rural communities by non-profit organizations Childfund Mexico and Fundacion Televisa, parents are now able to work longer hours and earn a higher income while kids get to finish their homework just by connecting a 6 watt LED light into Soccket.

As temperatures warm, plants release gases that help form clouds and cool the atmosphere, according to research from IIASA and the University of Helsinki. The new study, published in Nature Geoscience, identified a negative feedback loop in which higher temperatures lead to an increase in concentrations of natural aerosols that have a cooling effect on the atmosphere.

Cyclists have long implored drivers to “share the road.” Now what is being shared is not only the road but the bicycle itself. Forward-thinking cities are turning back to the humble bicycle as a way to enhance mobility, alleviate automotive congestion, reduce air pollution, boost health, support local businesses, and attract more young people. Today more than 500 cities in 49 countries host advanced bike-sharing programs, with a combined fleet of over 500,000 bicycles. Urban transport adviser Peter Midgley notes that “bike sharing has experienced the fastest growth of any mode of transport in the history of the planet.”