Planet A News Today

Mosquitoes are the last thing youd associate with the Paris of the West. But it turns out that health authorities there are fumigating vulnerable areas of the city for the first time to kill disease-carrying tiger mosquitoes who have started plaguing parts of northern Europe. Municipal fumigation, whose white smoke is something we in the tropics are familiar with, has led to roads being closed and people told to stay indoors when spraying is on. This is after two people so far have fallen sick w...

A plant with many names: hemp, cannabis, marijuana, weed, ganja. And it has an equally diverse range of end products: textiles, paper, medicine, energy and oil. It’s also been demonized and criminalized. Now, the "miracle plant" is making a comeback.

It's a wonder material we use every day – and single-handedly responsible for more than 7 percent of the world's greenhouse gas pollution. But the solutions to clean up the steel industry are still in the early stages. How can we make steel green?

The oceans supply just 2% of global food. With fish farming now the fastest growing food production activity in the world, that could change. But even though it’s been practiced for thousands of years, fish farming poses environmental challenges.

The world faces two big challenges: war and climate change. Who's profiting from the war in Ukraine? Could Europe reduce its reliance on foreign gas through offshore drilling? Do carbon offsets really work and how do you dispose of old wind turbines?

Fungi are beautiful, largely invisible and essential for life on Earth. They're capable of some pretty astonishing feats. They can treat soils contaminated with oils and radioactive elements, and could even be used to build houses in the future.

Coal powered the industrial revolution, which led to unprecedented global prosperity - but it came with a price. These days the most coal is burned in Asia. How can the world reduce its dependency on the raw material?

Ocean energy has the potential to provide vast amounts of power worldwide. It has yet to be properly harnessed, but tidal power could eventually become one of our main – and cleanest – sources of renewable energy.

With more and more plastic ending up in landfill or in our oceans, companies are looking for greener alternatives. Packaging made from seaweed or mushroom mycelia could help the environment and curb our insatiable appetite for plastic.

Mostly unseen, fungi are essential to life on Earth and highly talented. They can clean oil and radioactive pollutants from the ground. And be transformed into construction materials.