Deep Dive
Record Renewables Growth Runs Into a Full Grid
The IEA expects the first annual fall in renewable additions in 21 years, the biggest six-year expansion on record, and a grid that is now the main thing standing in the way.
Where Centralised Wastewater Treatment Stops Paying
A study of 10,826 Chinese treatment plants finds that big centralised systems are reaching two limits at once, on easing water scarcity and on paying their way, and that a hybrid model could do the job for up to 37% less.
Who Gets the Water? FAO's Draft Principles
FAO has published draft principles on who may use water and on what terms, a quiet piece of international work that speaks directly to this year's fights over drought, wells and free irrigation.
AI's Water Demand Could Double by 2030
A new report projects data centres' water footprint reaching 9.32 trillion litres by 2030, but the number is only meaningful once you know what it counts, and who is making the case.
What a Sewer Overflow Does to a Stream
Twelve years of Philadelphia data show that after combined sewer overflows, dissolved oxygen in smaller streams stays low for days, while the big river barely notices.
Only Rainwater Into Windermere: What It Would Cost
An English coalition has costed what it would take to keep every drop of wastewater out of England's largest lake, £3.6–3.7 billion, and its modelling says nothing less ends harmful algal blooms.
The Decade of Fusion Energy Begins
As Wisconsin plans its first fusion power plant, America, Europe and China are racing at the same time to tame limitless energy.
A Record Number of Water Conflicts Are Hitting the World
According to new data presented at Stockholm's World Water Week, water is increasingly becoming a weapon of war, from Gaza and Sudan to Ukraine.
Billion-Dollar Biogas Potential in Indonesia's Palm Oil Waste
In theory, 3.6 billion cubic metres of biogas could be recovered from the 125 million tonnes of effluent the Indonesian palm oil industry produces each year, but only 15% of it is currently used because of regulatory gaps.
Which Way Is the Wind Blowing?
When judging wind farms, rather than arguing from conviction, we need to look at the full life-cycle ecological balance and the impact on the natural environment.