Numerous inventions are helping combat climate change. Smart technologies are tracking food waste, creating alternative energy sources from surplus products and decreasing paper-based waste.

Engineers are creating greener building materials such as living concrete that self-heals and can liquefy and reform to conform to curved surfaces, while taking cues from nature in saving pollinators that face extinction by developing drones that carry seeds to pollinate plants.

1. Carbon Capture

Carbon capture, use and storage — technology which enables industrial plants to capture greenhouse gas emissions during production before they can escape into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change — is an integral component of any plan to reduce carbon emissions. Some estimates show that in order for us to stay under two degrees Celsius of global temperature increase by 2030, carbon capture must account for up to half of total reduction emissions reduction efforts.

Carbon capture systems are being touted by several companies as key elements in creating a green energy future. One such California company, Blue Planet, uses captured CO2 to convert coal into synthetic fuels and chemical products such as jet fuel, plastics and building materials.

Other innovations use captured CO2 to combat pollution, most often by converting it to methanol for use as fuel or storage for long periods. Calgary-based X Prize finalist C2CNT utilizes nickel and steel electrodes powered by low voltage current to convert flue gas into carbon nanotubes which conduct electricity 100 times better than copper; they’re then used by manufacturers of electronics, steel, ceramics, aluminum and automotive manufacturing processes.

2. Solar Glass

Scientists have developed a transparent solar cell that converts sunlight directly to electricity production, which could represent a breakthrough for renewable energy in areas like Canada and Northern Europe where cloudy skies often limit exposure to direct sunlight.

Ubiquitous Energy is on the cusp of commercializing transparent solar cells using organic molecules to capture invisible wavelengths from sunlight, creating luminescence. Their light-harvesting layer can be tuned to only pick up certain UV and infrared waves while still permitting visible light through.

This research produced a film that appears black but can be up to 50% transparent, creating an alternate window system in buildings’ windows and facades, designed to harvest sunlight for power generation.

Reddie & Grose reported that patent activity in this field has experienced a dramatic surge, possibly as part of China’s Made in China 2025 initiative which involves creating technologies with global applications.

3. Direct Air Capture

Many climate scientists believe that in order to keep global warming to two degrees Celsius or less, “negative emissions”–removing vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere–will be necessary. A recent innovation developed by MIT researchers could provide the means for this without burning more fossil fuels.

Contrary to conventional carbon capture methods used at power plants or the air itself, this one works at lower concentrations of CO2. Instead of one chemical reaction being responsible for filtering and trapping CO2, multiple electrochemical reactions trigger multiple filters which filter and capture it all at the same time.

Climeworks is already installing plants using this technology, with Orca in Iceland serving as its initial prototype. Orca will remove 4,000 tons per year from the air and store it safely underground; but according to Lackner, its primary challenge lies in whether its costs can come down enough for widespread adoption; similar trends were seen with solar photovoltaics during their early days but ultimately went on to see significant cost reductions over time.

4. Salt Heat Storage

Salt energy storage will have the greatest impact on achieving a more renewable future. Solar and wind energy are available even when no sun or breeze exists to power them; energy storage makes this possible.

One common way of storing energy is in molten salt tanks, used by advanced solar thermal power plants such as Nevada’s Crescent Dunes CSP plant. Molten salts are expensive; therefore researchers at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology have devised an inexpensive but more efficient alternative that uses pebbles instead of salt for storage purposes.

Their solution involves heating a phase-change material like cement, carbon black (which looks similar to fine charcoal), or molten salt to 565degC and then storing it for 10 hours before using the heat generated to power a turbine for electricity generation. They say their invention is significantly less costly than lithium ion batteries and could be commercialized within just several years.

5. Mimicking Plants

Researchers have made numerous discoveries that may aid their efforts in building better technology, including proteins in caterpillar venom, aerodynamic patterns on monarch butterflies and reflective materials on crustacean eyes that could provide valuable clues. Yet often the small things can hold more promise; scientists are currently replicating a simple sea urchin’s plate skeleton to create stronger dome structures.

Microbes found on plant leaves may offer solutions for improving desalination plants that convert ocean water to drinking water, currently expensive and producing greenhouse gases. A sieve made from graphene could filter salt out, potentially decreasing energy usage and carbon emissions.

Moth larvae have made headlines recently by showing they can digest plastic waste — an amazing discovery considering ocean pollution is estimated to cover 40% of Earth’s surface and threaten marine life such as fish, turtles and whales. Researchers are working with this moth larvae’s bio-degrading properties in order to combat environmental threats like ocean pollution posed by plastic, while biodegrading plastic could become part of our future products. The moths may even help us make new biodegradable plastics.