Manure from Millions of Hogs Fuels Natural Gas Project
One recipe for renewable natural gas goes: Place manure from about 2 million hogs in lagoons, cover them with an impermeable material and let it bake until gas from the manure rises. Then, use special equipment to clean the gas of its impurities and ship the finished product out. That’s the vision of one of the largest biogas projects in the US, part of a long-term effort to turn underused agriculture resources into an engine for environmentally friendly farming practices.
Improved Web Tool for Better Estimates of Forest Biomass and Carbon Stocks
An updated version of the online tree assessment tool known as GlobAllomeTree will now allow countries to get a clearer picture of the biomass, carbon content, and ecosystem services of trees and forests than previously possible. GlobAllomeTree helps scientists, foresters, private companies and policymakers improve the assessment of forest carbon stocks and prepare greenhouse gas inventories, necessary for mitigation of climate change.
New Sense of Community in UN 'Freedom Camp' for African Asylum Seekers
The EU should seriously consider creating a UN-supervised “freedom camp” in Africa. Sending failed asylum seekers to their countries of origin is fraught with insurmountable problems. If they are given protection and basic services—housing, education, health, water, sanitation, and tools—asylum seekers could use the security and facilities in their “freedom camp” to grow enough food to feed themselves, with surplus sold to other famine-stricken regions of Africa.
The Missing LINC in the Newborn Survival Agenda: Prevention
The Public Private Partnership to Prevent Preterm Birth is charged with forging a prevention path in newborn survival to complement the current efforts to treat sick newborns. The partnership aims to demonstrate that preterm birth rates can be significantly reduced by addressing lifestyle, infection, nutrition, and contraception among populations of women where preterm birth rates and deaths are extremely high.
Saving the World, Startup-Style
During the past decade, there has been a quiet revolution in the way many scholars think about aid. Rich countries should allow poor ones to determine what needs to happen and then pay money to whoever comes up with an actual solution. Whatever you think of Silicon Valley, the venture-capital philosophy of investing can be an extremely useful model for philanthropy.