Global warming is the concept of increasing global temperature. For those of you who are not aware of the concept of global warming, we would like to explain its phenomenon. The idea is that sunlight is captured by the Earth's surface due to the presence of a thick layer of carbon dioxide in it. Carbon dioxide allows sunlight to enter the environment, but prevents it from leaving. There are many factors that contribute to global warming, and if we look through the pages of history, we will know that global warming started back in the 18th century - the century of the Industrial Revolution. People began to leave villages and the construction of megacities began. More and more more people began to move to cities due to more advanced and comfortable life. Some other factors responsible for global warming are deforestation and burning of fossil fuels. If this is not stopped, this state of affairs will lead to many disastrous consequences and will drive future generations into poverty. We must do everything that depends on us. The responsibility for providing our future generations with a calm and safe life lies with us.
Let's look at some ways we can slow down global warming and make the world best place for life.
10. Preservation of the ozone layer
Have you ever thought about whether the products you buy can be recycled? Most likely the answer will be “no”. If everyone cared about recycling the food we throw in the trash, we could reduce global warming. You might be surprised to learn that recycling half of your household waste can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.
9. Use alternative heating
Try alternative methods to keep your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Nowadays, it's not just heaters and air conditioners that can be used. There are many other methods by which we can heat or cool a home. Add insulation to the walls of your home and install weather stripping around doors and windows. By doing this, you can save up to 25% on heating costs and, as a result, £2,000 less carbon dioxide per year.
8. Switch to network adapters
Buy compact ones fluorescent lamps and replace all ordinary light bulbs with them. If you can do this, you can reduce the amount of greenhouse gases. Such lamps use two-thirds less energy and emit 70% less thermal energy.
7. Ride a bike
Cycling and walking are known to help us stay in good health. physical fitness. Try to drive as little as possible and use a bicycle for transportation. Each gallon of gas releases about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the environment.
6. Take advantage of the latest technology to reduce global warming
Whenever you are going to buy any piece of home appliance, a new car, remember to choose the product that is the most energy efficient. Refrain from purchasing such products that are sold in large packaging. This way you can prevent manufacturers from using too much packaging material and, as a result, you can prevent emissions into the atmosphere large quantity carbon dioxide.
5. Hot water management
Avoid using excessively hot water in your homes when taking a bath, washing dishes, etc. As a result of this, you will save a lot of energy and therefore prevent carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere.
4. Electricity and water
Water and electricity are the main resources of humanity. Their accumulation is extremely important role. The world's population is growing every second, and water supplies are decreasing significantly. When we talk about water, we mean clean drinking water, the availability of which has become a serious problem in many countries around the world. Thus, we are talking about all the inhabitants of the Earth. To save as many of these valuable resources as possible, we must conserve them.
3. Planting trees
Plant trees without any calculation, and you can save the earth from increasing the amount of carbon dioxide. Trees, through the process of photosynthesis, absorb harmful gases, including carbon dioxide, and release oxygen into the atmosphere. To some extent, it can be said that trees are natural purifiers and one tree is capable of absorbing almost a ton of carbon dioxide during its life cycle.
2. Ask utility companies for help.
To make sure your home is working energy efficient systems, contact your local utility company to conduct an inspection of your home, and identify areas that are not energy efficient.
1. Other ways to combat global warming
You must use the funds mass media, telecommunications to tell other people about conservation environment. Use social media to convey your thoughts and ideas on this matter. For one day you can set the status "Plant more trees to save the environment." Believe us, we can save our earth!
All environmental organizations insist that global warming is a consequence of a sharp increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, researchers have proven quite recently that global warming is not only a consequence, but also a cause of increasing concentrations of toxic substances in the atmosphere.
Representatives of the International Geophysical Union found that unusually high temperatures in the Arctic and heavy rains in the tropics in 2007-2009 stimulated an increase in the level of methane in the atmosphere, which, along with carbon dioxide, was recognized as the main cause of the greenhouse effect. For comparison, if the degree of impact of carbon dioxide on climate is conventionally taken as one, then the greenhouse activity of methane will be 21 units.
Experts analyzed methane levels in air samples taken from 1983 to 2008 from the atmosphere in 46 regions of the world. “We found that after experiencing zero growth between 1983 and 2005, methane levels began to rise rapidly, increasing by nine units in some regions during 2007,” said study leader Ed Dlugokenski. - Moreover, the distribution of methane levels depends not on the level of industrial development, but on the climatic characteristics of the region and, in particular, on the rate of global warming. Thus, methane emissions were highest in the Arctic and the tropics - areas most affected by global warming. In the Arctic, with the melting of ice, arctic hydrates are released, which are converted into methane, and in the tropics, due to the increased amount of rain and rising temperatures, the process of biomass decay has become more intense, as a result of which methane is also released.”
According to the scientist, the hypothesis that the growth of methane is due to the anthropogenic factor was not confirmed. Although industry developed rapidly in 1983-2003, there was an increase production capacity, methane was practically not traced in the atmosphere. Thus, main reason the appearance of methane in the air is climate change. “Human activity does not have as strong an impact on the environment as previously thought,” says Ed Dlugokensky.
It turns out to be a vicious circle: the more intense the process of global warming, the higher the level of methane. The more methane in the atmosphere, the more pronounced Greenhouse effect, which in turn contributes to rising temperatures and global warming. At the same time, it is quite possible that the role of carbon dioxide, the increase of which is due to human activity, in this process is minimized.
Scientists from the University of California also agree with colleagues from the International Geophysical Union, who came to the conclusion that in most cases in the history of our planet, the main greenhouse gas was not carbon dioxide, but methane. “The end of the Ice Age 635 million years ago was triggered by a rapid and massive release of methane. It was then that rapid warming occurred, at a rate similar to what is happening today, says Martin Kennedy, a geologist at the University of California. “Currently, the main driver of the process is an increase in environmental temperature, which sooner or later will force methane to rise from the oceans, and this will contribute to additional heating of the planet.” Martin Kennedy notes that the impact of methane as a greenhouse gas will be short-lived, since this gas is chemically active and will not linger in the atmosphere for tens of thousands of years, but its short-term impact can be catastrophic.
In this regard, scientists propose to radically reconsider the ways of combating global warming and combat environmental imbalances with completely different methods. Methane usually forms in oxygen-deprived environments - wetlands, peat deposits, rice fields, landfills, abandoned mines. This gas accompanies the extraction of hydrocarbons and is released during the process of fermentation and decay. For example, in the USA greatest number methane is formed during decomposition anaerobic bacteria carbon-containing waste in landfills. Therefore, in order to prevent the growth of methane in the atmosphere, it is necessary to optimize the production of oil, gas and coal, reducing the free release of this gas, and organize waste disposal before its decomposition begins.
“Greenization” of the mining and utilization sectors is a more realistic task than the closure of enterprises, the by-product of which is the emission of carbon dioxide, which accompanies not only the extraction and processing of raw materials, but also all production sectors without exception, the electric power industry, and the operation of transport. The discovery of the primary importance of methane and the secondary importance of carbon dioxide in climate change will allow us to take a completely new look at the problem of global warming and develop an adequate strategy for preventing environmental imbalance.
At the moment, official methods of combating global warming have several directions. The main method involves reducing the concentration of carbon dioxide and thereby eliminating the greenhouse effect. First of all, according to many climate experts, the temperature should be reduced as much as possible. This can be achieved by limiting the flow solar energy, which is aimed at earth's surface. In the 90s, the idea was put forward of launching many mirrors into space that could reflect solar radiation back. The same result can be achieved by increasing the albedo, that is, the reflection coefficient of the Earth itself. It is worth noting that theorists in the fight against global warming have recently developed a technology for brightening clouds, which may be possible by spraying sea water in a turbulent layer air masses. It has been proven that spraying sulfur compounds into the stratosphere can also achieve a similar effect.
The next direction, which, according to scientists, should be taken as a basis in the fight against global warming, is the burial of carbon dioxide. In the early 90s, a proposal was put forward to condense carbon dioxide and pump it into underground tanks. Thus, under significant pressure and required temperatures, gas can be stored for a long time.
A little later, experts developed this idea to bury gas at the bottom of the ocean, because everything is provided here the necessary conditions created by nature itself - pressure and cold.
Other scientists have put forward proposals to absorb carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere using purification towers filled with adsorbent.
US scientists have come to different conclusions. They discovered that biochar, which the Amazon Indians often used to increase the fertility of their soil, could help in the fight against global warming. When mass produced, biochar can help with carbon sequestration and burial. During the production of biochar, which is obtained by heating organic material, there is no oxygen. Besides, heat during production, it produces gas that can be collected and used to generate energy.
Other US scientists have proposed a method for absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They proposed the use of 300 meter underwater pipes that would pump nutrients from the depths of the ocean to the surface. This would lead to the growth of algae, which quite actively absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Of course, when choosing a particular strategy, its effectiveness should be re-evaluated in our time. Most of the methods that have been proposed during the entire warming period are largely concepts that do not carry a historical precedent, therefore, when introducing them, it is necessary to reduce as much as possible possible risk for humanity.
If you can’t deal with changes in climate conditions, then a proposal has been received/you need to come to terms with it and take off as much clothing as possible and stay practically in what your mother gave birth in/as they say, “in just shorts, because it’s hot in two.”
Thus, it was decided to develop a pret-a-porter de lux collection for resorts. The developed collection is intended for those areas of the Earth where there is an increase in the average temperature of the air and the World Ocean.
One autumn day last year, engineer Armand Neukermans, a tall man with thick, short hair, gray hair- turned on the noisy pump standing in the far corner of the laboratory in the city of Sunnyvale (the center of Silicon Valley, in which the main offices and headquarters of large scientific and commercial companies are located - approx. transl.). A few moments later, small drops of mist appeared from a small spray bottle - a haze of salt water formed under the influence of high pressure and temperature.
It didn't look much like fog. But this seemingly simplest vapor can give great hope and inspire great fear. If only Neukermans' research team could properly fine-tune a mechanism that would spray salt particles into the sky optimal size and in the right amount, scientists could create clouds in the skies above the coastline that are more reflective.
And this will allow us to hope that with the help of such clouds, humanity will be able to send heat and light energy back into space, using clouds as screens that prevent climate change.
The concern, at least the one that is most often expressed, is that such interference with the characteristics of the atmosphere can provoke dangerous side effects.
“Ten years ago people would have called this idea crazy,” says Neukermans. “But if global warming actually becomes catastrophic, such measures would buy us time.”
No one now doubts that the planet is warming. Glaciers are melting, water levels in the oceans are rising, and extreme climate events such as droughts, floods and tornadoes are becoming more frequent.
And even if the authorities manage to significantly reduce possible emissions into the atmosphere of combustion products of hydrocarbon fuels - carbon dioxide and other gases that cause the greenhouse effect, which, according to climate scientists, are the cause of climate warming, then those hundreds of thousands of megatons that humanity has already emitted into The atmosphere has apparently already done its job. Their consequences are already changing and will continue to change life on earth.
Neukermans and his colleagues are part of an informal group of scientists, technicians, designers and engineers working in the San Francisco Bay Area who have begun a large-scale effort to prepare for global warming. They are testing creative ways to deal with the effects of warming that could either help cope with the effects or prevent them from getting out of hand.
It is not yet clear whether these methods will be effective, or whether they should simply seek funding and curtail development. All methods under consideration will undoubtedly be costly and require controversial decisions.
However, there is a lot at stake. Warming and rising ocean levels threaten homes, human habitats, businesses and infrastructure.
Compensation of risk and benefit
The "cloud whitening" theory dates back 22 years, when British physicist John Latham first presented it in the journal Nature in a paper that went largely unnoticed.
But as the threat of global warming increases, this theory, as well as other “geoengineering” concepts, have moved from the category of scientific fantasies and eccentricities to the number of central topics of scientific debate. Geoengineering is a whole set of measures and influences that can be used to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere or reflect them back into the atmosphere thermal energy. These include, among others, measures such as painting roofs White color(creating so-called “cool roofs” to reflect solar radiation- approx. transl.), as well as the use of such a controversial method as spraying aerosols of sulfur dioxide in the stratosphere (to reduce the penetration of sunlight through the atmosphere - approx. transl.)
The main idea behind cloud bleaching is to equip ships with mechanisms like those that Neukermans' group is working on, and point them at clouds that hang relatively low over the western coasts of continents. This would likely require hundreds, if not thousands, of ships.
Few people would want to intervene and adjust such a complex, sensitive and interconnected system as climate. However, many scientists are concerned that countries simply will not be able to sufficiently reduce emissions of combustion products into the atmosphere, which would prevent global warming associated with humanitarian and environmental disasters.
“If we are forced to intervene, the research needs to be done now because these are extremely complex and extremely risky projects,” said Jane Long, former associate director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. “I hope we never have to get involved, but I think it is irresponsible not to understand as much as possible in case it might be needed.”
But critics say scientists are talking about interfering with a system they don't fully understand. Opponents say changing clouds could affect rainfall patterns, and the consequences could be catastrophic.
“Whatever the scale of these impacts on clouds, they will all lead to other climate changes, but they will not solve the problem itself,” said Kert Davies, director of research at the environmental organization Greenpeace. He is convinced that scientific efforts and material resources should instead be directed towards creating environmentally friendly technologies.
“Geoengineering is like taking aspirin for pain without knowing what’s causing it.”
Voluntary project
72-year-old Neukermans came from Belgium and is the author of a number of inventions. He agrees that the most the best remedy preventing global warming can be a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
Cloud whitening "cannot in any way serve as a substitute for other measures that should be taken," he said. “We need to reduce carbon emissions to a minimum, and we need to do it quickly.”
However, this is simply not happening, even though scientists predict a rise in temperatures of more than 2 degrees Celsius this century. But this is the limit, the excess of which most climate scientists assess as a transition to a zone of obvious danger. It is for this reason that Neukermans and his colleagues believe that they must hurry up with their developments.
Neukermans came to the United States in 1964. Over forty years of work at General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Xerox and others, he patented more than 75 inventions. In 1997, he founded Xros, an optical switch company that achieved what was then a cherished goal of telecommunications: using microscopic mirrors to move data through switches in a fiber optic network without converting light pulses into electrical signals. In 2000, the company was acquired by Nortel Networks in exchange for $3.25 billion in stock.
Since his retirement, Neukermans has devoted his time and money to several social and environmental projects, including development of landmine detection technology and low-cost prosthetics for low-income people.
He took up the problem of cloud whitening in 2010, and recruited a team of mostly former colleagues to solve it. This happened after the Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy Research, funded by Bill Gates, allocated money to conduct initial analysis feasibility and prospects of the project.
“To my delight, he thought the project was more or less feasible,” says Ken Caldeira, a renowned climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution of Stanford University and co-manager of the foundation.
And while the group works to create a working prototype, Neukermans pays all expenses out of his own pocket, and the group works on a voluntary basis.
The five-person team consists of established members of the old guard of former Silicon Valley employees. Most of them are 60-70 years old. They jokingly call themselves “the white edges of the clouds” (the expression is taken from the English equivalent of the proverb “Every cloud has a silver lining,” which literally sounds like “Every cloud has a silver (white) edge” - approx. transl.)
But at the same time, they can be called luminaries, who have a collective work experience of 250 years and developments in the form of 130 patents. The team includes Lee Galbraith, the inventor of a revolutionary semiconductor test instrument, and Jack Foster, an early laser scientist who helped invent test scanners.
There are tests ahead
It is quite clear that cloud whitening is possible. The satellites found “traces of vessel activity” or white lines on the clouds above the sea, which were formed accidentally when ships released seawater particles into the atmosphere along with their exhaust. It is unknown whether humans could do the same thing purposefully and on a large enough scale to produce noticeable results without affecting weather patterns elsewhere.
Scientists at the Met Office Hadley Center in the UK are modeling cloud whitening over large areas and have observed a sharp decline in rainfall in South America, which has a catastrophic effect on the condition of rainforests in the Amazon River region.
Caldeira ran his own series of simulations of ocean clouds and found that rainfall would decrease over seas and increase over land. Previously, physicist Latham, now at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, put the weather service's models to the test and found that possible impact impacts on the Amazon basin could be minimized by changing the location and extent of cloud whitening.
These conflicting results do not take into account some uncertainty about the full impact, in part due to the difficulty of modeling cloud behavior. So as scientists get closer to developing mechanisms for cloud whitening, a very important question arises: what standards should be followed before anyone tries this method in real conditions?
Last September, Latham and other scientists issued an appeal urging colleagues to limit operational testing once the spray technology was fully developed.
They emphasized the fact that to avoid any adverse impact on the ecosystem, testing must be carefully designed and organized, and that these tests should be carried out “openly and objectively.” Consultation should be ensured between the scientific organization and the potential interested party or participant in the project.
Questions and concerns
Can any adverse atmospheric effects associated with such testing be prevented? Is it possible to reach consensus on these issues among all parties involved?
Wil Burns isn't sure.
The director of the energy policy and climate program at Johns Hopkins University admits to being a "hopeless skeptic" about cloud whitening. Even if this method were effective, he was not sure that scientists would be able to easily identify and control any unintended consequences.
In addition, there is the thorny issue of social justice. Cloud whitening could cause the planet's average temperature to drop, but what if it killed forests in South America or affected monsoon rainfall patterns in Asia? And if the planet's climate becomes better on average - especially in developed countries with temperate climate- Is it possible to allow individual countries to suffer?
And if these concerns are left unaddressed, Burns worries that policymakers, energy executives and consumers will fail to view proposed technologies in the way expected by scientists who view cloud bleaching as a last resort. He fears that these technologies will likely be used as an excuse to continue polluting the atmosphere with harmful emissions.
And even if geoengineering technologies are initially effective, scientists may face catastrophic consequences that will manifest themselves over time and, years or decades later, force them to curtail their research and cease their activities.
“If we stop this work (on cloud whitening), a kind of carbon shock will occur, and the temperature will increase 10-30 times compared to the previous level, i.e. until climate action stops,” says Burns. “And then a catastrophe will happen.”
In contrast, Caldeira argues that if cloud whitening is carried out on a limited scale, the long-term effects are likely to be minimal. However, he emphasizes that any undesirable consequences will begin to appear within a few weeks after stopping bleaching. However, he also believes that, apparently, it is too early to conduct tests in real conditions. Moving too quickly can only increase skepticism about the project, which will negatively affect the prospects in this area.
“In my opinion, it would be prudent to hold off on operational testing in real conditions, and mainly because I am afraid of negative consequences.”
As Long and other scientists point out, at the very least, real-world operational testing should be conducted by organizations like the National Science Foundation under strict oversight and government input.
Think ahead
According to Caldeira, until geoengineering technologies are recognized and adopted at the government level, the world may have difficulty withstanding the heat in the literal sense of the word. It is possible that it will be possible to observe phenomena such as mass famine or the migration of millions of climate refugees.
True, by then it will become more difficult to conduct impartial research based on observations and exchanges of opinions. Therefore, many are inclined to speed up research because they are afraid that it will not be too late.
“We just want to test the ideas we're working on,” Latham says. “And then, if everything goes as it should, and they turn out to be effective, we will put these ideas on the shelf.”
Despite reports that Neukermans and his colleagues intend to test their method in real conditions, scientists persistently deny these rumors. If they manage to create real prototypes, they are going to give them to scientists working in scientific or government institutions. They will be quite satisfied if others implement and discuss (their inventions), and they themselves will do what engineers are supposed to do - solve the intricate technical puzzles facing them.
But there is something else that drives Neukermans, who has four children and eight grandchildren. Having devoted his entire life to inventions and in his eighties, he would like to use his talent and make another invention - one that would become truly important.
“We all need to think about the future generation,” he says. “I hope we won’t have to use our technology, but if such a need arises, we will do everything - and the significance of our work will be so great that it is impossible to imagine.”
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editorial board of InoSMI.
CO 2 (carbon dioxide), according to scientists, is the main cause of all misfortunes on earth: global warming, which is causing an increase in the number of droughts, forest fires, floods and tsunamis, and the melting of permafrost and glaciers. The main “producers” of CO 2 and other greenhouse gases are industry, energy production by burning oil and petroleum products, coal and gas, deforestation of tropical and general forests, industrial livestock farming and... you and me.
Working at our computers, driving a car, and simply turning on the lights, we consume electricity (and therefore the Earth's resources) and add CO 2 emissions into the atmosphere.
In December 2009, in just a few months, the UN conference will convene in Copenhagen, at which a new agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions should be adopted. But it seems that you and I will not go there - we will have to save the planet with our own hands. If you make a mess, clean it up yourself.
Electricity
Problem: The rapid “reproduction” of personal computers, phones, players, game consoles and other gadgets is a rapidly growing segment of energy consumption in the world . If in 1980 there were an average of 3 electrical appliances in a home, today there are 25. Home appliances already today consumes 15% of all global electricity, and in 20 years, With The International Energy Agency forecasts this figure will triple. In equivalent terms, this would require the construction of another 560 coal-fired power plants, or 230 nuclear power plants.
Solution: Saving electricity allows you to: 1) reduce consumption natural resources, 2) reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere, 3) keep water bodies clean and preserve the forest. Each of us can save electricity. Each of us can contribute to preserving the planet.
Fridge
Plate
Light
Problem: A light bulb burning aimlessly means the construction of new hydro and nuclear power plants that are destroying the ecosystem of the area. In addition, as we have recently seen, such stations not only destroy life around them, but also take lives: according to the latest data, as a result of the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, 74 people died, and another is listed as missing.
Solution: transition to alternative, environmentally friendly and renewable energy sources: wind, water, sun and biomass of the Earth. What can you and I do? The easiest way is to save light and heat.
Replacing 1 incandescent lamp with 1 energy-saving lamp can:
Water
Warm. Even warmer
Problem: Since the beginning of the industrial revolution average temperature on Earth increased by 0.8°;;; C. According to scientists, if the Earth’s temperature rises by more than 2°;;;C, irreversible changes, followed by scenes from The Day After Tomorrow.
Solution: The saga called “heating season” will begin on October 1 at the earliest. 40% of heat loss occurs through windows. Additional insulation can increase the room temperature by 4-5°C and reduce the load on the heating system.
Problem: CO 2 is the main cause of global warming, leading to climate disasters. How do you and I influence CO 2 emissions? For example, using an SUV to get around the city. It emits 1.3 tons of CO 2 when traveling less than 3,000 km. This is the same amount of CO 2 produced by a family in Bangladesh in a whole year. The same amount of CO 2 in terms of each passenger is produced by one plane flight over a distance of 2500 km (Moscow - London, for example). The same amount of CO 2 you produce in ordinary life in a year. By consuming meat every day, we stimulate industrial animal agriculture. 1 kg of meat is 3 - 4 kg of greenhouse gases in terms of CO 2, 20 liters of water and several trees.
Solution: The demand for meat, furs, animal skins, ergonomic cars and an environmentally friendly lifestyle depends on each of us.
Paper
Solution:
Household waste
Problem: Glass takes 1000 years to decompose, polyethylene and plastic - 200 years, tin- 90 years, paper and cardboard - 2 years. For example, a juice bag is an invention of the Swedish company Tetrapak, consisting of 75% paper, 20% plain polyethylene and 5% aluminum foil - practically does not decompose.
Solution: Bangladesh, Singapore, Taiwan have completely abandoned plastic bags. If moving to cellophane-free countries is not possible, then below are some tips on how to change the world within your own habitat.
Cellophane
Good consumer habits
Glass
Batteries
Eco planetary life
In the future we will live in eco-houses, energy-saving, economical and environmentally friendly, independent of electrical networks and other heat sources. There is already such a house in Sochi! And in Shanghai and the UAE they are building whole new eco-cities! The energy in this eco-paradise comes exclusively from alternative sources, mainly from wind power plants, and most of the waste will be reused or composted for fertilizer.
What else can I do?
Tell your friends and colleagues about how to live environmentally and economically! You don't have to be Superman to save the planet... What do they say? Raise a child, build an eco-house and PLANT A TREE!
When writing this article, materials from the website GreenPeace.org were used
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