創意に富む現代の建築家にとって、折り紙は鶴を折るためのものというより、有用な構造物を小さなスペースに収めるためのものだ。ハーヴァード大学で開発が進むテント型シェルターは、平らな状態ではツインベッドのマットレスほどの大きさだが、それを膨らませると壁が展開し、屋根が所定の形に素早く収まる。余分なエネルギーを最小限に抑えるこの折り紙型のテントは、再利用や移動が可能な緊急シェルターとして期待されている。
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Marseille biodiversity summit adopts motion to ban deep-sea mining
Move sends strong message of global opposition to mining of seabed for valuable metals, say conservationistsA motion calling for a ban on deep-sea mining has been adopted in Marseille at the world’s biggest biodiversity summit since the pandemic, after…
Surrey heating co-op’s woodland scheme entices rare butterfly to return
Scheme that uses locally harvested woodchip to heat homes of retired sailors yields biodiversity benefitsA low-carbon co-operative that heats the homes of retired sailors has helped one of Britain’s rarest butterflies return to a nearby wood.Springbok …
Netherlands proposes radical plans to cut livestock numbers by almost a third
Dutch farmers could be forced to sell land and reduce the amount of animals they keep to help lower ammonia pollutionDutch politicians are considering plans to force hundreds of farmers to sell up and cut livestock numbers, to reduce damaging ammonia p…
Scottish campaigners condemn Cop26 as ‘the most exclusionary ever’
Activists say almost 2,000 people on waiting list for place to stay owing to lack of affordable accommodationScotland-based climate campaigners have condemned “the most exclusionary Cop ever”, as they reveal a waiting list of nearly 2,000 delegates and…
From Boudicca to modern Britain: the dream of island utopias, ruled by women
Once the British Isles were seen as a stronghold of female leadership. Patriarchal culture pushed these stories to the geographical margins – yet they live on, a force too potent to ignoreThroughout history, the idea of islands where women rule has bee…
France threatened with legal action over use of pesticides
Widespread use of chemicals that can harm wildlife means French state has failed to protect the country’s flora and fauna, say NGOSThe French government is being threatened with court action by two NGOs who accuse it of failing to meet its obligations …
Martin Rowson on the easing of effluent discharge rules – cartoon
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‘I was sliding towards the drop and couldn’t stop’ – the writer who fell from a mountain
It is every climber’s worst nightmare. In this extract from his thrilling book about the glorious – and treacherous – Cuillin Ridge on Skye, Simon Ingram recalls the day its wild peaks almost took his lifeI had been out of signal for most of the day, s…
安価なソーラーエネルギーをたっぷり享受できる未来に備えよ：ビル・マッキベンからの報告
トランプ元大統領がソーラーエネルギーには「バカみたいに金がかかる」と騒ぎ立てていた4年間にそのコストは四半期ごとに下がり続け、2020年代の終わりまでに、ソーラーエネルギーは地球上のほぼ全域で化石燃料より安くなると見積もられている。いま最大の障壁となっているのは、化石燃料産業からの転換を雇用や経済の面からサポートしながら、そのスピードを上げる政治的決断だと、環境ジャーナリストのビル・マッキベンは言う。
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