[Source: Evening Standard] Measures aimed at lowering air pollution could in turn make heatwaves more severe, a study has suggested. Researchers believe tiny man-made particles, such as those produced by car exhausts, could have an influence on the severity of future heatwaves. A computerised model was used by scientists from the University of Edinburgh to carry out Read More…
Category: World News
Cruise ship pollution is causing serious health and environmental problems
[Source: Forbes] The cruise industry transported over 26 million customers last year and was worth upwards of $117 billion in 2017. All market projections show that the industry will continue to grow as operators continue to build new state-of-the-art ships with the latest in leisure opportunities. However, as nations strive to reduce their CO2 emissions and companies Read More…
Rotterdam and BP partner to explore green hydrogen
[Source: Port Technology] Replacing hydrogen made from hydrocarbons with renewable energy, which would be generated via water electrolysis at BP’s refinery in Rotterdam, could reduce carbon emissions by 350,000 tonnes per year. As part of the agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by each of the parties to study the feasibility of Read More…
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions spiked in 2018 — and it couldn’t happen at a worse time
[Source: The Washington Post] U.S. carbon dioxide emissions rose an estimated 3.4 percent in 2018, according to new research — a jarring increase that comes as scientists say the world needs to be aggressively cutting its emissions to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change. The findings, published Tuesday by the independent economic research firm Read More…
More protection: UN says Earth’s ozone layer is healing
[Source: Associated Press/ Seth Borenstein] Earth’s protective ozone layer is finally healing from damage caused by aerosol sprays and coolants, a new United Nations report said. The ozone layer had been thinning since the late 1970s. Scientist raised the alarm and ozone-depleting chemicals were phased out worldwide. This combination of images made available by NASA Read More…
Ozone hole modest despite optimum conditions for ozone depletion
[Source: Ellen Gray, NASA] The ozone hole that forms in the upper atmosphere over Antarctica each September was slightly above average size in 2018, NOAA and NASA scientists reported today. Colder-than-average temperatures in the Antarctic stratosphere created ideal conditions for destroying ozone this year, but declining levels of ozone-depleting chemicals prevented the hole from as Read More…
Look in the mirror for climate change
[Source: Fox & Hounds/ Ronald Stein, P.E.] Until the first steam locomotives were invented in the early 19th Century, man could travel as far as he could walk or as far as his horse would take him. Life was dirty, smelly, difficult – and short. Life expectancy was short and human misery was assured. There Read More…
Captured CO2 could store energy from solar panels and wind turbines
[Source: How Stuff Works/Patrick J. Kiger] Since 70 percent of the global demand for energy is met by burning fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas, it’s not surprising that we’re pumping enormous amounts of climate-warming carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — an astonishing 35.8 billion tons (32.5 billion metric tons) in 2017, according Read More…
Stunning drops in solar, wind costs mean economic case for coal, gas is ‘crumbling’
[Source: Think Progress] Prices for solar, wind, and battery storage are dropping so rapidly that renewables are increasingly squeezing out all forms of fossil fuel power, including natural gas. The cost of new solar plants dropped 20 percent over the past 12 months, while onshore wind prices dropped 12 percent, according to the latest Bloomberg Read More…