Peter Fairley

Sour Gas: While asphixiation by CO2 is a theoretical risk of carbon sequestion, sulfurous emissions pose a known hazard to neighbors of many oil and gas wells

Bone Dry: An unrequited rain monitor south of Lubbock, Texas, as the worst drought in a century tightened its grip

Electrifying? At the 2012 Paris auto show Renault was selling its new Zoe electric hatchback which, at 20,700 euros, was going cheap for a battery-powered car

Foul Funnel: A view skyward within the pollution-pumping flu stack of a coal-fired power plant in Wisconsin

Smothered: A rising sun struggles to pierce the sooty air that hangs over Jinhua, a city of 1 million residents southwest of Shanghai

West Texas: Where there’s no rain, the sun comes up an enemy

Foul Air: An aerial view of the open-pit tar/oil sands mines and upgrading plants outside Fort McMurray, Alberta

Landlocked: In 2008 massive German wind turbines designed for offshore use such as this 5-megawatt beast in Brunsbuttel were still being tested onshore, while other North Sea powers such as the UK and Denmark were already operating offshore wind farms

Erdos, Inner Mongolia, China

Arising: Women scientists and engineers were eager to make their mark at the Qatar Foundation’s annual research forum in 2011

Moving Coal: Delivering heating fuel in Erdos, Inner Mongolia

Looming Less Large: The Cordillera Réal secures Bolivia’s water supply, but its glaciers are melting fast

Recycling Nut: Nils Noack led the renovation of Deutsche Bank’s Frankfurt headquarters, refurbishing the twin 155-meter towers instead of tearing them down and earning the first LEED Platinum rating for a reno’d skyscraper

Forbidden City: Beijing cyclist enjoys a moment away from the perpetual traffic and bottlenecks on the streets outside

Arabian Sunset: Doha, Qatar

Steam Turbine Blades

Freiburg Green: Light rail glides through the medieval heart of Germany’s most eco-friendly city

SOLON Energy GmbH, Berlin

SOLON Energy GmgH, Berlin

Coal Chemist: Du Minghua (right) promoted technical improvements to reduce water consumption from coal-based chemicals and fuel production

Genghis is Gone: Sites in Inner Mongolia such as this mausoleum celebrate the region’s nomadic warrior roots, but Chinese officials have forced Khan’s descendents to settle down

Doha BG (Before the Gas): Remember the sleepy backwater that was once Qatar

Looking Down: An aerial view of the open-pit tar/oil sands mines and upgrading plants outside Fort McMurray, Alberta

Architectural Recorder: Capturing the restlessness of architect Peter Eisenman’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, completed in 2004 in Berlin

Libyan Leapfrog: Beefed-up transmission is part of the preparations to compete globally as Libya emerges from decades of isolation

SOLON Energy GmbH, Berlin

Steel Pearl: Shell’s Pearl gas-to-liquids synthetic fuels plant will more than replace the revenue lost to Japan’s cultured pearl trade, whichs upended Qatar’s 2000-year pearl hunting and export industry