Watching the news today, it’s easy to become disheartened about the state of the planet. Climate change and its effects on the world are frightening, but there’s hope for the world in modern engineering.
Scientists and engineers are working harder than ever to develop solutions to problems that can seem unsolvable. New advances in renewable energy and robotics could be the key to saving our planet and creating a brighter future for everyone.
It can be tough to stay optimistic about environmental issues, but these projects are just a few determined to make a difference. Here are some engineering projects to save the world from environmental peril.
Solar Powered Everything
If it seems like solar is suddenly everywhere, that’s because it is. Investments in solar energy are on the rise, consumers are looking to embrace solar power in their homes, and solar technology can be seen in everything from airplanes to roadways.
Solar energy is used for everything from powering homes and businesses to heating and cooling. Of course, there is still an impact on the planet since the materials used in the manufacturing process must be mined, but it is a big step in helping the world reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
Buildings That Clean the Air
Modern architecture doesn’t just look good. Some buildings can be better for the planet, too. In addition to utilizing solar and wind power, new green buildings are looking for ways to reduce pollution and keep the air in their cities cleaner.
By covering the exterior walls of some buildings in living plants, architects create vertical forests that filter pollution and release oxygen. Living walls are being used around the world to reduce air pollution in busy cities.
In places where a living wall isn’t a good option, architects opt for buildings designed to suck the pollution out of the air. These innovative architectural wonders are already making a significant impact in cities around the globe.
Environmentally-friendly Building Materials
The humble cement block has a terrible secret. It’s responsible for a great deal of the world’s carbon emissions, due in part to the manufacturing process. And the sand needed to make cement has been over-extracted, leading to ecosystem damage, loss of species, and other problems.
With so much of the world’s infrastructure and architecture relying on cement, we must find alternatives. Scientists and engineers are already tackling this challenging problem by creating alternative building compounds using everything from recycled plastics to seaweed.
Creating Water From Thin Air
For engineering projects to save the world, they need to be efficiently utilized everywhere. And what is needed more than anything around the globe? Fresh drinking water. Water is crucial to life, but getting water to the places it’s most needed can be difficult.
Atmospheric water generators pull the moisture from the air and condense it into clean drinking water. While the air’s moisture counts for only a tiny percentage of the earth’s water, it’s more than enough to provide drinking water for everyone.
Harnessing the Power of the Wind
Wind energy is one of the fastest-growing alternative energies in the world. Windmills can create clean energy that’s sustainable and inexpensive to harness. Single windmills can easily generate power for homes or businesses, while clusters of windmills can be used to create windmill farms to harness energy on a much larger scale.
Because windmills take up little space on the ground, they can be integrated on farmland or ranches with little impact to the livestock. They can also be installed offshore to take advantage of strong air currents above the ocean.
Wind energy has lots of benefits, but it can impact wildlife, particularly birds and bats. Still, the fast-growing industry has been creating jobs, reducing our use of fossil fuels. It doesn’t produce harmful emissions like some other forms of energy, so expect it to be a key innovation in tackling our planet’s energy issues.
Robots to the Rescue
Robotics plays an essential role in saving the planet. While you may expect robots to be better at aiding automation or assisting in manufacturing, there are plenty of robots being used by engineers to help the environment.
Bees need a little help, and robotic pollinators could be the answer. As our planet’s bee populations struggle to survive, we risk losing our vital pollinators and much of our food sources. Without bees to pollinate our plants, we’d starve, but with robotic pollinators doing the work of the bees, we can ensure that our crops continue to thrive.
Feeding the planet isn’t the only thing that robots are good at. They can help us make recycling easier and faster, too. Since recycling plays a vital role in reducing our impact on the planet, recycling robots could be just what we need to ensure that more waste gets recycled and not dumped into landfills.
Fighting Wildfires with Engineering
Wildfires destroy property, habitats, and everything else in their path. They are also a significant source of air pollution that puts both people and animals at risk. They seem to be happening more frequently than ever before, but engineers are constantly working on ways to fight fire with technology.
Wildfire-resistant building materials such as adobe and other earth-based building materials are used to build houses that can withstand wildfires. These mud-based building materials are environmentally friendly, inexpensive, and could be the solution for many people living in wildfire danger zones.
Drones are used to monitor potential wildfires and to help firefighters know where to target their efforts. They can get into and out of areas where humans can’t maneuver as easily, and they’re becoming an invaluable tool in the fight to save the world.
Engineers play an essential role in battling climate change and keeping the planet healthy. Who knows what engineering projects to save the world we’ll see in the next few years?
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