John Bulloch @QuirkyForum

AGRIVOLTAICS A future gold rush for farmers. It is about growing fruit and veggies under solar panels. The solar developer rents space from the farmer and designs the panels to provide the proper degree of shade for the plants. Many vegetable species and bees thrive in a…

THE THREAT POSED BY EXPANDING DESERTS The lives of 50 million people are being impacted by reduced levels of precipitation in desert areas. And by over-population and the impact of grazing animals. The map shows nations that are part of the #sahara desert. Other major…

INTEGRATED DUCK-FISH FARMING No need to feed the fish. They eat the duck poo. Ducks eat insects and snails in the pond plus some supplemental feed. They move into their huts at night where they can lay their eggs. Visited a duck-fish farm in #China. Incredible amount of…

ARCTIC SEA ROUTES Shipping cargo from #China, #SouthKorea and #Japan to #Rotterdam via the Northern Sea Route (see map) past Siberia cuts the time by 30-50% compared to shipping through the #Suez canal. It is climate change and 40 Russian icebreakers. #Russia also ships LNG…

ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE Planting mangrove trees to reinforce shorelines from rising oceans (photo). Moving entire coastal villages to higher ground in #Fiji. Replacing wheat with crops like millet in #Africa that are more drought resistant. And planting new varieties of…

SOME FOSSIL FUEL BASICS The quality and cost of producing and transporting fossil fuels vary depending on the source. Very costly to produce and distribute fossil fuels from the tar sands, from offshore facilities and from fracking. Some fuels are high in sulphur and others…

KELP AND SEAFOOD Kelp grows two feet in a day and removes #C02 from ocean waters and prevents acidity. This is crucial for raising seafood like scallops and oysters. Kelp by itself is used to make organic fertilizer. It grows best in cold waters. Big producers are in…

ONLY IN CANADA The Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "They always get their man." The sea wolves of #vancouverisland. The ice sculptures at the #Quebec City winter carnival. The CN Tower in #Toronto. The Cabot trail around Cape Breton Island in #NovaScotia. The Notre-Dame…

MASS MIGRATIONS They change the world. 15 million escaping poverty in #Italy (photo). !2 million linked to the partition of #India. 6 million African Americans moved from the rural south of the #USA to the cities of the North. Millions move to #Israel after #WW2. The 1850…

AQUAPONICS If you have ever poured the water from your kids goldfish bowl over your plants you will understand aquaponics or growing fish and plants together. The fish poo acts as the nutrient. There is a wide range of commercial (photo) and domestic applications. You get…

WALKING AND CHEWING GUM AT THE SAME TIME Or being multidimentional. Climate change is techy and multidemtional. #Canada is a winner in the Arctic while #Miami is being flooded. In the Netherlands they are growing flowers and selling hydraulic expertise in #Bangkok. Women…

THE SAFEST NATION IN 2024 #Iceland (photo), #Denmark. #Ireland, #NewZealand, #Australia, #Singapore, #Portugal, #Slovenia, #Japan and #Switzerland. quirkyforum.com/media

THE WOMEN WARRIORS OF UKRAINE They are changing the nature of warfare. 60,000 in the armed services and 10,000 in front line positions. 1000 officers. Thousand of others bring supplies to the front lines. New technical roles as drone pilots who use drones to find targets…

IRAN IS AN ISLAMIC THEOCRACY, NOT A DEMOCRACY The supreme leader exerts ideological and political control over a system of mullahs (photo) who shadow every function of the state. They are Shia Muslims who oppose Suni Muslims (#SaudiArabia). They oppose female equality and the…

THE WORLD'S LARGEST ROOFTOP GREENHOUSE Located in #Montreal, #Canada. It produces enough veggies, herbs and fruit to feed 10,000 families. Plants grow in water with organic fertilizers. Ladybugs act as pesticides. There is a huge reduction in imports delivered in long haul…

THE PRODUCERS OF FOSSIL FUELS 80% of the world's energy comes from fossil fuels. The major producers of coal are #China, #India and the #USA. The major producers of oil are the USA, #SaudiArabia and #Russia. The major producers of natural gas are the USA, Russia and #Iran.…

THE WORLD WILL NOT MEET ITS CLIMATE GOALS Not a reason for people to be discouraged. The conversion from steam to diesel took 30 years. The electrification of transportation and the installation of charging stations also will take 30 years. And new technologies and…

WHY ARE THE FINNS ALWAYS SO HAPPY They top the list again on the latest global happiness report. The economists say it is about their high standard of living and all forms of income and gender equality. Having been there several times here is my take. Their mixed gender…

TAKE A HEMP FARMER TO LUNCH. Joyful people raising a climate crop that will grow to a height of 16 feet wthout fertilizers or pesticides. Hemp seeds and stalks become food, food supplements, biofuels, rope, paper, animal feed and much more. quirkyforum.com/media

FOR THE NETHERLANDS RISING OCEANS ARE A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Two-thirds of the nation is below sealevel and they have become experts at managing water. Their famous windmills pump water from low lying areas. They are a nation of dams, dykes, canals, levees and flood control…