Environment / Transport

Piracy is just one in a long list of problems facing seafarers in a cut-throat shipping industry, reports Olivia Swift.

Bamboo is so tough and so plentiful it’s used for construction scaffolding all aver Asia. So why not use it to build bikes? It seemed like a good idea to design maestro Craig Calfee and to the Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York City. The two have teamed up to build better bikes for poor Africans in rural areas and stimulate the local bicycle industry in a number of African countries. The NI talked to Bamboo Bike Project co-ordinator and Columbia scientist David Ho.

When it comes to the future, the car simply can't compete. Chris Webb charts the comeback of the people's best friend – the humble bicycle. And you can even make one out of bamboo.