Environment and emissions

Fluorinated “forever chemicals” such as PFAS and TFA are at the centre of global health concerns. Laura Timberlake investigates the HVAC&R industry’s role in addressing the issue.

Priya Gandhi, M.AIRAH, took the trip of a lifetime to Antarctica in 2023. Laura Timberlake speaks to her about the lessons she learned.

As temperatures around the world soar, the question is not just how to stop global warming, but how humans can survive.

Should there be a green light for nuclear energy in Australia? Definitively no, writes Ian Kenins.

Living green walls can improve aesthetics, add a soothing touch of greenery to a space and lift our moods. But can they have a material impact on indoor air quality? Nick Johns-Wickberg investigates.

In a net zero world, it doesn’t matter whether we divide emissions by headcount or square meterage. By any measure, the balance of emissions must be the same. Zero.

In California’s capital city, a 1940s building has been re-lifed, aiming to create strong ties between nature and the local community.

City of Melbourne chief heat officer Krista Milne talks with Ecolibrium staff writer Nick Johns-Wickberg about managing extreme heat in urban settings.

It’s like a jungle sometimes, but is the grass always greener for buildings that boast green walls and roofs? Laura Timberlake explores.

In November, the planet briefly exceeded a dreaded milestone: 2°C of warming above pre-industrial levels.

An El Niño weather event has been declared, amid realisation that 2023 appears likely to be the hottest year on record.

What gets measured gets managed is a truism of our age. But in the case of refrigerant gases, could a heavy reliance on one specific measurement be concealing the full sustainability story? Mark Vender reports.

A 280m canopy floats across the entirety of the South Beach development in Singapore, filtering sunlight and solar glare, and channelling wind breezes into public spaces.

Retreating Arctic ice and a bushfire-ravaged North America are just two indicators of our changing climate.

According to the annual report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), climate change continued to advance at a tremendous and impactful clip in 2022. 

Given a blank page, an engaged client, a set of unique site constraints and permission to invent new ways of bringing a building to operational life, Cundall’s building services and sustainability engineers have created an award-winning design for a net zero commercial tower in Hong Kong.

High-temporal-resolution precipitation data of the past along with other data of weather elements are required for applications in the design and simulation of built environments. However, the available data of precipitation is either low-resolution, e.g., daily, or not long enough to produce reliable and climate-responsive results for built environment applications.

A Danish power plant that converts trash to energy just happens to also be a year-round ski slope. 

As parts of the world experienced record downpours, the Arctic ice continued its seemingly inexorable retreat.

The PG&E Larkin Substation addition in San Francisco is the first building of its type to earn a rating from the Living Building Challenge.