McDonald’s USA has launched a $200 million initiative aimed at embedding regenerative practices into cattle ranching across up to 38 states. The seven-year Grassland Resilience and Conservation Initiative spans nearly 4 million acres and involves partnerships with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and...
Author: E+E Leader
Low-Cost Catalyst Converts CO2 Emissions into Feedstock
A team of Canadian researchers has developed a low-cost catalyst that could help manufacturers convert industrial carbon emissions into valuable chemical feedstocks—without relying on expensive precious metals. The innovation, led by Dr. Drew Higgins at McMaster University, combines nickel-zinc carbide particles with nickel-nitrogen-carbon compounds. Higgins explains: “The types of materials that we’re looking at are relatively new, so...
Reforestation Boosts Crop Yields, Georgia Tech Study Shows
New research from Georgia Tech has found that large-scale forest expansion can drive agricultural productivity—instead of reducing it. The study, published in Land Economics, analyzed one of India’s largest reforestation efforts in Rajasthan and found that crop yields rose by 24% over a 7 to 14-year period following tree planting. The key mechanisms? Increased activity from natural pollinators and...
New Mexico and DARPA Launch Quantum Frontier Project
New Mexico has entered the national race to develop quantum computing with a new partnership between the state and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the agreement this week, launching the Quantum Frontier Project as part of DARPA’s Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI). The project aims to determine whether utility-scale quantum computing — machines powerful...
Amazon Deforestation Drives Major Regional Rainfall Loss
A new 35-year study of the Brazilian Amazon presents a stark message for businesses and policymakers: local deforestation, not just global climate change, is responsible for the majority of regional rainfall loss—especially during the critical dry season. Covering 29 regions across the Brazilian Legal Amazon, the study reveals that around 74% of the 21-millimeter decline in...
DOE Approves Commonwealth LNG Exports
Federal Approval and Energy Dominance On August 29, 2025, the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management issued Order No. 5238-A, allowing Commonwealth LNG to export up to 9.5 million metric tons per year (equivalent to 1.21 billion cubic feet per day) from its planned facility in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. “Finalizing this authorization moves us closer...
Middle East Waste-to-Energy Market to Reach $2.48 Billion by 2033
The Middle East waste-to-energy (WtE) market, valued at $1.78 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $2.48 billion by 2033, expanding at a CAGR of 3.7% as regional governments accelerate landfill reduction and clean energy goals, according to a new Grand View Research analysis. The United Arab Emirates leads the sector, capturing nearly 47% of 2024 revenue, followed closely...
Dairy Biogas Breakthrough Could Fuel the Future of Flight
A California-based startup, Circularity Fuels, is making headway in an area long considered economically unviable: turning agricultural waste into a reliable source for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). With more than 20,000 large-scale livestock farms in the U.S. generating nearly a trillion pounds of manure each year—and less than 6% of them capturing the resulting biogas—the untapped...
Peak Energy Launches Grid-Scale Sodium-Ion System
Peak Energy’s passive sodium-ion battery system cuts costs, reduces fire risk, and onshores key manufacturing Peak Energy has shipped the first-ever grid-scale sodium-ion energy storage system (ESS) to the U.S. electric grid, launching a new era in battery innovation. The company’s fully passive, gigawatt-hour-scale system eliminates moving parts, slashes operational costs, and removes components responsible for most...
Sicily Solar Deal Expands Access to Clean Energy Markets
A new solar development in Sicily is redefining how mid-sized corporations access renewable energy. Autodesk, IDEXX Laboratories, Synopsys, and an unnamed fourth participant have collectively secured 30 MW of clean energy from the Catania Solartrack project, a 50 MW facility currently under development by Aquila Clean Energy EMEA in eastern Sicily. The agreement, brokered through Sustainability Roundtable...









