• Cape Town drought is a global harbinger, says NASA scientist

    Cape Town drought is a global harbinger, says NASA scientist

    Mar 31, 2018 09:33 PM EDT

    ... groundwater and so the future I think in many cities around the world is a combination of surface and groundwater use managed jointly, some sewage recycling, some desalination if possible, lots of conservation of course maybe changes in water water pricing. We'd like to say there's no there ...

  • What would it take to fix America's crumbling infrastructure?

    What would it take to fix America's crumbling infrastructure?

    Jan 08, 2018 10:30 PM EDT

    ... can make a real difference. One way to do that would be leveraging the $200 billion to get more funding through private investment and asset recycling. Asset recycling is the idea that the government that owns the assets -- and the owner of the vast majority of infrastructure in the U ...

  • Why private waste management is one of the nation's most hazardous jobs

    Why private waste management is one of the nation's most hazardous jobs

    Jan 04, 2018 09:54 PM EDT

    ... but gentrifying area now known as East Williamsburg. From Hi-Tech, the garbage would get loaded onto long-haul trucks and carted to landfills and recycling centers hundreds of miles away. From there, Caban headed toward the Williamsburg Bridge. He would spend the second half of the night in Manhattan ...

  • Could indoor farming help address future food shortages?

    Could indoor farming help address future food shortages?

    Nov 11, 2017 08:57 PM EDT

    ... tomatoes and strawberries as well. The plants grow directly out of vertical columns. Similar to Dutch researchers, the company also uses l-e-d lighting, water recycling, and climate control. No genetically modified seeds or pesticides are used in production. Instead, it’s the environment that’s modified, carefully crafted ...

  • Humans have made 8.3 billion tons of plastic. Where does it all go?

    Humans have made 8.3 billion tons of plastic. Where does it all go?

    Jul 19, 2017 06:10 PM EDT

    Plastic materials are impossible to avoid. From water bottles and shampoo containers, snack wrappers and Tupperware, to polyester clothes and electronics, we use and eventually throw out most plastics. Landfills and the natural environment are the final destinations for more than three quarters of non-degradable plastic trash, according to ...

  • In ‘The Future of Cities,’ innovative responses to urban issues

    In ‘The Future of Cities,’ innovative responses to urban issues

    Mar 04, 2017 09:15 PM EDT

    More than 31 cities around the globe -- including Tokyo, Delhi, Cairo and Mexico City -- are considered megacities, with populations of more than 10 million people. As the number of city dwellers increases, so do problems like overcrowding, pollution, housing shortages and aging infrastructure. The online mini-documentary, “The Future of Cities,” explores the ways...

  • This plantation-turned-university grows environmental entrepreneurs

    This plantation-turned-university grows environmental entrepreneurs

    Oct 10, 2016 11:37 PM EDT

    A former banana plantation in Costa Rica is now a school -- but the curriculum still involves growing fruit. EARTH University, founded in 1992, trains students from developing nations in responsible, sustainable agriculture. Graduates then apply their knowledge in their own countries, hoping to improve both the economy and the environment. Special Correspondent Fred de...

  • The amazing, complicated science of the Nobel winners explained

    The amazing, complicated science of the Nobel winners explained

    Oct 05, 2016 11:17 PM EDT

    A trio of scientists won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for creating some of the world’s tiniest machines. Their nanorobots use extremely controlled movements to perform tasks that the creators hope will one day be useful in the world of medicine. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss these mini machines and the...

  • Aboard a Mediterranean rescue ship, migrants share horror stories from Libya

    Aboard a Mediterranean rescue ship, migrants share horror stories from Libya

    Jul 19, 2016 11:44 PM EDT

    The sea route from Libya to Italy is dangerous, even deadly, for African migrants and refugees who are desperate to cross. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from a Doctors Without Borders rescue ship that’s attempting to save people victimized in Libya from then dying at sea.

  • Gigantic, floating screen sets course to sift plastic from oceans

    Gigantic, floating screen sets course to sift plastic from oceans

    Jun 24, 2016 04:09 PM EDT

    If the prototype is successful, a full-scale 100-kilometer-long barrier will be strung out in the Pacific Ocean to collect some 68 million kilograms of floating plastic and trash.