Sunday, October 26, 2008

Climate Changing 'Faster, Stronger, Sooner"

Climate change is happening a lot faster than what was previously predicted, according to the WWF (world wildlife fund). They say the "most important aspect of data" is that in some places the arctic ocean is losing ice 30 years ahead of current ICPP predictions. Also, summer sea ice is now predicted to completely disappear sometime between 2013 and 2040 which hasn't happened in over a million years!
I personally think that it is most definitely is both natural occurrences and human behavioral issues. For example the ice age was a natural occurrence that took millions of years, but with the help of pollution the next serious change in climate is coming soon. Geoscientist Tina Tin said " Arctic sea ice is melting much faster than everybody had been expecting. Why? Well, maybe it's because the positive feedback mechanisms have kicked in much quicker than we have been able to quantify."(Tina Tin). Here's one thing that's triggering the ice to melt and quickly too. White ice sheets reflect heat from the sun. into space. This causes more dark sea water that also absorbs hear which therefore warms the Earth more. This encourages even MORE melting.
Not only does this cause melting of ice, it causes the Earths overall warming. For instance, the Mediterranean is likely to suffer an increased frequency of droughts. More data on this matter are due to be published next year by the Scientific Committee on Arctic Research next year.

For more information on this matter go to www.cnn.com then click on the science section then go to Climate Changing 'Faster, Stronger, Sooner.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Recycling Carbon Dioxide: Saving Us or Digging us an Early Grave?

You know the Earth only has so much oil and we're using it like its water in a glass cup. At least with water you can replenish the glass after you empty it, with the Earth's oil what we get is it, no more. Well, if there is a way to recycle fuel wouldn't you do it? I know I would, and with help of companies like Carbon Sciences we can. Carbon Sciences is rethinking recycling completely. For them recycling isn't limited to paper and plastic, they are coming up with ways to recycle Carbon Dioxide. They do this using a biocatalytic process, which basically means that they take to CO2 and separate it into three parts; methane, ethane, and propane. These divisions of CO2 are used to create finer, higher grade fuels, for example jet fuel. "We are very excited by what we've seen in the lab. We've had some promising results," (Derek McLeish president and CEO of Carbon Sciences) There is an excact science to the way that the carbon dioxide separation is recycled. Okay bear with me here. After the seperation, the CO2 is moved to a Biocatalytic Reactor Matrix. This breaks down the CO2 into hydrocarbons (andy organic compound containing only hydrogen and carbon). These are then filtered and the gasses are extracted through condensers. Next, they are ready for conversion to higher grade fuel. Other scientists, such as Michael North, are turning CO2 into cyclic carvonates for industrial use. "The grand vision here is to take waste, build it into a portavke fuel and make it useful." (Derek McLeish) McLeish recently presented these scientific discoveries at a climate conference at Cambridge University, these ideas were excepted with open arms. This project will start in 2009 if all goes well. "Although some climate crisis might scoff at the idea of recycling CO2 arguing that we should be emitting less rather than recycling a pollutant, reusing it may well prove effective in kick starting a new carbon market, as well as helping clean up our increasingly polluted planet." (Matthew Knight, the author of Turning Carbon Dioxide into Fuel) I agree that we need to recycle the CO2 so we can keep driving and using fuel powered transpertation without drilling and drilling, for oil that we could already have if we were recycling CO2.



For more information go http://www.blogger.com/www.cnn.com to and click on the science section. (Title: Turning Carbon Dioxide into Fuel)