Environment

Microwave CO2

- Adam Clare

Something that I’ve never thought about is happening in New Zealand and that’s using microwaves to store carbon in charcoal.

“The application of microwaves to charcoal making is new,” says Tim Flannery of Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, an expert on climate change and not associated with Carbonscape. “If it increases efficiency in the charcoal-making process it could prove to be a real winner.”

The plant is months away from running at full capacity, and is currently being used to produce charcoal that can be used to fertilise soil and for academic research.

The use of charcoal as a fertiliser, or “biochar”, is well known. Nearly 500 years ago, tribes in the Amazon used to smoulder their domestic waste, and the resultant charcoal was mixed into the soil. In places in the Amazon, this terra preta, or black earth, is nearly half a metre thick.

Charcoal makes the soil more fertile by binding nutrients to itself and making them available for plants, and is extremely resistant to breakdown. “You do quite often get a very significant boost in soil fertility and water holding capacity,” says Michael Bird at the University of St Andrews, UK.

“The unknowns that remain are exactly how long [the charcoal] stays in the soil. In some circumstances it can be millions of years, or decades, depending on how it is made, and soil conditions.”

Canadian Scientist Create CO2 Scrubber

- Adam Clare

A researcher from the University of Calgary has create a machine that essentially scrubs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Tech Herald explains:

The team now believes it is close to achieving that goal with the development of a relatively simple machine that can capture, or “scrub” the trace amount of CO2 present in the air at any place on the planet.
“The climate problem is too big to solve easily with the tools we have,” explained Keith, director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy’s (ISEEE) Energy and Environmental Systems Group and a professor of chemical and petroleum engineering.
“While it’s important to get started doing things we know how to do, like wind power nuclear power and ‘regular’ carbon capture and storage, it’s also vital to start thinking about radical new ideas and approaches to solving this problem.”

Climate Time Machine

- Adam Clare 1 Comment

Nasa and the JPL have created a climate time machine to quickly explain to policy makers the effects of climate change.

Because everybody is affected by the weather, it seems like everybody likes to improvise themselves a climate scientist. Amateur theories about global warming are a dime a dozen and, unfortunately, that can make it hard for the general public and policy makers to figure out what’s based on sound science and what has just been made up in 5 minutes by someone who doesn’t know anything about climate science.

That’s the problem that NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is trying to help fix with Climate Time Machine. Read on for more details.

Ecuador Gives Nature Rights in Constitution

- Adam Clare

This is just freaking awesome: Ecuadorians believe that nature ought to be protected by their constitution.

While the the new constitution has many ramifications for how the country will now be governed, the pro-nature aspects of the constitution have their roots in Ecuador’s resentment toward international companies that have exploited the country’s natural resources and left pollution and poverty in their wake. Currently Ecuadorians are in one particularly nasty lawsuit with Chevron (formerly Texaco). The oil company polluted a huge area with oil waste and did not clean it up, causing extreme pollution to ecosystems and deadly health problems for numerous communities. It has been described as the “Amazon Chernobyl.”

How to be a Better Paper User

- Adam Clare

Eight ways to be more environmentally friendly with your paper use.

4. Print Double-Sided

Computer paper has two sides; how many are you printing on? If you have a laser printer at home, you can change the setting to double-sided printing and copying. Otherwise, consider printing documents one page at a time and printing the second page on the back of the first. It may take you more time, but you’ll also have less paper to buy.
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7. Make Paper Bag Book Covers

With more cities placing restrictions on the use of plastic bags, paper bags may be your packaging of choice. Well, these bags have many reuse options to keep them out of the trash, including covering your hardcover books. This also protects your books from damage and food stains. Plus, once you’re done with the cover you can still recycle the bag with the rest of your paper.

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