Inhabitat's Week in Green: Paris climate talks, and more!
This week marked the close of the COP21 climate talks in Paris, where world leaders from 195 countries voted to adopt a climate change agreement on Saturday that aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, a historic move that has been decades in the making. Meanwhile, we took an in-depth look at the rise of clean energy in the United States, and researchers revealed a road map for how the entire planet can switch to renewables by the year 2050. Uruguay in particular is way ahead of the curve: The nation currently gets about 95 percent of its energy from sustainable sources. We also showcased several energy innovations, including a sea wall that harvests electricity from the motion of the ocean, and a new floating solar plant that's coming to the US next year.
Porsche made waves when it first unveiled its "Tesla-killing" Mission E speedster -- and this week the luxury automaker officially announced plans to produce the vehicle. Not to be outdone, BMW confirmed plans to launch the i8 Spyder, a convertible hybrid supercar based on the i8. In two-wheeled transportation news, San Francisco-based Bolt debuted a svelte electric motorbike and Gogoro brought its battery-swapping Smartscooter to the Paris climate talks.
A 17-year-old student in Florida has developed a new way to purify drinking water, and she won a $100,000 scholarship for her discovery. Meanwhile, students at Cranfield University developed a waterless Nano Membrane Toilet that could help millions of people who lack access to plumbing. In wearable tech news, Google just filed a patent for a blood-sucking smartwatch and Adidas is 3D printing sneakers from recycled ocean trash. And if you're decking the halls this week, why not make your own ornaments? This fun Lego tutorial shows you how.
[Image credit: Associated Press]
