New infrastructure projects are all the rage, post-pandemic. But who benefits from a rising tide of concrete?Dig for victory: this, repurposed from the second world war, could be the slogan of our times. All over the world, governments are using the pa…
垂直農法は世界を食べさせることができるか？：農業ヴェンチャーInfarmの挑戦（後篇）
瑞々しいレタスに香り高いバジル。いまや垂直農法は自動化や機械学習によって作物の糖度、酸性度、ビタミン、毒性、抗酸化物質を測定し、風味豊かな植物や新しい味を生み出そうとしている。従来の農法に比べわずかな土地や水しか使わない一方、地球上の食糧自給の解決策としてもビジネスとしても、まだまだ機能していない。真の自給自足へと挑戦を続ける農業ヴェンチャーの挑戦を追う後篇。
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垂直農法は世界を食べさせることができるか？：農業ヴェンチャーInfarmの挑戦（前篇）
スーパーマーケットの店内で栄養豊富な水とLEDの光に照らされてトレイに並ぶ新鮮な葉物野菜やハーブを選んで購入する──成長を見せる垂直農法を牽引するのがベルリン発の農業ヴェンチャーInfarm（インファーム）だ。従来の農業に比べて圧倒的に省資源で二酸化炭素排出量が少ない垂直農法は、果たして富裕層向けの付け合わせサラダから、大衆向けの持続可能な作物へと移行することは可能だろうか？
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Greece’s deadly wildfires were sparked by 30 years of political failure | Yanis Varoufakis
The climate emergency and state neglect caused this disasterAfter the second world war, Greece’s countryside experienced two debilitating human surges – an exodus of villagers, then a most peculiar human invasion of its fringes. These two surges, aided…
Floating wind turbines could open up vast ocean tracts for renewable power
Technology could help power a clean energy transition if it can overcome hurdles of cost, design and opposition from fishingIn the stormy waters of the North Sea, 15 miles off the coast of Aberdeenshire, in Scotland, five floating offshore wind turbine…
Is deep-sea mining a cure for the climate crisis or a curse?
Trillions of metallic nodules on the sea floor could help stop global heating, but mining them may damage ocean ecologyIn a display cabinet in the recently opened Our Broken Planet exhibition in London’s Natural History Museum, curators have placed a s…
Could you spot a grampy pig? Schools could soon offer natural history GCSE
Course would aim to instil love of wildlife in teens and inspire them to protect it. Plus: test your knowledge with our quizWhat is the difference between a weasel and a stoat? Can you name five native UK woodland flowers? What birds are considered low…
The Observer view on the pros and cons of deep-sea mining | Observer editorial
There may be merits to mining the seabed, but investing in alternative green technologies on land should be the priorityDeep-sea mining has become one of our planet’s most divisive problems. By stripping the ocean floor of its vast mineral wealth, prop…
Scottish Green membership backs power-sharing deal with SNP
Party council still to approve agreement that would put Green politicians in government for first time in UKMembers of the Scottish Greens have backed an agreement for the party to join the Holyrood government alongside the Scottish National party (SNP…
We’re on the hunt for young nature lovers – do you know any?
The Guardian’s new nature series Young Country Diary has been a hit since its launch in June – now we need more writersDo you know any 8-14s who would like to write the natural world, whether its bird or bee or nettle or tree? Or are you a teacher who …