Covid-19 lockdowns helped global emissions plummet by a record 5.6 per cent during 2020, but new data shows worldwide emissions are already back to levels seen before the pandemic Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269628-global-co2-emissions-have-already-rebounded-above-pre-pandemic-levels/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: CO2
Scientist captures evidence of dynamic seasonal activity on a Martian sand dune
A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientist examined 11 Mars years of image data to understand the seasonal processes that create linear gullies on the slopes of the megadune in the Russell crater on Mars. In early spring images, captured by two different cameras on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, SwRI’s Dr. Cynthia Dinwiddie noticed airborne plumes of dusty material associated with the…
How Bill Gates Is Funding the Fight Against Climate Change
Bill Gates was interviewed tonight on the CBS News show 60 Minutes about his efforts to combat climate change: The good news is Gates believes it’s possible to prevent a catastrophic rise in temperatures. The bad news? He says in the next 30 years we need scientific breakthroughs, technological innovations and global cooperation on a scale the world has never seen….
Bitcoin Consumes ‘More Electricity Than Argentina’
Thelasko shares a report from the BBC: Bitcoin uses more electricity annually than the whole of Argentina, analysis by Cambridge University suggests. ‘Mining’ for the cryptocurrency is power-hungry, involving heavy computer calculations to verify transactions. Cambridge researchers say it consumes around 121.36 terawatt-hours (TWh) a year — and is unlikely to fall unless the value of the currency slumps. Critics say…
Microsoft Backs Direct Air Capture Player Climeworks
Microsoft this morning disclosed investments in more climate-related companies as part of efforts to make good on its year-old pledge to become “carbon negative” by 2030. From a report: One company the tech behemoth is staking is Climeworks, a firm looking to scale up deployment of direct air capture technology that removes CO2 already in the atmosphere. The size of the…
2020 tied for warmest year on record
2020 was Earth’s hottest year in the 140-year record, effectively tying 2016, the previous record-holder. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/2020-tied-for-warmest-global-year-on-record…
Razer Has Created a Concept N95 Mask With RGB and Voice Projection
Razer has created a concept reusable N95 respirator called Project Hazel, featuring Chroma RGB LEDs and microphones and amplifiers to project your voice. The Verge reports: It’s a concept design with a glossy outside shell made of waterproof and scratch-resistant recycled plastic, which is transparent to allow for lip-reading and seeing facial cues when you chat with people. Currently, there isn’t…
Atmospheric CO2 will pass an alarming milestone in 2021
In 2021, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration will be 50% higher than preindustrial levels, despite reduced emissions during the pandemic and a natural cooling event. Source: https://www.livescience.com/co2-concentration-rising-past-alarming-threshold.html
Carbon Engineering’s Tech Will Suck Carbon From the Sky
“It’s not enough to slash greenhouse gas emissions,” warns a new article in IEEE Spectrum (shared by schwit1). “Experts say we need direct-air capture of atmospheric carbon.” West Texas is a hydrocarbon hot spot, with thousands of wells pumping millions of barrels of oil and billions of cubic feet of natural gas from the Permian Basin. When burned, all that oil…
Was 2020 the World’s Warmest Year Ever?
“New data from EU satellites shows that 2020 is in a statistical dead heat with 2016 as the world’s warmest year,” reports the BBC (in an article shared by long-time Slashdot reader AmiMoJo):
The Copernicus Climate Change Service says that last year was around 1.25C above the long-term average. The scientists say that unprecedented levels of heat in the Arctic and Siberia…