Latest Updates: ghg RSS

  • If you Thought Carbon was Bad, How About Methane?
    12:37:40 pm on September 25, 2008 | 0 | # |
    Tags: , , , , ,

    The amount of methane stored beneath the Arctic is estimated to contain a greater carbon content than the global coal reserves.And what happens when that methane starts to escape ? Well for starters methane is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse(GHG) gas and could significantly accelerate global warming.The main reason for methane escaping from underground reserves is the melting of the permafrost layer in the arctic on account of global warming.

    The Arctic region as a whole has seen a 4C rise in average temperatures over recent decades and a dramatic decline in the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by summer sea ice.this in turn has caused fissures in the seabed causing trapped methane to escape.In some areas the release is so rapid that methane could not dissolve in the seawater but escaped as bubbles to the sea surface.These methane “   chimneys   ” could cause a spiraling effort by accelerating global warming which would further cause melting of ice sheets and more escape of methane .

     

  • Microbes for Powering Cell phones
    07:11:13 pm on September 9, 2008 | 1 | # |
    Tags: , , , , ,

    From an individual perspective  the charging of a cell phone , laptop produces no noticeable environmental harm, but when viewed from a macro perspective use of such devices demands a significant energy from the grid adding to GHG emissions.Microbial fuel cells may provide the alternative for powering such devices.As compared to fuel cells that use hydrogen as a primary fuel, microbial fuel cells use naturally occurring microbes to generate power.Bacteria are bred on the “   anode   ” of a cell where they “   eat   “ sewage , waste water and other organic material.These bacteria then transfer electrons to the external circuit and provide small amounts of power.For instance one square meter of microbial fuel cells can provide a watt of power enough to recharge a cell phone, and also power LEDs.

    Additionally research is being pursued to identify practical methods to use microbial cells .For instance Lebônê Solutions, a startup based in Cambridge, MA, aims to use microbial fuel cells to provide power to Africans who are off the grid.Lebônê has also won a a $200,000 grant from the World Bank under the “   Lighting Africa  “  scheme .

     

  • California Wants Green House Labels on Cars
    04:44:02 pm on June 21, 2008 | 0 | # |
    Tags: , , , , , , , ,

    California Air Resource Board announced a new legislation aimed to increase consumer awareness regarding global warming and environmental pollution.All new cars that will be sold in California will now feature a certificate that ranks them on 2 parameters,their smog production and GHG emission characteristics.Rankings will be on a scale of 10 ,a higher rank means a low impact on the environment.For instance  a Toyota Corolla would score 7 points ,a  Dodge Caravan will score 3.and no prizes for guessing the ranking of Honda Civic Hybrid ,a royal 9 points(yes that’s 1 point less because it does have an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) ! )

    The global focus for reducing global warming and GHG emissions has been on eco-friendly cars.Again this is on account of the ever increasing number of cars and hence their significant contribution to GHG.Air Resources Board ,California estimates that Californians purchase some two million new vehicles each year. "The 25 million vehicles on our roads travel about 900 million miles each day," it states, "Daily, this produces 2,288 tons of smog precursor emissions and 350,000 tons of global warming gas emissions." I believe that this regulation would definitely lead to increased consumer awareness which in turn may stimulate  manufactures  to churn out eco friendly cars.