Start the week with the latest in the geoengineering world. Here’s the GeoWire conversation for the week of July 20. WORK SMARTER.
BIG PROJECTS
We talk a lot about how 2020 has been a difficult and wildly unpredictable year. Extraordinary wildfires. Pandemic. “Murder hornets.” But could any of us have predicted that the Berlin-Brandenburg Airport would finally open? They’ve picked Halloween for first flights … roughly 10 years late. [BER]
The long-awaited construction on Vietnam’s Long Thanh International Airport is slowing already in Phase I, as land acquisition disbursements are behind schedule. [VN Express]
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Fracking-related operators have been declaring bankruptcy at an alarming rate. Many of them have abandoned sites and left wells open, which is causing massive methane releases into the atmosphere. The environmental clean up costs are steep. [NY Times]
-
- Bankruptcy in the sector is a problem we have pointed to for a while, such as this past January. [Energy Transition]
The Green Recovery plan unveiled in the European Union will be a significant prod for corporations and the rest of the world, particularly in renewables. [Axios]
Sixteen years after mining activities ceased at the Levikhinsky copper mine in Russia’s Ural region, a river is turning orange from mine waste. [The Guardian]
FINANCE
Ending subsidies that keep fossil fuels artificially under-priced could generate nearly $2 trillion in revenue for the G20 economies and make green technologies much more competitive. [World Economic Forum]
Mohau Mphomela looks at South Africa‘s latest infrastructure spending plan and asks, “Every budget heralds major infrastructure spend. Where is the infrastructure?” It’s a question that can be reframed for many countries around the world. [Fin24]
Finland has received €58,000,000 in TEN-T funding for design of tracks, bridges, and tunnels across five railway projects. [IRJ]
GEOSYNTHETICS
The Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS) has opened registration for its first online conference, GeoVirtual 2020! [Geosynthetica]
Temporary landfill caps are a “no brainer,” writes Dr. Ali Khatami, P.E. [SCS]
NAUE has launched a NAUE Academy for geosynthetics professional development [NAUE]
GOVERNMENT
Manufacturing associations have united to pressure the US Congress to pass a multi-year infrastructure funding bill before the elections this fall. Many states have stalled plans, especially in transportation, due to Covid-related revenue declines. [The Hill]
-
- If some transportation stimulus is passed, there will be a balancing act between long-term value projects and those with more immediate economic relief implications. Paul Schmitz surveys a panel of industry figures. [Tensar]
PERSONAL IMPROVEMENT
A memory champion offers strategies to “trick your brain” into remembering nearly everything. [WIRED]
Think you’ve got a better idea? Science can help you persuade your boss to change their thinking. (Don’t tell my boss I’ve shared this!) [Fast Company]
5 Considerations for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Work Place Policies [Ipro]
TECHNOLOGY
The US Army has engineered a laser-etched solar panel that can clean drinking water. [US Army]
Apple reportedly is adding LiDAR to its much rumored Apple Glass smart glasses, a mixed reality tool that will send information from linked devices to the wearer’s lenses. Industrial utilization (e.g., manufacturing, geosynthetic installation) may be in our future. [Tom’s Guide]
-
- Though they didn’t take off for popular use, Google Glass actually has a lot of AR uses in manufacturing right now. [Google]
This is the July 20, 2020 GeoWire from Geosynthetica. GeoWire is published on Mondays with thought-leading links to help infrastructure professionals work smarter. News and ideas to share? Contact us.
Previous GeoWire Editions
July 13, 2020
July 6, 2020
June 29, 2020
June 22, 2020
June 15, 2020
June 8, 2020
June 1, 2020
