PARTHA DAS SHARMA’s Weblog on “Keeping World Environment Safer and Greener”

We all share our common goal – ‘GREEN’

Concerns about the environment and development are certainly not new.

However, more recently the ongoing global dialogue has formed around the strategies needed to address the interrelated challenges of building healthy societies, economies, and environments.

Over the past few decades, blind optimism about the creation of a modern technological utopia has been replaced by a more realistic understanding of the forces contributing to the world’s problems.

“Sustainability” is becoming the key and essential element in every approach we plan towards new development.

“Sustainability” is a challenge, for all of us.

If, at all, we are to succeed, it will take more than a “Business As Usual” approach.

In fact, we believe the whole definition of “business as usual” needs to be upended.

Business can no longer afford to ignore environmental warnings.

Environmentalists can no longer demonize business.

Sustainability has made us understand, in a way we never would have before, that we all share a common fate.

We need to face the reality that — like it or not — we’re in this together.

We need to fulfill our common goal – “GREEN”.

Make our  Mother Planet Safer, by making it Greener – our every small endevour will be important.

That is the way to prosperity, for all of us, including for our coming generations.

Sincerely,

Partha Das Sharma

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Biodiversity, its importance and its conservation:

Biodiversity means the whole variety of life on Earth. The variety of life on Earth, its biological diversity, is commonly referred to as biodiversity. The number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically diverse Earth.

Thus, genetic diversity is included, which is increasingly important given developments in biotechnology and farming. 

Why is Biodiversity important? Does it really matter if there aren’t so many species?

Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. For example, a larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops; greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms; and healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters.

Ecologists have long known that individual animal species and ecosystems are endangered not only by threats to particular creatures, but to the balance and interplay of the rich array of fauna and flora living in the world. While we dominate this planet, we still need to preserve the diversity in wildlife and its ecosystem.

It is feared that human activity is causing massive extinctions. From various animal species, forests and the ecosystems that forests support, marine life. The costs associated with deteriorating or vanishing ecosystems is very high.

The five major causes of biodiversity loss:

* Fragmentation, degradation or outright loss of habitats;

* Over-exploitation of biological resources;

* Pollution;

* Introduction of non-native species (rabbits to Australia, for instance);

* Climate change.

What is the solution?

Sustainable development and consumption would help avert ecological problems.

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Biomagnification – Putting tremendous stress on Ecosystem

Often, industrial pollutants which exist in trace amounts in the environment (such as certain heavy metals and organic agents found in pesticides) become concentrated in creatures near the top of the food chain. This is Biomagnification.

Biomagnification, also known as bioamplification or biological magnification. Bioconcentration and Bioaccumulation occur within an organism, whereas Biomagnification occurs across trophic (food chain) level.

Example: The farmer sprays his field with pesticide, some insects die, some survive with a weakened dose. A mouse eats these insects and the amount of pesticide in its system is the collective of all these insects. An owl eats several mice and their collective amount of pesticide is consumed.

The owl dies of pesticide poisoning.

That is Biomagnification in raptors.

This process of Biomagnification, can produce health problems for animals in an ecosystem, including humans!

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MESSAGES:

* WE MUST REDUCE OUR CONSUMPTION OF NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES.

* WE MUST REDUCE THE GREENHOUSE GASES WE RELEASE.

* WASTE REDUCTION, REUSE, AND RECYCLING ALLOW US TO USE FEWER RAW MATERIALS, CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES, PRESERVING LANDFILL SPACE AND MINIMIZING ENERGY USE.

* GROW GREEN, GROW MORE TREES.

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What would happen to the world’s climate ……. !!!!

A 10 year old child just wrote a speech in his class on … ‘What would happen to the world’s climate if we don’t do anything about the greenhouse gases??’

He opened his speech with the following paragraphs:

“Imagine this. The year is 2060.

All of us who are students here are now old aged.

We have children and grandchildren of our own.

We would like to take our kids and small children to the beach as our parents took us.

We would like to push them on a swing in the sunlight, teach them to ride a bike. Let them join Little Athletics.

But we cannot do these things, as the Ozone Layer has been so depleted that the sun burns the skin from our bodies within minutes of going outside.

Clean water is in such short supply that all citizens are limited to a litre a day each (!!), so we do not have the pleasure of doing any physical activity without risking dehydration.

The air is so polluted that we are only able to breathe oxygen that is pumped into our homes, or carry heavy tanks with us when we go out, which are so expensive that only the wealthy can afford them.

At any rate it is too dangerous to go out, as extreme temperatures and rapid fluctuations in temperature put your life at risk all the time.

Floods, wild fires, hurricanes and cyclones are commonplace now and can occur without warning.

Does this sound like science fiction to you??

Well it could be science fact if we don’t do something to reduce the man made causes of climate change.”

Hope that we don’t destroy our “Mother Nature’s Valuable Gifts”.

LET’S PROTECT, PRESERVE AND SAVE ENVIRONMENT.

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Rules to be followed by Tourists to protect Nature (Plants and Animals):

Wherever you visit as tourist, remember to protect our Mother Nature’s precious gift – Plants and Animals. Follow most simple steps:

“Leave nothing but Footprint” and “Take nothing but Pictures”.

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What is a Green Environment?

In order to create an eco-friendly Green Environment, we utilize products that are non-toxic and biodegradable. These safe products must accomplish the same goals as products we have come to trust, but should not contain the harmful synthetic chemicals, vapors and environmental by-products that are in common name brand products.

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Go Green By Eliminating Use Of Harmful Chemical Pesticides

Pesticides enter our bodies a couple of ways. Any food that has been treated with pesticides will have some trace left on or in it when we eat it. Pesticides wash into the land and water ways and other plants and animals ingest it and when we eat them we are ingesting the pesticides they absorbed or ate. Pesticides enter our drinking water and can’t be 100% filtered out.

In fact, many of the pesticides used today were derived from nerve agents developed to kill humans. Insects are becoming resistant and we are having to use greater quantities or stronger formulas to keep pests under control.

We can grow crops and food with natural pesticides, this often results in smaller yields, but it is a fair trade off than damaging our health.

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Problem of Overpopulation:

It has been recognized that mother of all global environmental problems is Overpopulation.

Because of rapid population growth worldwide, majority of the population will be teenagers in the 21st century.

People can continue to ignore the overpopulation problem and its adverse effects; then they will be trapped in a downward spiral that may well lead to the end of civilization in a few decades.

Population explosion is the root cause of the planet’s diminishing resources, and consequently the source of famine, global warming and other environmental problems.

The key to solve this Global overpopulation problem is to promote “High educational level among women with their self-sufficiency”.

In this respect we should take lesson from some of the highly developed countries, such as Sweden, Norway, Germany, Japan etc., where population growth is much less.

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HISTORICAL GROWTH IN WORLD’S POPULATION

* 1830 the world’s population was One billion.

* 1930 just 100 years later, the population reached 2 billion.

* 1960 30 years later world’s population reached 3 billion

* 15 more years later in 1975, it climbed to 4 billion.

* 12 years later in 1987, world’s population reached 5 billion.

* In 1998 11 years later the world’s population reached 6 billion

* By 2029, the world’s population would be about 10.4 billion

DISTRIBUTION OF WORLD’S POPULATION

1. East Asia: Approximately 1/4 of the world’s population lives in East Asia, including Eastern parts of China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula and the island of Taiwan.

2. South Asia: The second largest concentration is in South Asia region where more than 20% of world’s population resides. It comprises India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. India is the world’s second most populous country.

3. South East Asia: Nearly 500 million people live in this region comprising series of islands located between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They include the Philippines and Indonesia (which is made up of 13,677 islands). More than 100 million people live on the island of Java (Indonesia).

4. Europe: The world’s third largest population cluster comprises about two dozen countries that make up much of Europe. Approximately 15% of the world’s people live in this cluster.

5. North America:  The largest concentration of people in the Western Hemisphere is in the Northeastern United States and South Eastern Canada. Approximately 150 million people live in this region.

Ref.: http://www.geography.ccsu.edu/kyem/GEOG110/Population/POPULATION%20GROWTH.htm

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Global population surpassed ‘Limit of Sustainability’:

Current world population is about 7.0 bn.

Current net population growth per day is about 220,000 and increasing day by day.

It has been reported that, now the global population is so much, it has already surpassed our planet’s ‘Limit of Sustainability’.

THE MOST POPULOUS NATIONS
CHINA	1.33 bn
INDIA	1.16 bn
USA	306m
INDONESIA	230m
BRAZIL	191m

Urgently, there is need to decrease the population growth, with an aim to decrease overall Global Population.

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CONSERVATION OF FRESHWATER IS NEED-OF-THE-HOUR

Freshwater is water with very low soluble mineral content; sources include lakes, streams, rivers, glaciers, and underground aquifers.

Freshwater is a scarce resource and often a limiting factor for development. We should take great care to protect it.

The fact is, freshwater only accounts for 2.15 per cent of all the Earth’s water. Even that percentage is deceiving because 99.5 per cent of all surface freshwater is locked away in continental ice.

The increase in the world’s population and the growth of industrialization and consequent pollution makes a global crisis of freshwater.

The present state of fresh water is mainly include problems such as, freshwater augmentation, waste water and storm water, eutrophication of lakes and reservoirs, sewage and public health problems.

The relatively small amount of available freshwater elaborates on how critical it is for everyone to help preserve and maintain clean, healthy lakes and streams, our sources of water.

To combat the freshwater crisis, the United Nations has named the decade 2005-2015 as the decade of “Water for Life”. Comprehensive efforts are essential towards an effective and coherent response to the challenge of water scarcity in some parts of the world.

There are many ways of preserving and maximizing the sustainability of freshwater. We should explore them all.

The conservation of freshwater include the construction of small reservoirs wherever possible, sustainable use of groundwater systems including artificial groundwater recharge and rainwater harvesting for smaller cultivation and vegetable gardens.

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Learn from Israel for effective farming when there is land and freshwater shortages:

Farming in Israel is a very good example of using low quality water for high yield crops.

More than half of the land area in Israel is desert. Moreover, severe limitations in the supply of high quality water necessitated a shift to the use of low quality and recycled water for agriculture.

In fact, farming in Israel is a ‘high tech’ operation.

The drive to increase yields and crop quality has led to the development of new seed and plant varieties, as well as to innovations such as a soil-enhancing substance (vermiculite) which, when mixed with local soils, boosts crop yields, and drip irrigation.

Many of the various steps in farming are computerized and electronically controlled, enabling less than 2% of the population to produce all major horticultural products for domestic consumption as well as for export to developed world.

Agricultural export valued at approximately one and a half billion dollars per year.

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Are Global warming and Climate change contributing to recent Swine Flu pandemic?

Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs. People who work with poultry and swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of infection from these animals if the animals carry a strain of swine influenza virus (SIV) that is also able to infect humans.

Since, global warming affects precipitation, which increases the chance for flooding in some areas and droughts in others – both causing diminished fresh water supplies and deteriorates quality of fresh water – there is possibility in growing strain of swine influenza virus (SIV) in swine (pigs).

Recently, cases of Swine Flu have been reported in several countries such as Mexico, the U.S., New Zealand, Canada, Israel, Spain and the U.K. Quite a few patients have died as well. In fact, the outbreak is quite severe in Maxico.

It is not clear whether the virus is new or whether it has been around for a while and has simply been recognized now. However, health officials around the world are continuing their investigation and response effort surrounding the outbreak of swine flu.

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Environmental issues of Today:

Environmental issues have become hot topics in the recent years. Although there is widespread concern about problems such as global warming and climate change, the majority of people neither realizes the true scale of the problems nor fully appreciates the devastating social repercussions.

Climate change is the biggest challenge that we face in the world today. It is already leading to significant changes in the world’s physical environment. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent. Glaciers are melting. Sea ice and snow cover are declining. Animals and plants are responding to an earlier spring.

Although we are currently concerned about global warming caused by mankind’s enhancement of the natural greenhouse effect through greenhouse gas pollution, the Earth’s climate has fluctuated many times in the past in response to natural mechanisms of climate change. Such changes in global climate have also occurred over much longer time scales, from hundreds and thousands of years to millions and hundreds of millions of years. In fact the current global warming trend which began at the end of the 19th century spans only a tiny fraction of the Earth’s climatic history.

The overall state of the global climate is largely determined by balance between energy the Earth receives from the Sun and the heat which the Earth releases back to space, called the global energy balance. Many causes of climate change involve processes that alter the global energy balance. The enhanced greenhouse effect is a potential cause of climate change because the extra quantities of greenhouse gases put into the air by mankind trap more heat in the atmosphere. This upsets the global energy balance and causes a rise in global surface temperature. Although most scientists agree that global warming is the result of the enhanced greenhouse effect, natural processes can also upset the global energy balance in this way, causing similar rises in global temperature. A change in the amount of energy received by the Sun for example has often been proposed as the cause of global warming. The challenge facing scientists is to establish beyond doubt a link between global warming and man-made greenhouse gas pollution.

Global warming is an extremely severe problem facing the world today. It is an increase in the earth’s temperature, which can be caused by the use of fossil fuels, and industrial or agricultural processes. Man-made emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased, largely as a result of the burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation. In the last 20 years, concern has grown that these two phenomena are, at least in part, associated with each other. That is to say, global warming is now considered most probably to be due to the increases in greenhouse gas emissions and concurrent increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, which have enhanced the Earth’s natural greenhouse effect. Whilst other natural causes of climate change can cause global climate to change over similar periods of time, computer models demonstrate that in all probability there is a real discernible human influence on the global climate. In addition to impacts on wildlife and species biodiversity, human agriculture, forestry, water resources and health will all be affected.

Such impacts will be related to changes in precipitation of rainfall and snowfall, sea level, and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, resulting from global warming. It is expected that the societies currently experiencing existing social, economic and climatic stresses will be both worst affected and least able to adapt. These will include many in the developing world, low-lying islands and coastal regions, and the urban poor.

The effects and causes of global warming have been on the rise and people need to do something about it before the problem gets any worse. We could start with exchanging normal lights into energy saving light-bulbs. In addition we could make short journeys on foot or by bike instead of using a motorbike or a car to prevent the increase of carbon dioxide. There are too many cars on the road, so it would be better if everybody tried to form carpools and if this is not possible we could use public transport. Besides that we could use hybrid-cars, which use a rechargeable energy storage system to supplement fossil fuel energy for vehicle propulsion. Hybrid engines are smaller and more efficient than traditional fuel engines. Some hybrid vehicles use regenerative braking to generate electricity while traveling. The term “Hybrid Vehicle” can also refer to a vehicle engine that uses a combination of different fuels such as petroleum and ethanol. To save the future of the world we could also use the water from garden butts for saving. After watching TV or listening to music, we could put off the stand-by button. In addition we could buy biodegradable products and we could use solar or wind energy. While brushing our teeth we could turn off the water tap. The easiest thing to contribute something to save the future is if we recycled our rubbish correctly; put everything in the right bin. At the end we could not only save the future a little bit, we would also save a lot of money.

Some of the European countries such as Germany etc., have one of the best system for recycling. A major part of the success of the program is the proper sorting of garbage. Most of the wastes are segregated systematically at the source, for their easy reuse and recycle. Glass, paper, packaging etc., are reused or recycled very efficiently. Most of the biological wastes are thrown for compost. The USA is one of the largest waste producing nations in the world; because of high costs recycling isn’t as advantaged as in the EU. We have to take up this issue with developing countries as well.

Public awareness on various environmental issues is the most important factor, in order to control damages. The human population is expanding rapidly, thereby the demand, of almost everything is increasing. The one of the simplest concept one should have, is to reduce consumption of various renewable resources, recycle and reuse whatever possible.

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Width of tropics is expanded due to Climate Change – Devastating effect

The size of tropical zone is rapidly expanded by climate change phenomenon due to Global warming.

This is a devastating effect, where drought, diseases are bound to expand.

Satellite and other data have confirmed this.

The affected areas under the expanded tropics would be heavily-populated regions of southern Australia, southern Africa, the southern Europe-Mediterranean-Middle East region, the southwestern United States, northern Mexico, and southern South America.

It is predicted that affected areas may experience severe drying.

Ref.: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Earth/Climate-change-increasing-width-of-tropics/articleshow/4746502.cms

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Global CO2 Emissions:

In 2006, for the first time China surpassed the USA in CO2 emissions by 8%. China’s CO2 emissions are now estimated to be about 14% higher than those from the USA.

Dramatic increase in coal burning and mounting cement production pushed China into the ignoble first-place spot.

The fact remains, individual countries with carbon footprints as large as the United States’ and China’s can barely slow down climate change on their own. Developed countries such as the U.K., Russia and Japan are also major carbon contributors, and India leads a mob of up-and-comers who still rely heavily on dirty fuels.

Now the top 5 countries in CO2 emissions are China, USA, European Union, India, and Russia, with global share of 24%, 21%, 12%, 8% and 6% respectively.

However, since population size and level of economic development differ considerably between countries, the emissions expressed per person show a different ranking: CO₂ emissions per person from the USA, Russia, EU-15, China and India are presently about 19.4, 11.8, 8.6, 5.1 and 1.8 metric ton CO₂, respectively.

The inevitable answer to CO2 emissions is switching to power sources that don’t produce them.

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Global Coal Reserves and CO2 emissions:

As per some of the geologists, the new calculation of world’s coal reserves may be much lower than the previously estimated global coal reserves.

If this information is validated, it could have massive impact on the fate of the planet’s climate. On environmental front, this could be quite relieving information as coal is responsible for most of the CO2 emissions that drive climate change.

The carbon dioxide emitted when we burn coal to create usable energy is primarily responsible for global warming. Scientists think that the stability of global climate will be dictated by ‘how we use or do not use’ our coal resources.

In fact, we are yet to find suitable methods to burn coal in a clean and environment-friendly manner, so that no CO2 is emitted to the atmosphere.

Still, as per estimation, burning all the fossil fuel available, the atmospheric concentration of CO2 would go up to around 460 parts per million (ppm); which might cause a 2-degree-Celsius rise in global temperatures.

That would be havoc and devastating.

There is need to limit the CO2 in the atmosphere to 350 ppm, down from the present level of 380 ppm, but it is difficult to reduce from higher level.

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Why are corals dying so fast?

Oceans are considered to be one of the major natural ‘carbon sinks’ – it absorbs atmospheric CO2.

Dissolved CO2 in water makes H2CO3 (carbonic acid) which disturbs the life cycle of corals.

The pH of water in ocean increases due to presence of this excess carbonic acid.

The coral surfaces are affected by this acid as well as other dissolved gases produced as a result of pollution.

It is thought that, oceans might have become ‘saturated’ with our emissions.

Its pity, the anthropogenic sources are a major culprit here.

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Co2 pumping underground – Better proposition for improvement of Climate

Carbon capture and storage (CCS), i.e., collecting CO2 emissions at the source of generation and pumping them underground.

CCS is one of the few technologies that has the potential to become very big.

Costs are rising and becoming a drawback due to the difficulty of trapping emissions.

Companies, those have CCS projects underway are looking to fund the future projects through lucrative carbon credits.

However, critics are skeptical and view that there is no guarantee that emissions will stay underground, and leaks pose dangers.

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Permafrost is thawing:

Permafrost is permanent year-round frozen ground. The permafrost zone includes northern Alaska, most other Arctic land, such as northern Canada and much of Siberia, and the higher reaches of mountainous regions such as the Alps, Andes and Tibet.

The entire permafrost zone reported about thawing at an alarming rate. This thaw is attributed to climate warming.

Thawing of permafrost is a serious problem of the region. When permafrost melts, water replaces ice and the ground subsides, taking the structures on top along with it. Thaw can cause buildings and roads to droop, and pipelines to crack. Natural features are also affected. Major thaw changes water distribution in ecosystem. Sequestered carbon dioxide and methane released to the atmosphere, resulting increase in Greenhouse gases.

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Reduction of Trade Barrier and Global Climate System:

Removal or reduction in trade barrier certainly affects global climate system –

a. Removal or reduction of trade barrier among developed and underdeveloped nations means, there will be free-flow of cheaper goods manufactured by underdeveloped nations to developed countries in a major way. Production of goods at cheaper rates means using cheaper raw materials and processes, which usually do not take care of better environmental management by underdeveloped nations – causing drastic degradation of global environment.

b. Naturally, more and longer transportation of goods are involved when trade barriers are removed, which again go against global climate system as transporattion enhances greenhouse gas emissions because of use of more fossil fuel.

c. Because of economic reason, the downgraded / cheaper products produced by underdeveloped nations have comparatively larger demand; therefore the possibility of over-exploitation of resources can not be ruled out. This situation leads to bio-degradation of various resources used by underdeveloped nations for overproduction of goods.

d. Due to absence of proper R&D facility, proper environmental legislation, suitable manpower for imposition of strict environmental rules and rampant corruption among Government officials  in most of underdeveloped nations there is slackness in promotion of ‘Green Thinking’.

The prime objective of the WTO is to expand the ‘production of and trade in goods and services’, the carbon-intensive nature of global trade means there is an inherent conflict between the aspirations of the addressing climate change and those of the WTO. Now, key problem is the lack of clarity as to the relationship between the Kyoto Protocol and the international trade architecture.

Therefore, WTO will have to find a balance.

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‘Arctic Sea Ice’ is melting faster than expected – Alarm Bell!!

Alarming information been reported recently that melting of ‘Arctic sea ice’ is so rapid than expected earlier, we doubt if these could be seen beyond the year 2030.

Presence of arctic sea ice is quite important from the view of Global warming, as white ice surface reflects back the sunlight into space, it reduces the warming effects. If sea ice is replaced by dark ocean water, the sunlight is absorbed; rapid increase of warming effect of earth takes place.

During last decade due to severe loss in arctic sea ice, there is an increase in Arctic surface air temperature by more than 5 degrees Celsius. This amount of increase in surface temperature was expected by the year 2070.

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Global Warming Concern:

Levels of Global Warming Concern can be grouped into 6 categories:
* The Alarmed
* The Concerned
* The Cautious
* The Disengaged
* The Doubtful
* The Dismissive
The above groups are described in the following URL:

http://climateprogress.org/2009/05/19/global-warming%E2%80%99s-six-americas/#more-6894

It has been mentioned that, 51% of Americans fall within alarmed and concerned. 31% are cautious or disengaged. 18% are doubtful or dismissive.

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Energy Conservation is Need-of-the-Hour towards journey to ‘Green’

Energy conservation is the practice of decreasing the quantity of energy used while achieving a similar outcome of end use. In other words, energy conservation is a reduction or elimination of unnecessary energy use, i.e., reduction or elimination of wastage of energy. There are many activities that people can do to conserve energy and help not only themselves, but also the environment and everyone around them. Conserving energy is important because most of our current energy sources are not renewable; meaning their existence on earth is finite. Most importantly, the conservation of energy helps the environment by reducing the amount of air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

By conserving energy we will not only be helping our bottom line by reducing our energy bills but we will also be helping the world’s environment from deteriorations. Economically, an average savings of up to forty percent can be achieved though a properly implemented energy conservation plan.

What do we need to do to change? What can we do as individuals? Methods to conserve energy can begin with a simple change in our daily activities. From driving less, to turning off a light in a room that is deserted, there are many simple steps that can be taken to aid the cause. Conservation methods take thought, commitment and changes in every day lives to make a difference. In order to conserve energy, consumers need to be aware of their daily usage and find ways to cut that usage.

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Microwave Treatment For Recycling of Waste Plastics – A Greener and Cleaner Solution:

Use of microwaves for Recycling of Waste Hydrocarbons (i.e., waste plastics) and Waste Rubber, is an emerging green technology.

As per the research, microwave treatment for molecular destruction of organic compounds such as rubber, plastics and scrap tires into commercially marketable products such as hydrocarbon carbon fuels (liquid and gaseous including hydrogen), carbon black etc., can be effectively possible.

Examples:

* U.S. Pat. No. 6,152,306 to Miller discloses a process in which solid waste is reduced to carbon black and oil by heating the waste with microwave energy and externally applied heat.

* U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,443 to Apffel discloses a process for recovering carbon black from used vehicle tires, including a conventional pyrolysis step followed by a microwave heating step.

* U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,821 to Holland discloses a method of producing active carbon by microwave heating a carbonaceous material. The active carbon is used for filtration of liquids.

References:

1. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/590699/Writing-Business-Plans-for-Recycling-Enterprises-Plastics-Glass-or-Rubber

2. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12141-giant-microwave-turns-plastic-back-to-oil.html

3. http://www.envirowave.com/

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Save Tropical Rain Forests – Biofuel Plantation in Tropical Rain Forests Region should be discouraged:

Conversion of original tropical rain-forest to any other form of cultivable produce – whether for manufacturing of biofuel or for use for other industrial products – is bad and leads to Global Warming.

In fact, biofuels are a bad deal for forests, wildlife and the climate if they replace tropical rain forests.

Tropical rain forests are the one of most useful resources gifted by our Mother Nature for mitigating effects of global climate change. Rain forests are the most efficient carbon storage tools, which can not be replaced by even planting crops for biofuel – a growing practice in tropical region such as Malaysia, Indonesia etc.

Therefore, this activity of deforestation, means removing nature’s efficient storage tools, may actually hasten global climate change – should immediately be discouraged by the world community.

Planting biofuels on degraded grasslands instead of tropical rain forests would be considered – that lead to a net removal of carbon from the atmosphere.

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To change our behavior in order to reduce AIR POLLUTION at home as well as on the road, few following small steps taken by us would lead to clean our Environment.

A. At Home:

1. Avoid using chemical pesticides or fertilizers in your yard and garden. Many fertilizers are a source of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Try organic products instead.

2. Compost your yard waste instead of burning it. Outdoor burning is not advisable, as it pollutes air. Breathing this smoke is bad for you, your family and your neighbors. Plus, you can use the compost in your garden.

3. If you use a wood stove or fireplace to heat your home, it would be better to consider switching to another form of heat which does not generate smoke. It is always better to use sweater or warm clothing than using fireplace.

4. Be energy efficient. Most traditional sources of energy burn fossil fuels, causing air pollution. Keep your home well-maintained with weather-stripping, storm windows, and insulation. Lowering your thermostat can also help – and for every two degrees Fahrenheit you lower it, you save about two percent on your heating bill.

5. Plant trees and encourage other to plant trees as well. Trees absorb and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and filter out air pollution. During warmer days, trees provide cool air, unnecessary use of energy on air conditioning is avoided, hence the air pollution.

6. Try to stop smoking; at home, at office or at outside. Tobacco smoking not only deteriorates self’s health, it affects others health too.

B. On the Road:

7. Keep your vehicle well maintained. A poorly maintained engine both creates more air pollution and uses more fuel. Replace oil and air filters regularly, and keep your tires properly inflated.

8. Drive less. Walking, bicycling, riding the bus, or working from home can save you money as well as reducing air pollution.

9. Don’t idle your vehicle. If you stop for more than 30 seconds, except in traffic, turn off your engine.

10. Don’t buy more car than you need. Four-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, engine size, vehicle weight, and tire size all affect the amount of fuel your vehicle uses. The more fuel it uses the more air pollution it causes.

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Community initiatives on protection of environment:

* Most of our cities are not planned properly in terms of Protection of Environment.

* With structures mushrooming everywhere, noisy industries coming up, bars and even discotheques in residential areas; how environment can be protected well.

* This results in poor waste disposal system in the cities, dumping & littering and plastics are strewn allover – posing great health hazard.

* Protection of environment of our surroundings / city is every citizen’s prime job. Every one has a role to play.

* No one should litter and plastics should be disposed of correctly – preferably for recycling.

* Also non-profits and the public sector should work hand in hand to protect and also educate the community on protection of surrounding and city environment.

* The youth too should take the initiative through their schoolwork and club awareness.

* This programme can be started through planting trees; educating the public and just holding cleaning exercises from time to time.

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Development of efficient ‘Energy Storage Technology’ is Need-Of-The-Hour:

* As there is continuous thrust on optimal utilization of the renewable energy sources due to various environmental issues, it has become a challenge to us to deliver proper power quality, keeping reliability of power with stability and efficiency to the industry from these energy sources. The power generation, transmission & distribution system must be able to supply the power reliably while maintaining the power quality through out the year.

* The renewable energy sources like Photo Voltaic Solar Cell, Wind energy system the power production depends upon availability of sunlight & wind respectively so the nature of power available to loads is intermittent, thus making them non-dispatchable sources. With the help of reliable energy storage system the non-dispatchable energy can be made into the dispatchable energy source.

* Therefore, there is urgent need to study different energy storage technology available and to enhance the system performance by properly designing energy storage technology for application in the power system at different stages.

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Carbon Trading scheme has been threatened by Global Recession:

Our effort to control CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG) faces threatened due to present ongoing global recession. It is well known that, under the Kyoto Protocol industrilised nations agreed for reduction of CO2 and other GHGs in order to mitigate global warming and climate change. Subsequently, many nations introduced Carbon Trading System, whereby Authorities put a price on the amount of GHGs that can be emitted by any company. It was hoped that, by asking companies to pay for their GHGs emission, they would be inclined to make cleanup action.

Thus, concept of issuing “Carbon Trading Permits” to various companies has started. Companies are issued emission permits as per the quota fixed for a particular industry. Companies that need to increase their emission allowance should buy credits from those who have surpluses. Effectively, the buyer is paying for polluting, while the seller is being rewarded for their reduction in emissions by more than what is needed.

Now, due to ongoing recession the demand of most commodities have fallen sharply, thus the production and pollution from most of the polluted industries such as cement, steel and glass have been less. So, companies try to bolster their faltering balance sheets by selling of their gained Carbon Trading Permits.

Strangely, that has led to, not only a big drop in the market value of Carbon Permits, the “Right to Pollute” has become cheaper as well. In other words, “Because of our faulty system”, now “There is less incentive available for companies to work towards mitigation of GHG emissions and climate change”. *******************************************************************************************************

Carbon Nanotubes – Recent study about its Toxicity

Carbon “Nanotubes” are considered to be future star material which has shown remarkable versatility, strength and lightness than any other material of today’s use.

Researchers opine that, Carbon Nanotubes’ potential applications are so powerful its use cannot be ignored. For example, with Carbon Nanotubes cars could be 80 percent lighter than today’s model without compromising sturdiness.

A recent study in the US finds that longer strain of Carbon Nanotube has similar toxic characteristics as of asbestos.

This perturbs many about  safe use of Carbon Nanotubes, as this marvelous product is widely available for sale.

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Floating wind turbine launched:

Floating wind turbine could lead to offshore wind farms eventually being located many miles offshore, away from areas where they cause disruption. This would benefit military radar operations, the shipping industry, fisheries, bird life and tourism. Floating wind farms could provide an additional source of energy for countries that have run out of space for their onshore wind farms, or where there is not enough wind on land. [Reference: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8085551.stm ]

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Average Cost Comparison of Power Generation from various sources

Below a comparison of various energy generation costs (average) is shown:

Energy Costs Comparison
Resource Type	Average Cost (cents per kWh)
Hydroelectric	2-5
Nuclear	3-4
Coal	4-5
Natural gas	4-5
Wind	4-10
Geothermal	5-8
Biomass	8-12
Hydrogen fuel cell	10-15
Solar	15-32

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War Affects The Environment Adversely:

We are familiar with images of devastated battlefields resulted out of war.

Pollution, radiation, deteriorating bodies etc., leaves overall a psychological depression on the environment.

Environmental effects of some war affected regions (after WW-II) -

* Kuwait war – oil strike (1991) -

A scientist from a Desert Laboratory toured Kuwait’s burnt-out oilfields. ‘I’ve never seen such devastation. Kuwait’s desert before the Gulf War was very healthy, despite centuries of nomadic grazing and decades of oil development. It supported substantial greenery and wildlife. But now it’s coated in oil residues that affect water permeability, seed germination and microbial life. Plants are dying because they can’t breathe through blackened leaves under dark skies.’

Capping the burning oil wells took ten months. Crude oil released into the sea killed tens of thousands of marine birds and mammals. Oil from extinguished wells formed huge petrochemical lakes, destroying the land surface. Toxic smoke and fumes killed migratory birds and aggravated human chest conditions. A veterinarian at the liberation of Kuwait said: ‘I saw birds just dropping out of the sky. Later I found a herd of dead camels covered with dead flies: whatever killed the camels killed the flies at the same time.’

* Vietnam war (1962-71) -

US military carried out a massive herbicidal programme in Vietnam for almost a decade. With 72 million litres of chemical spray, they defoliated the forests which provided cover for guerrillas.

‘All our coconut trees died,’ recalled a woman ten years later, in hospital with a third miscarriage, and also having chemotherapy; she asked not to be indentified. ‘Some of our animals died, and those that lived had deformed offspring. The seeds of the rice became very small, and we couldn’t use them for replanting.’

People exposed to the spray suffered headaches, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness and chest complaints. Meanwhile, Agent Orange’s carcinogenic dioxin was sinking into the soil, washing into the sea, and entering the food chain, where it is still at work today. Children born since the war have consumed high levels of dioxin; and many fathered by men exposed to the spray (many of whom are now dead or suffering from cancers) have spina bifida and other congenital abnormalities

* War ‘has ruined Afghan environment’ – Two decades of war have laid waste Afghanistan’s environment so badly that its reconstruction is now compromised, the United Nations says. A UN Environment Programme (Unep) survey found more than half of Kabul’s water supply is going to waste.

Reference:

1. http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/st_environment.html

2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2704989.stm

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Table of Pollutants, their Sources and Effects

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Top 50 Environmental Engineering Blogs – An encouraging news for this blog:

PARTHA DAS SHARMA’s Weblog on “Keeping World Environment Safer and Greener”

Hi Partha,

We just posted an article, “Top 50 Environmental Engineering Blogs” (http://onlineengineeringdegree.com/top-50-environmental-engineering-blogs/). I thought I’d bring it to your attention in case you think your readers would find it interesting.

I am happy to let you know that your site has been included in this list.

Either way, thanks for your time!

Suzane Smith

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