Cities occupy 2% of the world's total landmass, but contribute to 70% of the world's economy (GDP), 60% of its energy consumption, 70% of its greenhouse gas emissions, and 70% of the world's waste. Urbanization provides the promise -- oft not fulfilled -- of social inclusion, access to services and new opportunities. However, inequality and […]
Industrialisation is social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian to an industrial society through economic reorganisation for the purpose of manufacturing. The key factors for industrialisation are: (1) natural resources and raw materials that can become goods; (2) capital to pay for the production of goods and stable currency; (3) […]
Plants nurture soil-living organisms -- only 1% of these soil microorganisms having been identified to date (compared to 80% of plant species). This vast world constitutes soil biodiversity -- 25% of the planet's biodiversity -- and determines the main bio-geochemical processes that make life possible on Earth, with this diverse community feeding and protecting plants, […]