Scientists Build Zero Emissions Antarctic Station

Of all places to think about reducing your carbon footprint, the Earth's poles must inspire most. After all, it is in the Arctic that that scientists have documented a record low amount of sea ice this year, documented shifting coast lines and new islands emerging as ice recedes and predicted catastrophic declines in the populations of polar bear and other Arctic wildlife.

And it is in the Antarctic that scientists are monitoring the stability of huge ice shelves, and embarking on path-breaking studies of sea ice during the International Polar Year. So it's fitting that scientists in Belgium have developed a zero-emissions research station that will be transported to the Antarctic, where it will run on wind energy and two kinds of solar -- passive and thermal, according to Australia's ABC Premium News.

The compact stainless steel station sits on poles and has inclined walls to maximize exposure to the wind, but it preserves all functionality necessary to conduct high-level research on the ice.

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