SciDev.Net – the Science and Development Network – is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing reliable and authoritative information about science and technology for the developing world. Through our website www.scidev.net we give policymakers, researchers, the media and civil society information and a platform to explore how science and technology can reduce poverty, improve health and raise standards of living around the world.
Seawater greenhouses, solar power plants and other new green technologies will be brought together in Jordan in an attempt to turn its desert into a…
Seaweed biofuel farms have come a step closer to reality with an improvement in the way seaweed sugars can be converted to ethanol. Dried seaweed…
Six major emerging economies, the 'BRIMCS' countries (Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico, China and South Africa), invest more in energy research and development (R&D) than a…
Algeria is aiming to generate 40 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, energy minister Youcef Yousfi has announced. About 60 renewable…
[AMMAN] Jordan is to enter the nuclear age with the announcement on 9 December that construction of its first nuclear research and training reactor will…
The modest achievements of last week's climate talks in Mexico must not create a false sense of complacency. Ever since the high-profile collapse of last…
With the right support, small-scale hydropower could be a cheap and clean fuel for development, says energy advisor Teodoro Sanchez. During the past three decades,…
Understanding how carbon dioxide impacts food quality is vital to tackle malnutrition effectively, says agricultural researcher Lewis Ziska. Researchers are focusing much attention on how…
The hardy jatropha tree as a biofuel source may not be the panacea for smallholders that some have claimed, say Miyuki Iiyama and James Onchieku.…
The world is on the brink of a nuclear power renaissance, and developing countries may also benefit, according to researchers. In a study published in…
The world is facing an energy crisis. The greenhouse effect, caused by the burning of fossil fuels, has aroused serious concerns among scientists and politicians.…
For centuries, food production — and thus social development — has depended heavily on access to the water needed to grow crops or rear livestock.…
Sustainable biofuel production strategies and second-generation options involving woody biomass and tall grasses that do not need additional land can help India realise its green…