environment

Shattered Planet

kvd1 — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 13:59:21 +0000

Allen Tian

The impact of human activity on our planet is often difficult to see in the moment, and requires a long-term, overlooking, view. This photo is a drone panorama of my field site on the Rideau Canal System, where I investigate the impact of human activity on aquatic ecosystems, particularly the development of toxic algal blooms. Activities such as fishing, property development and farming have fragmented and altered this ecosystem, and we need a holistic, broader view to piece together how we can protect our delicate, beautiful, world.

Location of photograph:

Milburn Bay, Dog Lake, South Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada

Prize name:

Graduate Studies Prize

Submission Year:

2019-20

Nature’s van Gogh

kvd1 — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 17:45:19 +0000

Hayden Wainwright

Algal blooms appear as smears of green slime from the ground, but are beautiful pieces of abstract art from an aerial view, painted by wind and sunlight. My research takes me to lakes on the Canadian Shield affected by blooms, where I photograph them with a drone while assistants help me collect water samples. By uncovering when, where, and why they appear, we hope to restore some of Canada’s most beautiful lakes to their pristine states.

Location of photograph:

South Frontenac County, Ontario, Canada

Prize name:

Out in the Field

Submission Year:

2019-20

Kyla S. Tienhaara

vandusen — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 20:41:25 +0000

A Green New Deal?

If the world is to have any chance of limiting climate change to a 1.5-2°C temperature rise, substantial and sustained investments in low-carbon technologies and infrastructure will have to be made. While some investment will come from the private sector, governments must also play a significant role.

Proponents of “Green Keynesianism” argue that public investment (through a “Green New Deal”) can achieve full employment and environmental sustainability at the same time.;

John P. Smol

vandusen — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 20:40:42 +0000

Understanding Our Role in a Changing Environment

Media reports of extreme weather and water quality advisories are appearing more frequently. But how much of a role does human activity play in environmental change? Are people responsible for global warming, or is it just part of a natural process? The science of paleolimnology may be the best way to answer these questions.

R. Kerry Rowe

vandusen — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 20:40:23 +0000

Will it Protect Us?

Hundreds of millions of tonnes of waste are generated annually. Until we eliminate the need for waste-disposal sites, we must find safe ways to dispose of it. We most commonly think of waste when we put out the trash and recycling for collection. But where does it go? Also, what about more dangerous types of waste, like waste that comes from energy generation or mining of resources like gold or uranium? Ultimately, waste finds its way to a site where it lies on or beneath the ground, where it can contaminate surface and ground water.

Jeffrey Masuda

vandusen — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 20:35:47 +0000

Promoting the Right to Live in a Healthy City

Most Canadian cities have areas that are “unhealthy,” where residents are deprived of basic amenities such as safe streets and access to good transit, grocery stores, parks, playgrounds, health clinics, and places to socialize. The people who live in these areas—often located in inner cities—are usually among the most marginalized citizens.

Philip Jessop

vandusen — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 20:33:25 +0000

Helping Chemistry Go Green

Most people recycle used cans, bottles, and paper, but how many consider recycling carbon dioxide? Power plants, cement factories, and breweries rarely recycle the carbon dioxide they emit as waste gases.

Dr. Philip Jessop, Canada Research Chair in Green Chemistry, wants to make the chemical and energy industries greener by identifying ways of recycling waste carbon dioxide. Dr. Jessop believes reusing carbon dioxide can help the environment and make industrial processes more efficient and economical, using less energy and fewer raw materials.

Praveen Jain

vandusen — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 20:32:03 +0000

Generating and Harnessing Renewable Energy

Worldwide, electricity demands exceed 22,000 terawatt-hours (1 billion kilowatt-hours), and is growing continuously, putting tremendous pressure on governments to build new centralized power plants that rely on expensive transmission and distribution lines. Meanwhile, power generation is already responsible for more than 30,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year.

Heather Castleden

vandusen — Mon, 09 Jul 2018 20:22:47 +0000

The six “Rs” for Healing Our Relationships with Each Other and the Land, Water, and Air Around Us

Climate change is the defining issue of our time. Although we are making strides in lessening the impact humans have on the Earth, western science can neither eliminate climate change impacts nor enable us to fully adapt to this new normal. As Canada Research Chair in Reconciling Relations for Health, Environments, and Communities, Dr. Heather Castleden is looking to other knowledge systems to help us mend the damage we have done.

Thinking Small on a Global Scale

vandusen — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 21:47:40 +0000

To help create a greener and cleaner world, Queen’s chemistry professor Gregory Jerkiewicz is reaching out globally.

If we could wean our cars, buses, and trucks off of fossil fuels, it would go a long way in making our cities cleaner and healthier, and in reducing the greenhouse gases pumped into the atmosphere (road transportation accounts for close to 20% of all CO₂ emissions worldwide).

Tags:

environment

nanotechnology

materials

clean energy