'Cape of Storms': Climate researchers explain Cape Town's recent extreme weather:
|
| 'Cape of Storms': Climate researchers explain Cape Town's recent extreme weather - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · Sabina Abba Omar and Stefaan Conradie are climate researchers who have studied rainfall variability and weather extremes around Cape Town. They explain some of the factors behind the storms.
What's unique about Cape Town's climate?
Cape Town and the surrounding western coastal belt (the Cape Town region) is the only winter rainfall region in southern Africa. The majority of southern Africa gets rainfall primarily in summer.
In Cape Town's winter, westerly winds bring cold fronts resulting in cold, wet and windy weather. About 70% of the extreme winter rainfall over this area occurs when cold fronts shepherd in atmospheric rivers—long, narrow channels in the ... Read more ...
|
'Gray infrastructure' can't meet future water storage needs, study finds:
|
| 'Gray infrastructure' can't meet future water storage needs, study finds - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 30 · As demand for food and energy grows, water will only become more precious. A new Stanford-led study provides a first-of-its-kind global overview of the role dams and reservoirs play in providing water storage, revealing so-called gray infrastructure won't be enough to meet future demands for hydropower and agricultural irrigation.
The analysis, published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, underscores the necessity of exploring demand- and supply-side alternatives, such as other renewable energy sources and nature-based approaches for water storage.
"Water storage is a critical and globally limited resource," said study lead author Rafael Schmitt, a lead ... Read more ...
|
8-year-old spurs his dad to climate action:
|
| 8-year-old spurs his dad to climate action - Yale Climate Connections - Youth |
May 31 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
One December about 20 years ago, Fred Carter’s 8-year-old son Akin was upset when there was no snow in Chicago on Christmas.
In trying to understand why, Akin began learning about climate change and how his parents’ generation had contributed to the problem.
Carter: “He came up to me and my wife … and he said, 'What are you going to do about it?’ … So we’ve been trying to fix it ever since.”
Back then, Carter worked as a supplier for General Motors. But he started learning about his industry’s climate impact and eventually left his ... Read more ...
|
A Drying Salton Sea Pollutes Neighboring Communities:
|
| A Drying Salton Sea Pollutes Neighboring Communities - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · When desert winds stir up dust from the Salton Sea's exposed lakebed, nearby communities suffer from increased air pollution. The deterioration coincides with reduced flows into California's largest lake, a new research paper in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics finds.
Disadvantaged communities have been affected more than others in the areas near the Salton Sea, which has been shrinking for years, said the paper's co-leading author Eric Edwards. He is an assistant professor of agricultural economics at University of California, Davis, who did the research while at North Carolina State University.
"We have a dusty area, and any time there is wind, it's going ... Read more ...
|
A local bright spot among melting glaciers: 2,000 km of Antarctic ice-covered coastline has been stable for 85 years:
|
| A local bright spot among melting glaciers: 2,000 km of Antarctic ice-covered coastline has been stable for 85 years - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · Higher temperatures, extreme weather, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels—all indicators that the climate and the world's ice masses are in a critical state. However, a new study published in Nature Communications from the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the University of Copenhagen offers a local bright spot.
Using hundreds of old aerial photographs dating back to 1937, combined with modern computer technology, the researchers have tracked the evolution of glaciers in East Antarctica. The area covers approximately 2,000 kilometers of coastline and contains as much ice as the entire Greenland Ice Sheet.
By comparing the historical ... Read more ...
|
A Matter of Survival as South Asia’s Heat Wave Reaches 127 Degrees:
|
| A Matter of Survival as South Asia’s Heat Wave Reaches 127 Degrees - New York Times - Climate Section |
May 31 · Pakistan and India are sweltering. For laborers, not working because of the extreme temperatures can mean not eating.
By Zia ur-Rehman
Reporting from Jacobabad, Pakistan
As South Asia bakes under a blistering heat wave, life-or-death decisions arrive with the midday sun.
Abideen Khan and his 10-year-old son need every penny of the $3.50 a day they can make molding mud into bricks at a kiln under the open sky in Jacobabad, a city in southern Pakistan. But as temperatures have soared as high as 126 degrees Fahrenheit, or 52 degrees Celsius, in recent days, they have been forced to stop by 1 p.m., cutting their earnings in half.
“This isn’t heat,” said Mr. ... Read more ...
|
A strategy to design anti-freezing electrolytes for batteries that can operate in extremely cold environments:
|
| A strategy to design anti-freezing electrolytes for batteries that can operate in extremely cold environments - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · To safely and effectively operate in these environments, batteries should have components that do not freeze or adversely react to significant drops in temperature. One proposed solution is the design of rechargeable aqueous batteries containing so-called anti-freezing electrolytes.
"Designing anti-freezing electrolytes through choosing suitable H2O–solute systems is crucial for low-temperature aqueous batteries (LTABs)," Liwei Jiang, Shuai Han, and their colleagues wrote in their paper.
"However, the lack of an effective guideline for choosing H2O–solute systems based on decisive temperature-limiting factors hinders the development of LTABs. Here we ... Read more ...
|
Abandoned Farmlands Could Play a Role in Fighting Climate Change: A New Study Shows Exactly Where They Are:
|
| Abandoned Farmlands Could Play a Role in Fighting Climate Change: A New Study Shows Exactly Where They Are - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · Farmland is often a battleground in the fight against climate change.
Solar panels and energy crops are pitted against food production, while well-intended policy choices can create incentives for farmers to till up new lands, releasing even more heat-trapping gas into the atmosphere.
That's why strategies for sustainable plant-based fuels focus on marginal lands -- fields that are too hard to cultivate or don't produce good enough yields to be considered profitable.
A new tool developed by scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison could help relieve that tension.
Led by Yanhua Xie and Tyler Lark, researchers with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research ... Read more ...
|
Aerosol Pollution, Greenhouse Gases Must Be Reduced Simultaneously to Keep Forest Fires in Check:
|
| Aerosol Pollution, Greenhouse Gases Must Be Reduced Simultaneously to Keep Forest Fires in Check - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · If we want cleaner air, fewer forest fires, and less severe climate change, a new UC Riverside study shows we must reduce aerosol pollution and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide at the same time.
The study found that boreal forests in the northern hemisphere are particularly vulnerable to negative effects of cleaning up aerosol pollution. This includes forests in Canada, Alaska, northern Europe, and northern Russia.
Aerosols are small particles like dust and sea salt as well as airborne chemicals produced by fossil fuel combustion. They are responsible for poor air quality. The UCR study, published in the journal Science Advances, showed that reducing levels of ... Read more ...
|
AI expansion runs into green energy roadblock:
|
| AI expansion runs into green energy roadblock - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 30 · Even artificial intelligence doesn't have the smarts to square the left's green agenda with the energy needs of the future.
Some of today's biggest growth industries are in cutting-edge technologies. They include AI, data centers and advanced manufacturing. As The Wall Street Journal reported recently, these industries require large amounts of electricity.
This shouldn't be a problem. The United States has produced cheap and reliable power for decades. Years and years of experience have produced technological innovations and improvements. Building reliable plants may take time, but it shouldn't be a long-term obstacle.
It is, though. Companies and utilities have ... Read more ...
|
AI-controlled stations can charge electric cars while offering drivers personalized prices:
|
| AI-controlled stations can charge electric cars while offering drivers personalized prices - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · Today's commercial charging infrastructure can be a jungle. The market is dynamic and complex with a variety of subscriptions and free competition between providers. At some fast charging stations, congestion and long queues may even occur.
In a new study, researchers at Chalmers have created a mathematical model to investigate how fast charging stations controlled by artificial intelligence, AI, can help by offering electric car drivers personalized prices, which the drivers can choose to accept or refuse. The AI uses algorithms that can adjust prices based on individual factors, such as battery level and the car's geographic location.
"The electric car drivers can ... Read more ...
|
Altering Cancer Treatment Dosing Could Reduce Climate Impact, Study Finds:
|
| Altering Cancer Treatment Dosing Could Reduce Climate Impact, Study Finds - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · Changing how often a popular cancer therapy is delivered would reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental impact without decreasing cancer survival, according to a new analysis from researchers at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center.
The team looked at 7,813 veterans receiving the immunotherapy treatment pembrolizumab through the Veterans Health Administration. Pembrolizumab is an intravenous treatment that is often given every three weeks at a standard, one-size-fits-all dose of 200 milligrams. Researchers estimated the environmental impact of patients coming in for this care every three weeks: carbon dioxide emissions from patients' ... Read more ...
|
Amazon gets FAA approval allowing it to expand drone deliveries for online orders:
|
| Amazon gets FAA approval allowing it to expand drone deliveries for online orders - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 30 · Federal regulators have given Amazon key permission that will allow it to expand its drone delivery program, the company announced Thursday.
In a blog post published on its website, Seattle-based Amazon said that the Federal Aviation Administration has given its Prime Air delivery service the OK to operate drones "beyond visual line of sight," removing a barrier that has prevented its drones from traveling longer distances.
With the approval, Amazon pilots can now operate drones remotely without seeing it with their own eyes. An FAA spokesperson said the approval applies to College Station, Texas, where the company launched drone deliveries in late 2022.
Amazon ... Read more ...
|
AP analysis finds 2023 set record for US heat deaths, killing in areas that used to handle the heat:
|
| AP analysis finds 2023 set record for US heat deaths, killing in areas that used to handle the heat - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · His family found the 73-year-old lying on the ground, his lower body burned. Hom died at the hospital, his core body temperature at 107 degrees.
The death certificates of more than 2,300 people who died in the United States last summer mention the effects of excessive heat, the highest number in 45 years of records, according to an Associated Press analysis of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. With May already breaking heat records, 2024 could be even deadlier.
And more than two dozen doctors, public health experts, and meteorologists told the AP that last year's figure was only a fraction of the real death toll. Coroner, hospital, ambulance and weather ... Read more ...
|
Atlantic hurricane season could be record-breaker:
|
| Atlantic hurricane season could be record-breaker - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · From ominous and unsettling to daunting and dire, meteorologists have no shortage of adjectives to describe what the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has in store.
In their most aggressive outlook ever, forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are predicting an above-average season of between 17 and 25 named storms, with eight to 13 becoming hurricanes, including four to seven major cyclones.
Forecasters are 70% confident in those ranges.
It is "a perfect storm" of near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic, the development of La Niña conditions in the Pacific, and reduced Atlantic trade winds and less wind shear that could ... Read more ...
|
Battery researchers unveil the interaction between polymeric materials and sulfide solid electrolytes:
|
| Battery researchers unveil the interaction between polymeric materials and sulfide solid electrolytes - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 29 · A recent study in the field of chemistry demonstrates that maintaining distance can enhance battery performance in electric vehicles. In this study, a research team successfully developed a polymeric protective film that enables safe operation of the anode in sulfide-based all-solid-state batteries. Their research was published in the online edition of Advanced Functional Materials.
The competitiveness of electric vehicles hinges on their range and charging speed, both of which are directly influenced by battery performance. This is why battery research is currently so intensive. Stability is also crucial, and the lithium (Li) ion batteries currently on the market, which use a ... Read more ...
|
Biobased Building Materials Less Sustainable Than Concrete in South Africa, Experts Find:
|
| Biobased Building Materials Less Sustainable Than Concrete in South Africa, Experts Find - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered that mycelium composites, biobased materials made from fungi and agricultural residues, can have a greater environmental impact than conventional fossil-fuel-based materials due to the high amount of electricity involved in their production.
In the findings, published in Scientific Reports, the team show that this is further exacerbated in countries like South Africa where fossil fuel is the main source of electricity. This isn't helped by mycelium composites' shorter lifespan and the need for multiple replacements over the duration of long-term applications, thereby increasing their overall environmental ... Read more ...
|
Biologist calls for protection and more studies of natural time capsules of climate change:
|
| Biologist calls for protection and more studies of natural time capsules of climate change - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
May 30 · Packrats and numerous other rodent species in dry environments around the world gather plants, insects, bones and other items into their nests from a radius of about 50 feet and urinate over them. The urine dries and crystallizes, hardening the fossils into rock-like masses and preserving the items inside.
Ancient rodent middens have allowed scientists to reconstruct the ecology and climate of semi-arid ecosystems in the Americas, Australia, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. These natural time capsules are unparalleled archives for observing how plant, animal and microbial species and assemblages have responded over millennia as environmental conditions have ... Read more ...
|
Calculations predict that a large proportion of trucks in Denmark will run on electricity within the next 10 years:
|
| Calculations predict that a large proportion of trucks in Denmark will run on electricity within the next 10 years - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · The transition to electric cars is well underway. At the turn of the year, Denmark reached 200,000 registered electric cars, and last year electric cars accounted for 36% of all newly registered cars. However, the figure is quite different for electric trucks.
Electric trucks only make up about 1% of the total truck fleet in Denmark. However, according to new calculations, this figure will soon change significantly. In fact, calculations predict that the transition from fossil fuel trucks to electric trucks will overtake the transition for passenger cars in Denmark.
"In all the scenarios we have calculated, it appears that the transition from diesel to electric trucks ... Read more ...
|
Can satellites combat wildfires? Inside the booming 'space race' to fight the flames:
|
| Can satellites combat wildfires? Inside the booming 'space race' to fight the flames - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · As the threat of wildfire worsens in California and across the world, a growing number of federal agencies, nonprofit organizations and tech companies are racing to deploy new technology that will help combat flames from a whole new vantage point: outer space.
New satellite missions backed by NASA, Google, SpaceX, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and other groups promise to advance early wildfire detection and help reduce fire damage by monitoring Earth from above.
Collectively, the roster of big names, billionaires, government groups and nongovernmental organizations reflects a considerable interest in using new technology to solve some of ... Read more ...
|
Carbon credits are useful for stabilizing the climate, but are they used effectively?:
|
| Carbon credits are useful for stabilizing the climate, but are they used effectively? - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · This was the assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its 2018 special report. The same conclusion was reiterated in its most recent report.
There are doubts as to whether this target will be met: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reached new records in 2022. The efforts made by countries and their commitments for 2030 are largely insufficient. Moreover, the upward trend seems to have continued in 2023. This will be all the more difficult given that 80 percent of the world's primary energy supply still depends on fossil fuels.
Faced with this challenge, offsetting GHG emissions may be one solution. However, while offsetting can be effective and ... Read more ...
|
Carbonfuture Webinar: The 2024 Buyer's Guide to CDR Policy:
|
| Carbonfuture Webinar: The 2024 Buyer's Guide to CDR Policy - Climate Engineering (Lockley - Playlist) |
May 29 · We’re only a few months into 2024, but it’s already proven to be a record year for carbon removal policy. From the finalization of the Carbon Removal Certification Framework in the European Union to the ever-expanding series of pilot programs and legislation being considered in the United States, CDR policy is advancing at a record pace, and it can be hard to keep track of what’s new, what’s changed and what’s next.\nâ€\nIn this shifting landscape, we have brought together top CDR policy experts from around the world, including Carbonfuture’s own Sebastian Manhart, to talk through his updated Buyer’s Guide to CDR Policy. The 2024 edition has been expanded to cover not ... | By Carbonfuture Read more ...
|
Climate, development and nature: three urgent priorities for next UK government:
|
| Climate, development and nature: three urgent priorities for next UK government - Climate Change News - Science |
May 31 · Comment: Revitalised global leadership from Britain can make a difference at a deeply troubling and fractured time for world affairs
Edward Davey is head of the World Resources Institute Europe UK Office.
In three vital and interrelated areas – climate, development and nature – the next UK government could play a significant role in driving progress at a critical time.
It needs to start office on day one with a plan that positions the UK ahead of key summits on those issues – summits that will have a critical bearing on people, planet, and future generations. The time to start preparing is now.
The NATO summit begins within days of the UK general election now ... | By Edward Davey Read more ...
|
Clues to mysterious disappearance of North America's large mammals 50,000 years ago found within ancient bone collagen:
|
| Clues to mysterious disappearance of North America's large mammals 50,000 years ago found within ancient bone collagen - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · And then, sometime at the end of the Last Ice Age, most of North America's megafauna disappeared. How and why remains hotly contested. Some researchers believe the arrival of humans was pivotal. Maybe the animals were hunted and eaten, or maybe humans just altered their habitats or competed for vital food sources.
But other researchers contend that climate change was to blame, as the Earth thawed after several thousand years of glacial temperatures, changing environments faster than megafauna could adapt. Disagreement between these two schools has been fierce and debates contentious.
Despite decades of study, this Ice Age mystery remains unsolved. Researchers simply ... Read more ...
|
Colorado’s Bold New Approach to Highways - Not Building Them:
|
| Colorado’s Bold New Approach to Highways - Not Building Them - New York Times - Climate Section |
May 31 · The state has made it harder to widen highways, and transportation officials are turning their eyes to transit.
Headway
The state has made it harder to widen highways, and transportation officials are turning their eyes to transit.
Credit...Elliot Ross for The New York Times
When Interstate 25 was constructed through Denver, highway engineers moved a river.
It was the 1950s, and nothing was going to get in the way of building a national highway system. Colorado’s governor and other dignitaries, including the chief engineer of the state highway department, acknowledged the moment by posing for a photo standing on bulldozer tracks, next to the trench that ... | By Megan Kimble Read more ...
|
Controlling ion transport for a blue energy future: Research highlights the potential of nanopore membranes:
|
| Controlling ion transport for a blue energy future: Research highlights the potential of nanopore membranes - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · A team including researchers from Osaka University has probed the effect of voltage on the passage of ions through a nanopore membrane to demonstrate greater control of the process.
In a study recently published in ACS Nano the researchers looked at tailoring the flow of ions through the array of nanopores that make up their membrane, and how this control could make applying the technology on a large scale a reality.
If the membranes are made from a charged material, nanopores can cause a current to flow through them by attracting solution ions with the opposite charge. The ions with the same charge can then move through the pore generating the current. This means that ... Read more ...
|
Coping with Climate Anxiety:
|
| Coping with Climate Anxiety - Facing Future |
May 30 · Life on our planet is in imminent danger. Those who have taken the responsibility to understand the growing emergency struggle to maintain emotional and mental resilience in the face of overwhelming catastrophes. Enlivening our connection with nature is essential both for our sanity and for our survival, as is a shift in consciousness from our exploitive view of the world to one of caretaking and restoration. \nEva Jahn, psychotherapist, founded the Climate Emotional Resilience Institute to address this growing societal crisis by providing both coping skills and community. She joins Paul Beckwith and Dale Walkonen in this conversation.\n \nFor more information about CERI and Thicket, ... | By Facing Future Read more ...
|
Dark matter could make our galaxy's innermost stars immortal:
|
| Dark matter could make our galaxy's innermost stars immortal - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · A team of scientific detectives (so to speak) have discovered a potential new class of stars that could exist within a light-year of the Milky Way's center that could be operating according to an unusual mechanism: dark matter annihilation. This process would produce an outward pressure on the stars other than hydrogen fusion, keeping them from gravitationally collapsing—and making them essentially immortal, their youth being refreshed constantly. The findings are published on the arXiv preprint server.
Collectively, the dark matter–powered stars would inhabit a new region of a long-established diagram that classifies stars by their temperature and luminosity, ... Read more ...
|
Deaths mount and water rationed as India faces record heat:
|
| Deaths mount and water rationed as India faces record heat - Washington Post - Climate and Environment |
May 31 · Reports of heat-related illnesses and deaths have surged across the country as daytime highs continue to hover around 120 degrees and nights remain over 90.
NEW DELHI - Indian officials are wrestling with mounting deaths, water shortages and blazing wildfires as a punishing heat wave continues to grip northern India days after monitors in New Delhi recorded temperatures of 126 degrees (52 Celsius), an all-time high.
The Indian capital reported the death of a 40-year-old migrant laborer - the city’s first heat-related fatality of the year - hours after a weather station recorded the historic temperature on Wednesday. (Indian authorities say they are still verifying the ... Read more ...
|
Designing environments that are robot-inclusive:
|
| Designing environments that are robot-inclusive - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · "Ensuring that robots can navigate and operate effectively within built environments is crucial for their widespread adoption and acceptance," said Associate Professor Mohan Rajesh Elara from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
To have fully autonomous service robots operate in human environments, however, is still a distant goal. Spatial limitations in the built environment restrict a robot's performance capability. In designing robot-inclusive environments, robot interaction within a built environment must be examined. The current methods used for this involve real-life testing and physical experiments that are costly, time-consuming, and ... Read more ...
|
Despite exit, EU seeks to save green reforms to energy investment treaty:
|
| Despite exit, EU seeks to save green reforms to energy investment treaty - Climate Change News - Energy |
May 30 · EU ministers have agreed they are free to support reforms to end protection for fossil fuels at a conference in November
A demonstration against the Energy Charter Treaty by Friends of the Earth Europe in July 2021 (Pic: Friends of the Earth Europe/Flickr)
Prospects have brightened for green reforms to a controversial international treaty that protects fossil fuel investments, as ministers of European Union states agreed on Thursday that countries can still choose to support the reforms despite the bloc’s decision to quit the pact.
In a statement, a gathering of EU ministers called the Council of the EU said the decision “unlocked the process of ... | By Joe Lo Read more ...
|
Developing countries need support adapting to deadly heat:
|
| Developing countries need support adapting to deadly heat - Climate Change News - Science |
May 30 · Comment: Many vulnerable people in South Asia are already struggling to protect themselves from unbearably high temperatures – which are set to worsen
Abdul Jaffar, 21, who is a labourer drinks juice to cool off from the heat after he received medical treatment, during a hot summer day as a heatwave continues, at the Heat Stroke Response Centre in Civil Hospital in Jacobabad, Pakistan May 25, 2024. (Photo: REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro)
Fahad Saeed is a climate impact scientist for Climate Analytics, based in Islamabad, and Bill Hare is CEO and senior scientist at Climate Analytics.
Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh has been sweltering under 52°C heat in recent ... | By Bill Hare and Fahad Saeed Read more ...
|
Driving on Electricity Is Now Much Cleaner than Using a Gasoline Car:
|
| Driving on Electricity Is Now Much Cleaner than Using a Gasoline Car - Union of Concerned Scientists - Vehicles |
May 30 · Replacing gasoline with electricity greatly reduces the carbon emissions from driving. Based on where electric vehicles (EVs) have been sold, driving the average EV in the US produces global warming emissions equal to a hypothetical 94 mile per gallon gasoline car, or less than a third of the emissions of the average new gasoline car.
Transportation is the largest sector for emissions, and passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs are the majority of transportation emissions, so there is no way to slow down climate change without a fundamental shift from petroleum to clean electricity to power our vehicles.
When UCS first compared driving an EV to a gasoline car, only 45 percent ... Read more ...
|
Drones offer new perspective on vulnerable tide-exposed coral reefs:
|
| Drones offer new perspective on vulnerable tide-exposed coral reefs - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · Intertidal coral reefs are a crucial component of many reef systems and play a significant role in overall reef health. Their habitats experience dynamic changes between low and high tides, and organisms must adapt to survive both underwater and above-water conditions.
Co-author Dr. Sharyn Hickey, from UWA's Oceans Institute and Center for Water and Spatial Science, said this type of reef had shown evidence of thermal adaptation and higher resistance to coral bleaching than coral in subtidal environments.
"In the few studies conducted on intertidal reefs, the main impacts on them were found to be marine heat waves driven by climate change and sea level rise, so they are ... Read more ...
|
ECB to Impose First-Ever Fines on Banks for Climate Failures:
|
| ECB to Impose First-Ever Fines on Banks for Climate Failures - Bloomberg |
May 29 Read more ...
|
Electricity From Coal Is Pricey. Should Consumers Have to Pay?:
|
| Electricity From Coal Is Pricey. Should Consumers Have to Pay? - New York Times - Climate Section |
May 31 · Environmental groups are making a new economic argument against coal, the heaviest polluting fossil fuel. Some regulators are listening.
For decades, environmentalists fought power plants that burn coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, by highlighting their pollution: soot, mercury and the carbon dioxide that is dangerously heating the planet.
But increasingly, opponents have been making an economic argument, telling regulators that electricity produced by coal is more expensive for consumers than power generated by solar, wind and other renewable sources.
And that’s been a winning strategy recently in two states where regulators forbade utilities from recouping their ... | By Minho Kim Read more ...
|
Evolutionary biologist suggests human brain grew as energy was freed from ovarian follicles:
|
| Evolutionary biologist suggests human brain grew as energy was freed from ovarian follicles - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · In his paper published in the journal Nature Human Behavior, he suggests that the human brain was primed to grow due to a variety of factors and only took off when energy previously used to maintain ovarian follicles was freed up, allowing the brain to use more than its prior share.
Over the years, many theories have been proposed to explain the growth of the human brain compared to that of early contemporaries such as the great apes. Many such theories revolve around humans descending from trees to become social foragers.
In more recent times, some have suggested that our brains grew larger as our intestines grew smaller, due to switching to a fermented diet, thereby ... Read more ...
|
Experts warn of heat risks as India's temperatures climb again:
|
| Experts warn of heat risks as India's temperatures climb again - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · Extreme temperatures across India are having their worst impact in the country's teeming megacities, experts said Thursday, warning that the heat is fast becoming a public health crisis.
India is enduring a crushing heat wave with temperatures in several cities sizzling well above 45 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Temperature readings in the capital New Delhi rose into the high 40s Celsius this week, with power usage in the city - where the population is estimated at more than 30 million - surging to a record high on Wednesday.
"Cities are more vulnerable to the compounding effects of urbanization and climate change," said Aarti Khosla, director at ... Read more ...
|
Fact Brief - Have climate models overestimated global warming?:
|
| Fact Brief - Have climate models overestimated global warming? - Skeptical Science |
Jun 1 · Models use the laws of physics to probe Earth’s climate system - this being the atmosphere, oceans, land and biosphere. They apply what are known as external forcings to that system, such as changes in incoming sunshine or greenhouse gas levels, to see how the climate may change over time.
In a 2019 study, the temperature predictions from 17 climate models used between 1970 and 2007 were compared to observed temperatures. The study concluded the models were "skillful in predicting" future temperatures.
A more recent study published in 2023 looked at climate models created by scientists working for ExxonMobil. Their modeling was found to have been just as accurate ... Read more ...
|
Family farmers make climate-friendly vodka and whiskey:
|
| Family farmers make climate-friendly vodka and whiskey - Yale Climate Connections - Agriculture |
May 30 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
Will Glazik, a fifth-generation farmer in Paxton, Illinois, hopes you’ll take a shot at reducing global warming - a shot of whiskey, that is.
Glazik and his siblings run Silver Tree Beer and Spirits. They make vodka and whiskey from grain grown on their family farm.
Glazik: “We’re literally having our hands in every step.”
And they’re committed to making it sustainable. They avoid tilling, which churns up the soil and releases carbon to the atmosphere.
Glazik: “We’re using livestock manures and cover crops for fertility on ... Read more ...
|
Financing and Investment Strategies for an Equitable Clean Mobility Transition:
|
| Financing and Investment Strategies for an Equitable Clean Mobility Transition - Legal Planet |
May 30 · The transition to 100 percent zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales by 2035 will require massive investment in electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout California and in other states that have adopted the same phaseout targets. A variety of structural barriers to charging access make California’s priority populations particularly reliant on public charging infrastructure to meet their ZEV needs. Ensuring that these Californians are included in and benefit from the clean mobility transition in a timely manner will require proactive strategies that deliver equitable access to public charging infrastructure.
The California Energy Commission projects 2.11 million public and ... Read more ...
|
First use of weather forecasts to show human impact on extreme weather is 'transformational,' scientists say:
|
| First use of weather forecasts to show human impact on extreme weather is 'transformational,' scientists say - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · Oxford climate physicists, led by Professor Myles Allen, have, for the first time, demonstrated how state-of-the-art weather forecasts can be used to show how greenhouse gas emissions affect extreme weather. In new studies of recent events in both the U.K. and U.S., they assessed the impact of global warming at a local scale and found that human activity both worsened specific weather events and made them more likely to occur.
Their findings coincide with the United Nations "AI for Good Summit" in Geneva, where scientists from the Oxford Physics team will lead sessions on how artificial intelligence and machine learning can improve regional forecasting of extreme weather and ... Read more ...
|
Fjords are effective carbon traps regardless of oxygen levels, finds study:
|
| Fjords are effective carbon traps regardless of oxygen levels, finds study - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · The paper is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences.
Large quantities of plant parts sink to the bottom of fjords on the Swedish west coast, where they form sediment. This buries organic carbon, which would otherwise contribute to ocean acidification and the greenhouse effect. When the plant parts are exposed to oxygen and other substances, the organic carbon begins to decompose into inorganic carbon, which can be dissolved into carbonic acid in the water.
Same pattern in three fjords
"We chose three fjords with different oxygen levels in the bottom water, and for these fjords it seems that the amount of particles that settle is so high ... Read more ...
|
Florida faces hectic hurricane season: Can science say who will get hit in coming months?:
|
| Florida faces hectic hurricane season: Can science say who will get hit in coming months? - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · The bottom line of every preseason hurricane forecast this spring has been sobering, even a little scary. Meteorologists and their computer models all agree that it's going to be a super busy and perhaps record-breaking season - and that with so many expected storms, it's very likely that somebody, somewhere is going to get smacked this year.
That's been a question many scientists have long considered impossible to answer months ahead of any storm forming.
But an increasing number of experts are starting to take a crack at it. This year, for instance, both AccuWeather and Colorado State University included landfall chances in their advance forecasts for hurricane season ... Read more ...
|
Focus on cities will boost benefits of air pollution action for most vulnerable:
|
| Focus on cities will boost benefits of air pollution action for most vulnerable - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · A study led by Imperial College London researchers shows that reducing typically urban sources of fine-particle air pollution like roads, wood burners, and machinery would also reduce inequalities in how different communities suffer the health impacts.
Air pollution can reach the lungs, causing short-term irritation and more harmful long-term impacts on heart and lung function. For people with existing conditions like heart failure and asthma, this can worsen already serious health problems. Residents or workers in more deprived areas are more likely to suffer these conditions, and as such are disproportionately impacted by air pollution.
The new study shows that while ... Read more ...
|
Giant lithium partnership created in Chile:
|
| Giant lithium partnership created in Chile - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · Chile's state-owned copper giant Codelco signed a deal Friday with SQM to nearly double the private mining firm's current extraction of lithium, a key mineral for the global switch to cleaner energy.
Codelco is the world's largest copper producer, and SQM is a leader in lithium, often called "white gold."
The agreement provides for the creation of a public-private partnership "that will take responsibility for production of refined lithium in the Salar de Atacama from 2025 to 2060," the companies said in a statement.
The Salar de Atacama, in the desert by the same name, is a salt flat holding the main deposits of the mineral in Chile, which is part of Latin ... Read more ...
|
Green methanol may be on the verge of a breakthrough:
|
| Green methanol may be on the verge of a breakthrough - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · One of the promising alternatives to fossil fuels is methanol, in which the global shipping and logistics company Maersk, among others, is investing for its future fleet of container ships. However, there is a problem when it comes to methanol. Today, 99% of methanol production is based on coal and natural gas, and that's as far from green as it gets. DTU has contributed to developing a new method for producing biogas-based methanol.
"When methanol is produced from biogas, methanol is green because it comes from a renewable source. Biogas is a product of degraded waste from households, agriculture, and production," explains Associate Professor Philip Fosbøl, DTU Chemical ... Read more ...
|
Halftime Report: Environmental Bills Moving Forward:
|
| Halftime Report: Environmental Bills Moving Forward - Legal Planet |
May 30 · Legislators reached the first deadline of the 2023-2024 legislative season last week - passage of bills out of their house of origin. As the name implies, this refers to Assembly bills working their way through the Assembly, and Senate bills moving through the Senate, culminating with floor votes which concluded last Friday, May 24th. This period is marked as the crossover, where the bills that passed off the floor of their house of origin, move to the other house for the review process to begin again.
A little more than 2,000 bills were introduced in both houses this session, which is about average. In the Assembly, 931 bills advanced out of 1520 total (61%). In the Senate, ... Read more ...
|
Health and climate top consumers’ concerns about the food system, report finds:
|
| Health and climate top consumers’ concerns about the food system, report finds - Greenbiz |
May 30 · Consumers rank malnutrition, pesticides, obesity and diet-related health issues, and plastic waste from packaging as the most concerning aspects of the food system, according to an EAT-GlobeScan survey.
Since 2021, GlobeScan has partnered with EAT, a science-based global platform for food system transformation, to conduct the Grains of Truth consumer research series. This annual survey, conducted in 31 markets worldwide, delves into consumers' concerns about the current food system, their attitudes and behaviors toward consuming healthy and sustainable food, and their viewpoints on who should lead the transformation of the food system.
The latest edition of the study ... | By Tove Malmqvist Read more ...
|
Heat waves can be deadly for older adults: An aging global population and rising temperatures mean millions are at risk, as Asia is experiencing:
|
| Heat waves can be deadly for older adults: An aging global population and rising temperatures mean millions are at risk, as Asia is experiencing - The Conversation |
May 22 · A&S Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Innovation in Social Science, Boston University
Professor of Environmental Economics, Ca' Foscari University of Venice
Professor of Earth and Environment, Boston University
Enrica De Cian receives funding from the European Research Council - European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. She is affiliated with CMCC Foundation - Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Italy, and RFF-CMCC European Institute on Economics and the Environment, Italy.
Giacomo Falchetta receives funding from the ENERGYA project, funded by the European Research Council, under the European ... Read more ...
|
High Groundwater Depletion Risk in South Korea in 2080s:
|
| High Groundwater Depletion Risk in South Korea in 2080s - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · Groundwater is literally the water found beneath the Earth's surface. It forms when precipitation such as rain and snow seeps into the soil, replenishing rivers and lakes. This resource supplies our drinking water. However, a recent study has alarmed the scientific community by predicting that approximately three million people in currently untapped areas of Korea could face groundwater depletion by 2080.
Groundwater is crucial for ecosystems and socioeconomic development, particularly in mountainous regions where water systems are limited. However, recent social and economic activities along with urban development have led to significant groundwater overuse. Additionally, ... Read more ...
|
High performance and stability achieved with multifunctional materials for solar cells and organic light-emitting diodes:
|
| High performance and stability achieved with multifunctional materials for solar cells and organic light-emitting diodes - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 30 · Through joint research, a team has developed a 4-Amino-TEMPO derivative with photocatalytic properties and successfully used it to produce high-performance and stable fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs) and fiber-shaped organic light-emitting diodes (FOLEDs). The paper is published in the journal Materials Today Energy.
The developed 4-Amino-TEMPO derivative has the characteristic of simultaneously improving the performance of both fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs) and fiber-shaped organic light-emitting diodes (FOLEDs).
Conventional materials are difficult to synthesize and mass produce, and the reproducibility of devices using them was poor. ... Read more ...
|
Historic Iceberg Surges Offer Insights on Modern Climate Change:
|
| Historic Iceberg Surges Offer Insights on Modern Climate Change - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · A great armada entered the North Atlantic, launched from the cold shores of North America. But rather than ships off to war, this force was a fleet of icebergs. And the havoc it wrought was to the ocean current itself.
This scene describes a Heinrich Event, or a period of rapid iceberg discharge from the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last glacial maximum. These episodes greatly weakened the system of ocean currents that circulates water within the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC for short, brings warm surface water north and cold deep water south. This oceanic conveyor belt is a major component of the global climate system, ... Read more ...
|
Historic iceberg surges offer insights on modern climate change:
|
| Historic iceberg surges offer insights on modern climate change - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · This scene describes a Heinrich Event, or a period of rapid iceberg discharge from the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last glacial maximum. These episodes greatly weakened the system of ocean currents that circulates water within the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC for short, brings warm surface water north and cold deep water south. This oceanic conveyor belt is a major component of the global climate system, influencing marine ecosystems, weather patterns and temperatures.
It's also regarded as a potential tipping element of the Earth's climate, meaning that a tiny perturbation could push the system to a point of no ... Read more ...
|
How construction products giant CRH plans to cut emissions 30% by 2030:
|
| How construction products giant CRH plans to cut emissions 30% by 2030 - Greenbiz |
May 31 · Last year, the company recycled 43.9 million metric tons of byproducts and waste from other industries into raw materials and fuels for its own products.
The CRH Americas Materials businesses supplied 42,500m3 of concrete for the construction of the 37-story Fairmont hotel in Austin. Source: CRH
CRH is a leader in construction materials in both the Americas and Europe, with $34.9 billion in worldwide revenue for 2023. That success carries a heavy climate impact: The built environment accounts for 42 percent of global emissions annually, which includes building operations and energy usage, along with the greenhouse gas footprint embedded in things such as cement, iron, ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
|
How water storage in weathered bedrock impacts evapotranspiration and stream runoff:
|
| How water storage in weathered bedrock impacts evapotranspiration and stream runoff - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · Prof. He Zhibin's research teams from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted an exploratory study on the structure and ecohydrological functions of weathered bedrock in the Qilian Mountains. They selected 34 sample sites to analyze the characteristics of soil and weathered bedrock profiles in the Qilian Mountains.
Their study, titled "Modulation of evapotranspiration and stream runoff by weathered bedrock in arid and semi-arid mountains," is published in Science of the Total Environment.
They found that the soil-weathered bedrock was thicker on the southern slope and shallower on the northern slope, with a ... Read more ...
|
How zoning affects greenhouse gas emissions:
|
| How zoning affects greenhouse gas emissions - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · There is a burgeoning consensus among climate-minded policymakers and scholars that loosening zoning regulations to promote greater density while simultaneously tightening building efficiency standards can reduce emissions and address housing shortages that affect communities across the U.S.
In his paper titled "Climate Zoning," Christopher Serkin, Elisabeth H. & Granville S. Ridley Jr. Chair in Law at Vanderbilt Law School, argues that this approach "can be self-defeating." He advocates for a situational approach where local governments consider their specific environmental and economic circumstances.
"Climate Zoning" is published in the Notre Dame Law ... Read more ...
|
India court urges national emergency declaration for heat waves:
|
| India court urges national emergency declaration for heat waves - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · An Indian court has urged the government to declare a national emergency over the country's ongoing heat wave, saying that hundreds of people had died during weeks of extreme weather.
India is enduring a crushing heat wave with temperatures in several cities sizzling well above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
The High Court in the western state of Rajasthan, which has suffered through some of the hottest weather in recent days, said authorities had failed to take appropriate steps to protect the public from the heat.
"Due to extreme weather conditions in the form of (the) heat wave, hundreds of people have lost their lives this month," the court said ... Read more ...
|
Indian Ocean Surface Temperature Could Help Anticipate Dengue Outbreaks:
|
| Indian Ocean Surface Temperature Could Help Anticipate Dengue Outbreaks - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · Although dengue outbreaks cannot be prevented, it is possible to anticipate them. An international research team including scientists from the Institut Pasteur and Beijing Normal University in China has recently identified a global climate indicator that may help improve predictions about the magnitude of dengue outbreaks several months in advance. This indicator, which can be used for any world region, is based on temperature fluctuations at the surface of the Indian Ocean. Obtaining reliable long-term predictions could facilitate efforts to tackle this infection, which has been on the rise for several decades and threatens half of the world's population. The research results were ... Read more ...
|
International Court Holds Climate Hearings in Brazil After Deadly Floods | Common Dreams:
|
| International Court Holds Climate Hearings in Brazil After Deadly Floods | Common Dreams - Commondreams |
May 27 · Joselim - shown here on May 17, 2024 - is a 17-year-old from Peru who provided testimony to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for an ongoing climate case.
"We need leaders to invest in the recovery of agriculture, in education, and in environmental plans and public policies with adequate resources and personnel," said a 17-year-old from Peru.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights on Monday continued hearings in Brazil for a requested advisory opinion on countries' obligations related to the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency.
After Chile and Colombia sought an advisory opinion from the IACtHR, hearings began in Barbados last month and kicked off in ... Read more ...
|
Is climate action on extreme heat a human right?:
|
| Is climate action on extreme heat a human right? - Yale Climate Connections - Economic |
May 30 · Stay in the know about climate impacts and solutions. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Yale Climate Connections
Is climate action on extreme heat a human right?
It was a provocative opening question that I posed to the science education graduate students in my climate justice course at San José State University. Put another way: Is a government’s failure to take action on the climate crisis a violation of human rights?
The question of human rights, climate justice, and vulnerable groups recently emerged in the news in two different cases an ocean apart, with drastically different outcomes. However, they were connected by an ever-pressing issue: extreme ... Read more ...
|
Is collapse of the Atlantic Ocean circulation really imminent? Icebergs' history reveals some clues:
|
| Is collapse of the Atlantic Ocean circulation really imminent? Icebergs' history reveals some clues - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · While Hollywood clearly takes liberties with the speed and magnitude of disasters, several recent studies have raised real-world alarms that a crucial ocean current that circulates heat to northern countries might shut down this century, with potentially disastrous consequences.
That scenario has happened in the past, most recently more than 16,000 years ago. However, it relies on Greenland shedding a lot of ice into the ocean.
Our new research, published in the journal Science, suggests that while Greenland is indeed losing huge and worrisome volumes of ice right now, that might not continue for long enough to shut down the current on its own. A closer look at evidence ... Read more ...
|
Is this the cheapest Solar Radiation Modification method?:
|
| Is this the cheapest Solar Radiation Modification method? - Climate Engineering (Lockley - Playlist) |
May 30 · Solar radiation modification is one of the prominent ideas considered for reducing global warming. Injecting aerosol particles into the atmosphere is thought to be the cheapest radiation modification approach. It costs about $18 billion/yr over 66 years to reduce the global mean temperature by 1 degree Celsius. We describe a method which could cost as low as $1.6 billion/yr to reduce the global mean temperature by 1 degree Celsius. Perhaps we can engineer a better Earth together using this approach. To know more details or to be a part of the team, contact us. | By Neofizix Read more ...
|
Local Bright Spot Among Melting Glaciers: 2000 Km of Antarctic Ice-Covered Coastline Has Been Stable for 85 Years:
|
| Local Bright Spot Among Melting Glaciers: 2000 Km of Antarctic Ice-Covered Coastline Has Been Stable for 85 Years - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · A whaler's forgotten aerial photos from 1937 have given researchers at the University of Copenhagen the most detailed picture of the ice evolution in East Antarctica to date. The results show that the ice has remained stable and even grown slightly over almost a century, though scientists observe early signs of weakening. The research offers new insights that enhance predictions of ice changes and sea level rise.
Higher temperatures, extreme weather, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels -- all indicators that the climate and the world's ice masses are in a critical state. However, a new study from the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management at the ... Read more ...
|
Martian meteorites deliver a trove of information on red planet's structure:
|
| Martian meteorites deliver a trove of information on red planet's structure - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · Meteorites that formed roughly 1.3 billion years ago and then ejected from Mars have been collected by scientists from sites in Antarctica and Africa in recent decades. Scripps Oceanography geologist James Day and his colleagues report May 31 in the journal Science Advances on analyses of the chemical compositions of these samples from the red planet.
These results are important for understanding not only how Mars formed and evolved, but also for providing precise data that can inform recent NASA missions like Insight and Perseverance and the Mars Sample Return, said study lead Day.
"Martian meteorites are the only physical materials we have available from Mars," said ... Read more ...
|
Martian Meteorites Inform Red Planet's Structure:
|
| Martian Meteorites Inform Red Planet's Structure - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · Mars has a distinct structure in its mantle and crust with discernible reservoirs, and this is known thanks to meteorites that scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and colleagues have analyzed on Earth.
Meteorites that formed roughly 1.3 billion years ago and then ejected from Mars have been collected by scientists from sites in Antarctica and Africa in recent decades. Scripps Oceanography geologist James Day and his colleagues report May 31 in the journal Science Advances on analyses of the chemical compositions of these samples from the Red Planet.
These results are important for understanding not only how Mars formed and evolved, but also ... Read more ...
|
May be a doodle of text:
|
| May be a doodle of text - thebluereason |
May 14 · Scientist are looking for ways to reduce global warming and its negative effects on our planet before it becomes irreversible. One of the possibilities in the field of solar radiation management is called cloud brightening (not to be confused with cloud seeding) which is currently being attempted and studied in many places across the globe. In simple terms, cloud brightening or MCB (marine cloud brightening) is a process in which saltwater particles are put into the air just over the ocean, which act as nuclei around which vapor can condense. The hope is to encourage “brighter”, more substantial clouds that last longer than typical marine clouds. These “bright” clouds would be able ... Read more ...
|
Microgrids could help solve challenges of renewable energy:
|
| Microgrids could help solve challenges of renewable energy - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 30 · "There are challenges associated with the intermittent nature of both energy demands and renewable energy sources that cannot be handled in traditionally designed power grids," Associate Professor Arefi said.
"Our new research suggests that interconnected scattered multi-microgrids may be the way of the future.
"Microgrids, are small-scale power systems powered by clean energy. By creating a system to efficiently exchange power among the microgrids, we can mitigate variability in load demand and renewable energy source generation.
"This new system could help us maximize the use of renewable energy sources, like solar and wind power, and efficiently integrate ... Read more ...
|
Microscopic defects in ice influence how massive glaciers flow, study shows:
|
| Microscopic defects in ice influence how massive glaciers flow, study shows - MIT - Research |
May 30 · d="M12.132,61.991a5.519,5.519,0,0,1-5.866,5.753A5.554,5.554,0,0,1,.4,61.854a5.809,5.809,0,0,1,1.816-4.383,6.04,6.04,0,0,1,4.05-1.37C9.9,55.965,12.132,58.43,12.132,61.991Zm-8.939-.137c0,2.328,1.117,3.7,3.073,3.7s3.073-1.37,3.073-3.7-1.117-3.835-3.073-3.835C4.45,58.156,3.193,59.526,3.193,61.854Z" transform="translate(-0.4 -55.965)" fill="#333"/> d="M17.884,67.531l-3.352-5.753-1.257-2.191v7.944H10.9V56.3h2.793l3.212,5.616c.419.822.7,1.37,1.257,2.328V56.3h2.374V67.531Z" transform="translate(3.765 -55.889)" fill="#333"/> ... Read more ...
|
| Microscopic defects in ice influence how massive glaciers flow, study shows - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · Now, a study by MIT scientists offers a new picture of glacier flow, based on microscopic deformation in the ice. The results show that a glacier's flow depends strongly on how microscopic defects move through the ice.
The work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, they found, the ice sheet is not a monolith but instead is more varied in where and how it flows in response to warming-driven stresses. The study "dramatically alters the climate conditions under which marine ice sheets may become unstable and drive rapid rates of sea-level rise," the researchers write in their paper.
"This study ... Read more ...
|
Model simulates urban flood risk with an eye to equity:
|
| Model simulates urban flood risk with an eye to equity - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · Rising seas and extreme storms fueled by climate change are combining to generate more frequent and severe floods in cities along rivers and coasts, and aging infrastructure is poorly equipped for the new reality. But when governments and planners try to prepare communities for worsening flood risks by improving infrastructure, the benefits are often unfairly distributed.
A new modeling approach from Stanford University and University of Florida researchers offers a solution: an easy way for planners to simulate future flood risks at the neighborhood level under conditions expected to become commonplace with climate change, such as extreme rainstorms that coincide with high ... Read more ...
|
Mountain building linked to major extinction event half a billion years ago:
|
| Mountain building linked to major extinction event half a billion years ago - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · These plate interactions further led to magma rising to the Earth's surface, large amounts of greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, and rapid climate change. The resulting extinction decimated animal groups, like archaeocyathids (reef-building marine sponges) and hyoliths (animals with small conical shells).
"It's unusual to point to a tectonic cause for an extinction event," said John Goodge, a professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota Duluth, "but the evidence is compelling."
Goodge and his colleagues realized the link to plate tectonics after comparing field notes from sites in Antarctica and southern Australia. They noticed that the two locations, which ... Read more ...
|
Mussels downstream of wastewater treatment plant contain radium, study reports:
|
| Mussels downstream of wastewater treatment plant contain radium, study reports - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · A pair of researchers from Penn State's Department of Civil and Environment Engineering (CEE) analyzed the composition of mussels downstream of a centralized treatment facility in Western Pennsylvania that had accepted and treated fracking wastewater from the oil and gas industry for at least two decades. The now-decommissioned facility stopped accepting oil- and gas-produced wastewater in 2019.
Though most facilities in Pennsylvania do not accept oil- and gas-produced water now, from 2008 to 2011, Pennsylvania's rivers and streams saw a significant volume of treated wastewater that originated from fracking in the Marcellus Shale. Wastewater treatment facilities remove major ... Read more ...
|
NASA mission flies over Arctic to study sea ice melt causes:
|
| NASA mission flies over Arctic to study sea ice melt causes - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · It's not just rising air and water temperatures influencing the decades-long decline of Arctic sea ice. Clouds, aerosols, even the bumps and dips on the ice itself can play a role. To explore how these factors interact and impact sea ice melting, NASA is flying two aircraft equipped with scientific instruments over the Arctic Ocean north of Greenland this summer. The first flights of the field campaign, called ARCSIX (Arctic Radiation Cloud Aerosol Surface Interaction Experiment), successfully began taking measurements on May 28.
"The ARCSIX mission aims to measure the evolution of the sea ice pack over the course of an entire summer," said Patrick Taylor, deputy science lead ... Read more ...
|
NASA releases new high-quality, near real-time air quality data:
|
| NASA releases new high-quality, near real-time air quality data - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · NASA has made new data available that can provide air pollution observations at unprecedented resolutions - down to the scale of individual neighborhoods. The near real-time data comes from the agency's TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) instrument, which launched last year to improve life on Earth by revolutionizing the way scientists observe air quality from space. This new data is available from the Atmospheric Science Data Center at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
"TEMPO is one of NASA's Earth observing instruments making giant leaps to improve life on our home planet," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "NASA and the ... Read more ...
|
Nasty pollutant shown to be the missing ingredient for carbon nanotube films for touchscreens and solar cells:
|
| Nasty pollutant shown to be the missing ingredient for carbon nanotube films for touchscreens and solar cells - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · Reported in Carbon, the team's experiments show that exposure to even small amounts of nitrogen dioxide gas at elevated temperatures modifies carbon nanotube films in a way that promotes both transparency and electrical conductivity, and this modification resists degradation.
Carbon nanotube films conduct electricity and let light through, making them an excellent material for transparent electrodes. These are essential for solar cells and touchscreens, which used to rely on the brittle and unsustainable indium tin oxide films and other conventional materials.
As of today, carbon nanotubes doped with additional atoms of other elements provide better conductivity and ... Read more ...
|
New Coral Disease Forecasting System:
|
| New Coral Disease Forecasting System - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · Using ecological and marine environmental conditions, the Multi-Factor Coral Disease Risk product predicts the risk of two diseases across reefs in the central and western Pacific and along the east coast of Australia. An article introducing the new tool was published in Ecological Applications.
The tool can be accessed through the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch program, and can help end users detect early changes in the environment and better protect coral reef ecosystems.
"Partnering with NOAA Coral Reef Watch, our team developed ecological forecasts to predict the times and conditions when coral disease outbreaks are most ... Read more ...
|
New coral disease forecasting system could help ecological forecasting:
|
| New coral disease forecasting system could help ecological forecasting - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
May 31 · Using ecological and marine environmental conditions, the "Multi-Factor Coral Disease Risk" product predicts the risk of two diseases across reefs in the central and western Pacific and along the east coast of Australia. An article introducing the new tool was published in Ecological Applications.
The tool can be accessed through the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch program, and can help end users detect early changes in the environment and better protect coral reef ecosystems.
"Partnering with NOAA Coral Reef Watch, our team developed ecological forecasts to predict the times and conditions when coral disease outbreaks are ... Read more ...
|
New electrolysis cells pave the way for cheaper hydrogen:
|
| New electrolysis cells pave the way for cheaper hydrogen - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 30 · "If we can get ceramic electrolysis cells into power-to-x technology in enough places around the world, their efficiency means that you can save 25% of all the electricity needed to produce the same amount of green fuel and save up to about 20% of the price of hydrogen. And if we also improve the lifespan of the technology, it will result in material savings, which will mean a further price reduction of 5%," says Frandsen.
A thousand hours of testing
The experiments to evaluate the stability of the Ni-GDC electrodes were conducted by postdoc Morten Phan Klitkou and others at DTU. The tests were performed at different currents for 1,000 hours. The results showed that the ... Read more ...
|
New method could significantly reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions:
|
| New method could significantly reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · Nitrogen fertilization leads to emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) from agricultural soils, accounting for a significant portion of total greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture. It has long been assumed that these N2O emissions are unavoidable.
However, an international team of researchers led by NMBU has discovered a method to reduce these emissions. They have identified bacteria that can "consume" nitrous oxide as it forms in the soil, preventing the gas from escaping into the atmosphere. The researchers believe that this method alone has the potential to reduce agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in Europe by one-third.
The N2O ... Read more ...
|
New method makes hydrogen from solar power and agricultural waste:
|
| New method makes hydrogen from solar power and agricultural waste - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 30 · Hydrogen-based fuels are one of the most promising sources of clean energy. But producing pure hydrogen gas is an energy-intensive process that often requires coal or natural gas and large amounts of electricity.
In a paper for Cell Reports Physical Science, a multi-institutional team led by UIC engineer Meenesh Singh unveils the new process for green hydrogen production.
The method uses a carbon-rich substance called biochar to decrease the amount of electricity needed to convert water to hydrogen. By using renewable energy sources such as solar power or wind and capturing byproducts for other uses, the process can reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero.
"We ... Read more ...
|
New Method Makes Hydrogen from Solar Power and Agricultural Waste:
|
| New Method Makes Hydrogen from Solar Power and Agricultural Waste - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · University of Illinois Chicago engineers have helped design a new method to make hydrogen gas from water using only solar power and agricultural waste, such as manure or husks. The method reduces the energy needed to extract hydrogen from water by 600%, creating new opportunities for sustainable, climate-friendly chemical production.
Hydrogen-based fuels are one of the most promising sources of clean energy. But producing pure hydrogen gas is an energy-intensive process that often requires coal or natural gas and large amounts of electricity.
In a paper for Cell Reports Physical Science, a multi-institutional team led by UIC engineer Meenesh Singh unveils the new process ... Read more ...
|
New power cables in Europe to make energy cheaper and more sustainable:
|
| New power cables in Europe to make energy cheaper and more sustainable - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 30 · When news articles appeared in 2021 about a slowdown in copper production and concerns about being able to meet future demand for the metal, Dr. Anders Wulff became concerned.
As an engineer, Wulff understood better than most people that the current generation of power grids in Europe and elsewhere would be unable to function without copper. The reddish metal is the conductor in electricity cables and, without it, there'd be no way to transmit power over long distances.
Ceramic cable
Wulff is involved in an innovation project that received EU funding to develop a cable made of something very different: ceramics.
"It's basically the same material you would use ... Read more ...
|
New vestiges of the first life on Earth discovered in Saudi Arabia:
|
| New vestiges of the first life on Earth discovered in Saudi Arabia - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · Stromatolites are also partially responsible for the Great Oxygenation Event, which drastically changed the composition of our atmosphere by introducing oxygen. That oxygen initially wiped out stromatolites' competition, enabling their prominence in the Archean and early Proterozoic environment. However, as more life forms adapted their metabolism to an oxygenated atmosphere, stromatolites started to decline, popping up in the geologic record only after mass extinctions or in difficult environments.
"The bacteria are always around, but they don't usually get the chance to make stromatolites," explains Volker Vahrenkamp, the author of a new study in Geology. "They are largely ... Read more ...
|
No new fossil fuel projects needed in the transition to Net Zero, researchers say:
|
| No new fossil fuel projects needed in the transition to Net Zero, researchers say - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · Their policy paper, published in Science, argues that stopping new fossil fuel projects is a crucial step for countries to achieve their climate goals. It recommends that governments legislate to ban new fossil fuel projects as this is easier politically, economically and legally than closing operational projects early.
The team found that existing fossil fuel capacity is sufficient to meet the energy demands under these scenarios while the planet transitions to clean and renewable energy—and that new fossil fuel projects are not necessary.
However, since that proclamation was announced, the global production and use of fossil fuels has continued to expand, with ... Read more ...
|
Novel Mobile Air Monitoring Technology Yields Greater Insight Into Post-Disaster Pollution Levels:
|
| Novel Mobile Air Monitoring Technology Yields Greater Insight Into Post-Disaster Pollution Levels - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · A team including researchers from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health and School of Medicine has found that high resolution mass spectrometry could be a valuable tool for identifying and assessing air-borne contaminants produced by natural and human-made disasters. Their findings were published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology.
The scientists used high resolution mass spectrometry -- a highly accurate means of identifying molecular compounds in a sample -- in fall 2023 to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present following a major fire that occurred on April 11, 2023, in Richmond, Indiana. The fire and subsequent explosions ... Read more ...
|
Novel mobile air monitoring technology yields greater insight into post-disaster pollution levels:
|
| Novel mobile air monitoring technology yields greater insight into post-disaster pollution levels - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · The scientists used high resolution mass spectrometry—a highly accurate means of identifying molecular compounds in a sample—in fall 2023 to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present following a major fire that occurred on April 11, 2023, in Richmond, Indiana. The fire and subsequent explosions at the My Way plastic recycling plant led to the evacuation of residents in a half-mile radius from the facility. The fire was sufficiently large to be captured in satellite images, and debris was found as far away as Oxford, Ohio, nearly 30 miles from the site.
"The Environmental Protection Agency does extensive, long-term recovery work after disasters like this," ... Read more ...
|
NYC, bracing for another round of Canadian wildfire smoke this summer, works on response:
|
| NYC, bracing for another round of Canadian wildfire smoke this summer, works on response - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · New York City is bracing for Canadian wildfire smoke to potentially roll in over the five boroughs again this summer, and Mayor Eric Adams pledged on May 30 his administration is going to engage in "greater outreach" with residents during future air quality emergencies to make sure they know what precautions to take.
For starters, Adams - who faced heat last summer over what some saw as their sluggish reaction to the city being blanketed in wildfire smoke blown in from Canada - said in an afternoon press conference in Brooklyn that his team has developed a new internal air quality response protocol.
Adams and several top advisers said they couldn't share details because ... Read more ...
|
On Hens, Eggs, Temperature and CO2:
|
| On Hens, Eggs, Temperature and CO2 - Skeptical Science |
May 31 · The original version of this blog – written by Giacomo Grassi, with contributions from Stefano Caserini, Giorgio Vacchiano, Gianni Comoretto, Claudio della Volpe, and Mario Grosso - appeared in the Italian climate website Climalteranti. The version here has been checked and further enriched by Pierre Friedlingstein (Global Carbon Project).
A recent article suggests that the accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere is caused by the influence of temperature on natural systems, rather than fossil fuels. But it's a glaring mistake, like confusing the brake with the accelerator.
A few months ago, a scientific article titled "On Hens, Eggs, Temperatures and CO2: Causal ... Read more ...
|
Otter Tail case lays bare how Minnesota and North Dakota look at renewable energy differently:
|
| Otter Tail case lays bare how Minnesota and North Dakota look at renewable energy differently - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · Otter Tail Power Co. must exit a large North Dakota coal plant by 2032 - at least as far as its Minnesota customers are concerned, state regulators ruled May 30 during a contentious meeting.
Looming over the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission's decision were the starkly different energy policies of Minnesota - which is pushing hard on clean energy - and North Dakota, which is focused on preserving its coal industry and a fleet of coal-fired power plants.
At issue: Fergus Falls-based Otter Tail only owns 35% of the power plant, called Coyote Station. So the plant could run at partial capacity after 2031.
Otter Tail's two largest power generators - Coyote and ... Read more ...
|
People Are Altering Decomposition Rates in Waterways:
|
| People Are Altering Decomposition Rates in Waterways - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · Humans may be accelerating the rate at which organic matter decomposes in rivers and streams on a global scale, according to a new study from the University of Georgia, Oakland University and Kent State University.
That could pose a threat to biodiversity in waterways around the world and increase the amount of carbon in Earth's atmosphere, potentially exacerbating climate change.
"Everyone in the world needs water," said Krista Capps, co-author of the study and an associate professor in UGA's Odum School of Ecology and Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. "When human activities change the fundamental ways rivers work, it's concerning. Increases in decomposition rates may ... Read more ...
|
Reduced sulfur content in shipping fuel associated with increased maritime atmospheric warming:
|
| Reduced sulfur content in shipping fuel associated with increased maritime atmospheric warming - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · An 80% reduction in sulfur dioxide shipping emissions observed in early 2020 could be associated with substantial atmospheric warming over some ocean regions, according to a modeling study published in Communications Earth & Environment. The sudden decline in emissions was a result of the introduction of the International Maritime Organization's 2020 regulation (IMO 2020), which reduced the maximum sulfur content allowed in shipping fuel from 3.5% to 0.5% to help reduce air pollution.
Fuel oil used for large ships has a significantly higher percentage content of sulfur than fuels used in other vehicles. Burning this fuel produces sulfur dioxide, which reacts with water vapor ... Read more ...
|
Research suggests using neural networks to harness wind and solar power:
|
| Research suggests using neural networks to harness wind and solar power - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · This transition requires a robust information structure to ensure a smooth shift. Wind and solar power is among the most abundant sources of renewable energy; however, engineers and researchers in this field need an established data pipeline to effectively integrate solar and wind power into their process design.
Abdullah Al-Aboosi is an interdisciplinary doctoral student in the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering. He is working with Dr. Aldo Jonathan Muñoz Vazquez, a multidisciplinary engineering professor at the Higher Education Center in McAllen, on a neural network that they hope can provide such a pipeline.
The catalyst for this research resulted from ... Read more ...
|
Researchers develop new perovskite solar cells that set efficiency record:
|
| Researchers develop new perovskite solar cells that set efficiency record - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 30 · Perovskite solar cells have attracted much attention as a promising green energy technology due to their low fabrication cost and extraordinary power conversion efficiencies (PCEs).
The wettability, absorbability and compactness of SAMs, which are used as hole-transporting layers (HTLs) for PSCs, critically affect the efficiency and stability of the devices. Therefore, the researchers proposed a molecular strategy to synthesize three bisphosphonate-anchored indolocarbazole (IDCz)-derived SAMs, namely IDCz-1, IDCz-2, and IDCz-3.
The three SAMs with different positions of the two nitrogen atoms in the IDCz unit were each employed on conductive oxide substrates for inverted ... Read more ...
|
Rich nations meet $100bn climate finance goal – two years late:
|
| Rich nations meet $100bn climate finance goal – two years late - Climate Change News - Finance |
May 29 · Developed countries gave nearly $116 billion in climate finance in 2022, but experts and campaigners questioned how the target was met
Young activist call for the provision of climate finance during a demonstration at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. Photo by Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto
For the first time, rich nations in 2022 delivered on a longstanding pledge to channel $100 billion a year in climate finance to developing nations – two years later than originally promised, official figures showed on Wednesday.
Their failure to meet the goal on time has been a sore point in the UN climate talks, fuelling distrust between wealthy governments and poorer ... | By Megan Rowling and Matteo Civillini Read more ...
|
Risky Path to Meeting Climate Targets for Stockholm:
|
| Risky Path to Meeting Climate Targets for Stockholm - Science Daily - Earth and Climate |
May 24 · The Swedish capital Stockholm aims to capture more carbon dioxide than is emitted by 2030. Therefore, the city is investing in new technology at a combined heat and power plant. But it is a strategy that has been adopted without sufficient discussion of the risks, says researchers at Linköping university, Sweden.
"Stockholm has a very ambitious climate policy. But there's also been a kind of resignation. This new technology has appeared to offer the promise of a solution. And that's perhaps why there's been no critical discussion at all," says researcher Alexander Olsson at the Department of Thematic Studies -- Environmental Change at Linköping University.
The ... Read more ...
|
Salt in the womb: How rising seas erode reproductive health:
|
| Salt in the womb: How rising seas erode reproductive health - Grist Climate and Energy |
May 30 · Support climate news that leads to action. Help Grist raise $35,000 by May 31.
All donations DOUBLED.
Support climate news that leads to action. Help Grist raise $35,000 by May 31. All donations DOUBLED.
Today, 30-year-old garment factory worker Khadiza Akhter lives in Savar, a suburb of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Her small concrete house is clean and organized. Green shutters frame the windows, and clothes hang on lines outside her front door. A water spigot sticks out of the concrete next to the drying laundry, and the turn of a white plastic knob is all it takes for clear, clean water to rush out. Akhter calls it “a blessing of God.”
Akhter grew up ... Read more ...
|
Satellite data study shows 1.18 billion people are energy poor, finding no evidence of electricity usage from space:
|
| Satellite data study shows 1.18 billion people are energy poor, finding no evidence of electricity usage from space - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · An international team of political scientists, data scientists, economists and environmental scientists has found, via study of satellite data, that approximately 1.18 billion people across the globe are energy-poor—viewed from space, they show no evidence of using electricity. In their study, reported in Joule, the researchers mapped artificial light on the ground as viewed by satellites at night for 3,000 nights.
In this new effort, the research team sought to gain a more accurate assessment of the degree of lack of energy use by people in developing countries. To that end, they embarked on a study of satellite imagery covering sub-Saharan Africa over the years 2013 to ... Read more ...
|
Science Based Targets Network taps independent reviewer for nature-related goals:
|
| Science Based Targets Network taps independent reviewer for nature-related goals - Greenbiz |
May 30 · Companies can submit strategies for addressing biodiversity loss in the second half of 2024.
The Science Based Targets Network, a coalition formed to help corporations set science-based strategies for addressing nature and biodiversity loss, has picked an independent organization to validate targets based on its framework. The Global Commons Accountability Accelerator will handle validation services for the next two to three years, until more resources are needed.
SBTN’s guidance covers corporate commitments related to freshwater, land, biodiversity, ocean and climate.
The selection comes as SBTN prepares to make its methodology and services more widely available ... | By Heather Clancy Read more ...
|
Scientists make gains in mystery of missing snow:
|
| Scientists make gains in mystery of missing snow - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · In a recent study, published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, scientists have filled longstanding gaps in the poorly understood process of sublimation, which is the process by which snow transforms directly from a solid (snow) to a gas (water vapor). Such information is crucial for water managers who need to decide whether to hold or release reservoir water as the spring runoff begins.
It was based on observations taken during the 2022–2023 Sublimation of Snow Project, in which scientists used a battery of instruments to collect data on wind speed, snowfall, and blowing snow at a site outside Crested Butte, Colorado.
The new research shows ... Read more ...
|
Scientists map biodiversity changes in the world's forests:
|
| Scientists map biodiversity changes in the world's forests - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · According to the latest figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, forests cover just over 4 billion hectares of the Earth's surface, or one-third of its total land. The benefits of forests are numerous: they provide raw materials, act as carbon sinks, help regulate the climate and protect the planet, provide a home for biodiversity, and serve as a source of well-being.
Yet the latest survey suggests that around 31% of tree species are threatened with extinction. Efforts are under way to build the resilience of forest ecosystems. But which parts of the world are experiencing the biggest changes? Which regions should be prioritized for protection? ... Read more ...
|
Scientists predict high groundwater depletion risk in South Korea by 2080:
|
| Scientists predict high groundwater depletion risk in South Korea by 2080 - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · Groundwater is crucial for ecosystems and socioeconomic development, particularly in mountainous regions where water systems are limited. However, recent social and economic activities along with urban development have led to significant groundwater overuse.
Additionally, rising land temperatures are altering regional water flows and supplies, necessitating water policies that consider both natural and human impacts to effectively address climate change.
In a recent study, researchers used an advanced statistical method called "cyclostationary empirical orthogonal function analysis (CSEOF)" to analyze water level data from nearly 200 surface and deep groundwater stations ... Read more ...
|
Shear genius: Researchers find way to scale up wonder material, which could do wonders for the Earth:
|
| Shear genius: Researchers find way to scale up wonder material, which could do wonders for the Earth - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
Jun 1 · The breakthrough from chemical engineering assistant professor Gaurav "Gino" Giri's lab group has implications for the cleanup of the greenhouse gas, a major contributor to the climate change dilemma. It could also help solve the world's energy needs.
The substance, called MOF-525, is in a class of materials called metal-organic frameworks.
"If you can make these MOFs cover large areas, then new applications become possible, like making a membrane for carbon capture and electrocatalytic conversion all in one system," Giri said.
Electrocatalytic conversion creates a bridge from renewable energy sources to direct chemical synthesis, taking the burning of carbon ... Read more ...
|
Sleight of hand: Australia's Net Zero target is being lost in accounting tricks, offsets and more gas:
|
| Sleight of hand: Australia's Net Zero target is being lost in accounting tricks, offsets and more gas - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · When we published our analysis in December on Climate Action Tracker, a global assessment of government climate action, we warned Australia was unlikely to achieve its net zero target, and rated its efforts as "poor."
That's because Australia's long-term emissions reduction plan—released under the Morrison Coalition government and not yet revised by the Albanese Labor government—resorts to unrealistic technological fixes and emissions offsets.
But it's also because Labor's legislated target of a 43% emission cut by 2030 is not aligned with a 1.5°C pathway to net zero by 2050. Studies now show we need around a 70% reduction in net emissions—including ... Read more ...
|
Stable high-energy density lithium-ion batteries could lead to fast charging electric vehicles:
|
| Stable high-energy density lithium-ion batteries could lead to fast charging electric vehicles - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · A crucial prerequisite for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is the enhancement of lithium-ion battery performance in terms of driving range and safety. Fast charging is also essential for user convenience. However, increasing the energy density of lithium-ion batteries necessitates thicker electrodes, which can lead to battery degradation and performance deterioration during rapid charging.
To address this issue, the KERI team discovered a solution by partially coating the surface of the anode of the lithium-ion battery with aluminum oxide (Al2O3) particles smaller than 1 micrometer. While many researchers worldwide have concentrated on the materials within ... Read more ...
|
Study finds political commitment in long-term climate policy key for effective EU emissions trading system:
|
| Study finds political commitment in long-term climate policy key for effective EU emissions trading system - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · A team of scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) shows that two consecutive ETS reforms elevated CO₂ prices from below 10 Euro per ton of CO₂ in 2017 to about 80 Euro per ton of CO₂ in 2022, not only by tightening the cap, but also by firming up political commitment to it. This effectively made firms act with more foresight, emitting less in the short term to store certificates for future use.
"The price on emitting carbon that is harmful to the climate has risen sharply in the past; basically, it roughly increased tenfold over the last five years and two policy reforms. Our analysis implies that besides directly changing the ... Read more ...
|
Study of radioiodine sorption and transport could help protect groundwater:
|
| Study of radioiodine sorption and transport could help protect groundwater - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · Mechanical Engineer Xiaoliang "Bryan" He, Lab Fellow Nik Qafoku, and Earth Scientist Mark Rockhold led a multidisciplinary study—including laboratory experiments and numerical modeling—to test ferrihydrite as a remediation strategy for radioiodine contamination. Ferrihydrite is a nano mineral found in soils and subsurface sediments with high affinity for different contaminants.
"Having our research featured on the cover ... is exciting because it gives us an opportunity to share the latest research about potential new treatment technology with the environmental remediation community," said He. "What we're trying to do with ferrihydrite is get more of the ... Read more ...
|
Study suggests faster decomposition rates in waterways could exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions, threaten biodiversity:
|
| Study suggests faster decomposition rates in waterways could exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions, threaten biodiversity - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · That could pose a threat to biodiversity in waterways around the world and increase the amount of carbon in Earth's atmosphere, potentially exacerbating climate change.
"Everyone in the world needs water," said Krista Capps, co-author of the study and an associate professor in UGA's Odum School of Ecology and Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
"When human activities change the fundamental ways rivers work, it's concerning. Increases in decomposition rates may be problematic for the global carbon cycle and for animals, like insects and fish, that live in streams because the food resources they need to survive will disappear more quickly, lost to the atmosphere as carbon ... Read more ...
|
TEMPO instrument air quality data now publicly available:
|
| TEMPO instrument air quality data now publicly available - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · Air pollution data on a neighborhood scale are now available in near real-time from the TEMPO instrument (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution). The mission gathers hourly daytime scans of the atmosphere over North America from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Coast and from roughly Mexico City to central Canada.
The primary instrument on TEMPO, a collaboration between NASA and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), is an advanced spectrometer that detects pollution within the troposphere, the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere.
"TEMPOs data will play an important role in the scientific analysis of pollution," said senior physicist Xiong Liu at SAO, ... Read more ...
|
Tesla recalling more than 125,000 vehicles to fix seat belt warning system:
|
| Tesla recalling more than 125,000 vehicles to fix seat belt warning system - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the recall includes certain 2012-2024 Model S, 2015-2024 Model X, 2017-2023 Model 3, and 2020-2023 Model Y vehicles.
The seat belt warning system is supposed to provide audible and visual seat belt reminder signals to drivers to alert them that their seat belt isn't fastened. The NHTSA said that on certain vehicles, the audible and visual seat belt reminder signals were not going off at the time they were supposed to, which doesn't comply with federal safety requirements.
The NHTSA said that as of Tuesday, Tesla had identified 104 warranty claims that may be related to the condition. The company isn't aware of ... Read more ...
|
The oil and gas industry has been lying about global warming for decades - accountability is long overdue:
|
| The oil and gas industry has been lying about global warming for decades - accountability is long overdue - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · For decades, effective actions have lagged behind the needs of the moment. The 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report suggested that at least part of the reason for this inaction has been "due to misinformation about climate science that has sowed uncertainty."
The full scale of this misinformation was revealed in May 2024, when the United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability completed its three year investigation into how U.S. oil companies sought to avoid accountability for climate change.
The report—tellingly titled "Denial, Disinformation and DoubleSpeak: Big Oil's Evolving Efforts to Avoid Accountability for Climate ... Read more ...
|
The Right Kind of Tipping Point:
|
| The Right Kind of Tipping Point - New York Times - Climate Section |
May 30 · Subscriber-only Newsletter
Climate Forward
Global carbon dioxide emissions might have already peaked, according to new estimates, signaling a potentially monumental shift.
Amid a deluge of terrifying headlines about destructive tornadoes, blistering heat waves and DVD-sized gorilla hail, here’s a surprising bit of good news: Global carbon dioxide emissions may have peaked last year, according to a new projection.
It’s worth dwelling on the significance of what could be a remarkable inflection point.
For centuries, the burning of coal, oil and gas has produced huge volumes of planet-warming gasses. As a result, global temperatures rose by an average of ... | By David Gelles Read more ...
|
The week in climate policy: 4 updates you need to know:
|
| The week in climate policy: 4 updates you need to know - Greenbiz |
May 31 · The EU exits an outdated energy treaty; California’s Chamber of Commerce again attempts to delay the state’s corporate emission disclosure laws.
The EU is signaling the prioritization of renewable energy, like that generated from these wind turbines in the Czech Republic, over fossil fuel production. Photo: Shutterstock/Richard Semik
Here are the major climate policy developments for the week of May 27-31: | By Leah Garden Read more ...
|
This Partnership Is Set to Slash Scope 3 Emissions in the Meat Sector:
|
| This Partnership Is Set to Slash Scope 3 Emissions in the Meat Sector - Sustainable Brands |
May 31 · New partnership between the Meat Institute and Supplier LOCT signifies a pivotal moment in the effort to tackle the climate impacts of our food system and offers a template for other industries to follow.
As the world tightens its grip on the reins of climate change, a colossal challenge looms large on the horizon: tackling Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These indirect emissions, which occur in company supply chains, have so far slipped through the cracks of regulatory frameworks and sustainability strategies. From the extraction of raw materials to the production of packaging, these impacts come from sources not owned or controlled by a business. And they represent ... Read more ...
|
Tonga's volcanic eruption could cause unusual weather for the rest of the decade, new study shows:
|
| Tonga's volcanic eruption could cause unusual weather for the rest of the decade, new study shows - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · A new study published in the Journal of Climate explores the climate impacts of this eruption.
Our findings show the volcano can explain last year's extraordinarily large ozone hole, as well as the much wetter than expected summer of 2024.
The eruption could have lingering effects on our winter weather for years to come.
Usually, the smoke of a volcano—and in particular the sulfur dioxide contained inside the smoke cloud—ultimately leads to a cooling of Earth's surface for a short period.
This is because the sulfur dioxide transforms into sulfate aerosols, which send sunlight back into space before it reaches the surface. This shading effect means ... Read more ...
|
Trump’s War on Environmental Protection: A Chronology:
|
| Trump’s War on Environmental Protection: A Chronology - Legal Planet |
May 30 · As we face the possibility of another Trump Administration, it is worth remembering what he did the first time around. Some of us may have repressed the memory of Trump’s war against environmental protection in his previous term in office. Others may not have been following closely. As you can see below, Trump’s campaign to purge America of environmental regulations - particularly those impacting the fossil fuel industry - was stern and unrelenting.
2017
February. Easement granted for construction of Dakota Access pipeline.
March. Trump approves Keystone XL pipeline.
Also, Trump issues executive order eliminating previous estimates of the social cost of ... Read more ...
|
Tsunami sands help scientists assess Cascadia earthquake models:
|
| Tsunami sands help scientists assess Cascadia earthquake models - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · The most recent great earthquake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which includes the Pacific Northwest coast, is the focus of many studies because geologic evidence of the event is found from Northern California to Vancouver Island, and observations of the associated tsunami were even recorded in Japan. These observations, combined with computer modeling, have allowed researchers to estimate the quake occurred at 9 p.m. on 26 January 1700.
Multiple studies have collected sediment cores to estimate how much ground subsidence the earthquake caused in coastal wetlands. Studies modeling the 1700 earthquake rely on these subsidence estimates to predict how much the fault slipped. ... Read more ...
|
Turning the Tide: A Startup’s Mission to Restore Balance to Coastal Ecosystems:
|
| Turning the Tide: A Startup’s Mission to Restore Balance to Coastal Ecosystems - Sustainable Brands |
May 29 · Thalasso’s technology harvests invasive sargassum seaweed, while its micro-biorefineries turn the ecosystem-disrupting material into a circular-economic revenue generator for affected communities.
When it comes to sustainability innovation, seaweed has become a hero on many fronts: From its carbon-sequestration ability to its potential as next-generation packaging materials, methane-reducing livestock feed, sustainable dyes and more, the marine superplant offers innumerable environmental benefits and practical, circular applications.
However, one type of seaweed has not received the same appreciation for its potential: sargassum - a prolific alga that plagues beaches ... Read more ...
|
Twin NASA satellites are ready to help gauge Earth's energy balance:
|
| Twin NASA satellites are ready to help gauge Earth's energy balance - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · A pair of new shoebox-size NASA satellites will help unravel an atmospheric mystery that's bedeviled scientists for years: how the behavior of clouds and water vapor at Earth's polar regions affects our planet's climate.
The first CubeSat in NASA's Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) mission launched from New Zealand on Saturday, May 25. The second PREFIRE CubeSat is targeted to lift off on Saturday, June 1, with a launch window opening at 3 p.m. NZST (11 p.m. EDT, Friday, May 31).
The mission will measure the amount of heat Earth emits into space from the two coldest, most remote regions on the planet. Data from PREFIRE will improve computer ... Read more ...
|
Unveiling sea country management monitoring trends in Australia:
|
| Unveiling sea country management monitoring trends in Australia - PHYS.ORG - Biology |
May 31 · Monitoring data collected over small areas and short timeframes carries a level of uncertainty, particularly when monitoring fish that move between areas and habitats. Bardi Jawi Rangers, who oversee the Bardi Jawi Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), rely on these data to make management decisions. A new study by AIMS scientists explores a novel way to communicate this uncertainty when presenting results to the Rangers and the community.
The paper is published in the journal Ambio.
AIMS fish ecologist and lead co-author Dr. Kathy Cure said Traditional Owners who look after sea country across remote northern Australia are forming more partnerships with science organizations ... Read more ...
|
US Energy Secretary calls for more nuclear power while celebrating $35 billion Georgia reactors:
|
| US Energy Secretary calls for more nuclear power while celebrating $35 billion Georgia reactors - PHYS.ORG - Technology |
May 31 · Speaking in Waynesboro, Georgia, where Georgia Power Co. and three other utilities last month put a second new nuclear reactor into commercial operation, Granholm said the United States needs 98 more reactors with the capacity of units 3 and 4 at Plant Vogtle to produce electricity while reducing climate-changing carbon emissions. Each of the two new reactors can power 500,000 homes and businesses without releasing any carbon.
"It is now time for others to follow their lead to reach our goal of getting to net zero by 2050," Granholm said. "We have to at least triple our current nuclear capacity in this country."
The federal government says it is easing the risks of ... Read more ...
|
US government backs the carbon credit industry’s push to fix itself:
|
| US government backs the carbon credit industry’s push to fix itself - Climate Change News - Finance |
May 29 · The Biden administration throws its weight behind the industry’s attempts to boost integrity in the beleaguered market
President Joe Biden speaks at an Earth Day event on April 22, 2024 in Triangle, VA. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)
The US government is seeking to bolster support for carbon offsets by putting its weight behind industry-led efforts to reform a market that has faced growing criticism.
The Biden administration has laid out for the first time a set of principles that attempt to define how “high-integrity” carbon credits can play “a meaningful role” in helping cut greenhouse gas emissions and channelling “a significant amount of private ... | By Matteo Civillini and Joe Lo Read more ...
|
Vermont Becomes 1st State To Force Oil Companies Pay For Climate Change Damage:
|
| Vermont Becomes 1st State To Force Oil Companies Pay For Climate Change Damage - Huffington Post |
May 31 · Vermont has become the first state to enact a law requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a share of the damage caused by climate change after the state suffered catastrophic summer flooding and damage from other extreme weather.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott allowed the bill to become law without his signature late Thursday.
He wrote in his message to lawmakers that “taking on 'Big Oil’ should not be taken lightly” and that he is concerned about the costs and outcomes. He said he worries that if the state fails in this legal challenge “it will set precedent and hamper other states’ ability to recover damages.”
Maryland, Massachusetts and New York are considering ... Read more ...
|
Vermont to Require Fossil-Fuel Companies to Pay for Climate Damage:
|
| Vermont to Require Fossil-Fuel Companies to Pay for Climate Damage - New York Times - Climate Section |
May 31 · Under the country’s first “climate superfund” law, Vermont will charge large emitters for climate-related damage to the state.
On Thursday, Vermont became the first state in the country to pass a law that will charge fossil fuel companies for damages caused by climate change, opening a new front in the struggle by governments across the world to hold companies accountable for products that emit planet-warming gases.
The groundbreaking law, versions of which are being considered in several other states, will allow Vermont to charge companies according to the share of emissions they produced between 1995 and 2024. The legislation was inspired by the 1980 federal superfund ... | By Manuela Andreoni Read more ...
|
Whatever happened to LA's plan to end its reliance on landfills?:
|
| Whatever happened to LA's plan to end its reliance on landfills? - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · The smoldering, stinking mess at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill in Castaic is a glaring example of the environmental and public health hazards created by burying our trash - and how state and local leaders have allowed this problem to pile up.
As county and state leaders consider what to do with the dump, they have to contend with another problem: If they close Chiquita Canyon, the trash will just be trucked to another landfill in the region, shifting the emissions and environmental impact to another community. That's because Southern California, like most of the state, is still far too dependent on this primitive method of handling waste.
It wasn't supposed to be this ... Read more ...
|
Why Greece Is Betting Big on American Gas:
|
| Why Greece Is Betting Big on American Gas - New York Times - Climate Section |
May 31 · Even as it pivots to solar and wind for itself, Greece aims to become a natural gas supplier across Europe. Among its strongest backers is the United States.
Gas will be shipped from the U.S. Gulf Coast to the Alexandropoulis, a new floating terminal connected by underwater pipeline to Greece and beyond.Credit...
Max Bearak and Hilary Swift reported from gas terminals, pipeline corridors and wind farms across Greece.
When a withering financial crisis forced Greece to rethink its economy a decade ago, it bet big on green power?. Since then, Greece’s energy transition has been so swift “it almost feels utopian?,”? one Greek environmentalist said.
?Mountainous ... | By Max Bearak Read more ...
|
Women are 14 times more likely to die in a climate disaster than men - just one way climate change is gendered:
|
| Women are 14 times more likely to die in a climate disaster than men - just one way climate change is gendered - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 30 · But a growing body of evidence demonstrates women and gender-diverse people are disproportionately vulnerable to the changing climate and the consequences it brings.
Women are 14 times more likely to die in a climate change-related disaster than men. Women represent 80% of people displaced by extreme weather.
Although extreme weather events such as fires and floods might appear to affect everyone equally, the evidence shows crises exploit existing social faultlines. This means people who are already socially marginalized suffer exacerbated impacts.
What does this look like?
Women are acutely impacted by environmental crises because they experience ... Read more ...
|
World's biggest companies snap up 'likely junk' carbon offsets: analysis:
|
| World's biggest companies snap up 'likely junk' carbon offsets: analysis - PHYS.ORG - Earth |
May 31 · Globally recognized companies - from oil and gas majors to the banking sector and tech - are contributing to greenwashing by snapping up vast quantities of "likely junk" carbon offsets, a watchdog warned Thursday.
A new analysis by Corporate Accountability found that household names including Disney, Volkswagen, Air France and many more were among corporations heavily investing in probably worthless credits from environmental projects meant to count towards their emissions reductions.
"These trends are extremely worrying," Rachel Rose Jackson, the nonprofit's director of climate research and policy, told AFP.
She added the massive uptake of carbon credits seemed ... Read more ...
|