The Knowledge to Decide

With rapid urbanization and a rising global population – expected to hit 8.5 billion by 2030 – it is crucial to find innovative agricultural methods to sustain food supply. Touted as the future of food and agriculture, can indoor farming change the way we produce food? What is indoor agriculture? The art and science of sprouting crops in a controlled and sustainable environment with artificial lights and technology is known as indoor agriculture. With indoor agriculture, seasonal crops can be produced throughout the year using light-emitting diode (LED) lighting to trigger photosynthesis. Water fortified with minerals is used to substitute the functionality of soil. Indoor farming can increase crop yields by 50 per cent. Indoor farming can increase crop yields by 50 per cent, provided that growing conditions are optimal. Further advances in LED technology also assist to create an environment where vegetables can be grown – regardless of climate – to produce maximum yields

Global air pollution costs add up to more than USD160 billion in lost productivity every year, China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the cost to China of carbon emissions is estimated at USD7.6 billion. As China implements countermeasures to ensure clean air, what does that mean for its economy? Will there be a clean-tech silver lining? China’s air pollution chokes its economy More than 80 per cent of Chinese people face regular exposure to dangerous levels of air pollution, which is the cause of death for more than 4,000 people per day on average. The country’s economy grew by approximately 10 per cent year-on-year from 1980 to 2010, but the phenomenal pace of growth came at a big cost to the environment. China’s environmental crisis first became a discussion point during the 1970s with widespread concern over the black smoke emanating from its industrial cities. The primary causes of pollution are the burning of coal in factories and power plants

China emits about a third of global greenhouse gases. It is also home to 16 of the most polluted cities in the world. China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth dropped from 7.7% in 2013 to 7.4% in 2014. Will China fulfill its quest for clean air and sustain its economy? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. It is not hard to see why China is so keen to implement counter measures to deal with air pollution. Only 8 out of 74 major cities in 2014 met the prescribed health air quality criteria. Moreover, 20 million cars were sold in 2013 – making China the world’s largest car market and adding to its toxic emission woes. Perera noted that the causes of pollution include rapid urbanization and industrialization. Furthermore, the nation burns coal on a large scale – an average of 2 million tons is consumed yearly to meet growing energy demand. The government’s five-year action plan will monitor