Group items tagged

Greenhouse effect

What will we do to slow this warming? How will we cope with the changes we've already set into motion? While we struggle to figure it all out, the face of the Earth as we know it—coasts, forests, farms and snow-capped mountains—hangs in the balance.

But in the end it appeared that the president, himself a product of the military, was not able to convince the armed forces to come decisively to his support.

The next day Mr. Mubarak said that he would not run in elections scheduled for the fall but would instead oversee a "peaceful transfer of power."

Some greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide occur naturally and are emitted to the atmosphere through natural processes and human activities. Other greenhouse gases (e.g., fluorinated gases) are created and emitted solely through human activities. The principal greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere because of human activities are: Carbon Dioxide (CO2): Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal), solid waste, trees and wood products, and also as a result of other chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement). Carbon dioxide is also removed from the atmosphere (or “sequestered”) when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle. Methane (CH4): Methane is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil. Methane emissions also result from livestock and other agricultural practices and by the decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills. Nitrous Oxide (N2O): Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as during combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste. Fluorinated Gases: Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a variety of industrial processes. Fluorinated gases are sometimes used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances (i.e., CFCs, HCFCs, and halons). These gases are typically emitted in smaller quantities, but because they are potent greenhouse gases, they are sometimes referred to as High Global Warming Potential gases (“High GWP gases”).

Protected areas now cover one quarter of the remaining tropical forest. They are intended as a bulwark against deforestation, which accounts for about one sixth of global greenhouse gas emissions. But some sceptics deride them as ineffective "paper parks', defenceless against large-scale loggers and developers. Others fear that protected areas impoverish forest dwellers.

fuels and towards clean energy investments. Projects that generate energy from landfill gas, for instance, enjoy favourable incentives because methane reduction commands a high price.

Developing countries need to acquire a wide range of technologies in order to realise their development ambitions without repeating the environmentally damaging mistakes of the developed countries. Much attention has been devoted to the role of intellectual property rights (such as patents) in helping and hindering technology transfer.