To sort or not to sort your recyclables—which is the better climate bet?

Europe bet on sorting discipline, America bet on convenience, and the climate math is still being settled.

Related

Other articles with overlapping topics.

Anthropocene Magazine

A 100-year-old freezer rule has a hidden climate cost

Frozen food worldwide is still kept at −18°C (0°F). Raising that by just three degrees could avoid 17 million tons of emissions a year, and an 18-month study found most foods stay safe and tasty.

Douglas Fox·Sep 25, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

Engineers just mapped a narrow path to greener flying

Flying behind commercial jets, a team pinpointed the exact combination of fuel and engine technology that cuts both soot and the contrails warming the planet.

Anthropocene Team·Sep 24, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

What’s the better bargain, protecting a rainforest or regrowing it?

A new study finds that stopping logging and wildfires could do more for rainforest wildlife than halting deforestation—and it costs far less than restoration.

Warren Cornwall·Sep 23, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

Researchers had a hunch about how to solve the climate problem caused by wastewater treatment

Scientists expected their artificial floating wetland to help only after cleaning the water. Instead, greenhouse gas emissions dropped months earlier, and nobody is sure exactly why.

Sarah DeWeerdt·Sep 22, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

What happens to the world’s farms if everyone eats less meat?

Researchers ran the numbers on a worldwide sustainable-diet transition—and found a food system that looks nothing like today’s.

Douglas Fox·Sep 18, 2026

Anthropocene Magazine

Scientists made an ultra-black wool. And it turns saltwater into drinking water

The natural biodegradable material, which costs less than $1 for a piece the size of a sheet of paper, could provide an purification for vulnerable communities.

Anthropocene Team·Sep 17, 2026