Sustainability

China unveils world-first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide power generator

By / / Good News For Humankind

China has achieved a major engineering milestone with the operation of Chaoton One, a large-scale power generator located in Shandong Province. This technology moves beyond traditional steam, utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide to drive smaller, more powerful turbines. The unit is expected to deliver a 50% increase in net electricity generation compared to current steam technologies. Furthermore, it improves overall power generation efficiency by over 85%, reducing both fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Aerial view of Hawaii coastline

Hawaii becomes first U.S. state to charge tourist ‘Green Fee’ to fund climate resilience

By / / Good news links

Act 96 will raise the state’s current transient accommodations tax by 0.75% for a total of 11% placed upon the nightly lodging rate, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The fee will apply to travelers staying in hotels, short-term vacation rentals, and for the first time ever, cruise ships. Tourist taxes are quickly emerging worldwide as more destinations face the impacts of over-tourism and climate change. Last year, Greece, Bali, and the Galápagos Islands all implemented or raised their fees on travelers to contribute to sustainability programs.

Cryo sauna for whole body cryotherapy

Cryo-cooling breakthrough slashes the energy cost of serious cold by 71%

By / / Good news links

Cryogenic cooling is used to preserve tissues, eggs, sperm, and embryos and CAT scanners, CERN’s massive particle accelerators, and the James Webb Space Telescope possible. It may also one day be the key to making fusion power or quantum computers a reality. However, it is also quite energy-intensive. Fortunately, researchers at the U.S.’s National Institute of Standards & Technology have recently discovered a way to reach near-absolute zero up to 3.5 times faster or using about 71% less energy.

Wooden satellite

Japanese scientists build world’s first wooden satellite

By / / Good news links

The satellite dubbed LignoSat, a collaboration between Kyoto University and the company Sumitomo Forestry, is reportedly slated for launch in September onboard a SpaceX rocket. If successful, the tiny device — just four inches on each side — could represent a major breakthrough in space sustainability efforts. The idea is that it’ll burn up entirely upon reentry, vastly reducing its environmental impact compared to traditional metal spacecraft.