Cooling on Warming By Andrew Rugg Nick Schulz and Ken Green snickered back and forth this week about a new study in Public Opinion Quarterly, which looked at the different results produced by survey questions using the terms “global warming” and “climate change.” The study concludes that Republicans are less likely to believe global climate change is real when questions use the term “global warming” as opposed to “climate change.” Other surveys have made a similar point about partisan differences on the causes of global warming/climate change. As the Pew Research Center pointed out in 2009: Two-thirds of Republicans (67%) say either that the earth is getting warmer mostly because of natural changes in the atmosphere (43%) or that there is no solid evidence the earth is getting warmer (24%). The authors of the Public Opinion Quarterly article, Jonathan Schuldt, Sara Konrath, and Norbert Schwarz, write that their observations “reflect associative differences between the terms . . .
"Decorated" nanowires could lead to better batteries and solar cells Higher-density batteries, more efficient thin-film solar cells, and better catalysts may all soon be possible, thanks to a new technique that allows nanowires to be “decorated” with nanoparticles. Using the novel technology, scientists from Stanford University have been able to festoon the outside surfaces of nanowires with intricate chains of metal oxide or noble metal nanoparticles, thereby drastically boosting the effective surface area of the nanowires. Other researchers have previously tried to achieve the same end result, but apparently never with such success. “You can think of it like a tree. The nanowires are the trunk, very good at transporting electrons, like sap, but limited in surface area,” said assistant professor of mechanical engineering Xiaolin Zheng, who led the research. In prior attempts by other groups, the nanoparticle coatings were reportedly too thick – the nanowires essentially just ended up being wider, without much in the way of extra surface area.
Two degrees is out of reach | Mark Lynas This is the worrying news coming from the latest-generation of climate modelling efforts, just published in Geophysical Research Letters (abstract) by a Canadian team of scientists. The team use an Earth system model, fired up with a new generation of carbon emissions scenarios, to conclude that even limiting the 2100 temperature rise to 2.3C above pre-industrial would require “an immediate and rapid ramp down of emissions, followed by negative emissions (sequestration) in the later half of this century”. As for the goal of holding “the increase in global average temperature below 2C above pre-industrial levels”, well, to get onto that trajectory we would have to take global emissions “down to zero immediately”, because the allowable cumulative carbon budget associated with that temperature target has already been emitted. Can we come back to this in four years? One of the ideas of the ‘review’ is to take into account input from the IPCC’s fifth assessment report, due out early in 2015.
Radiator Labs transforms radiators into energy-efficient heaters Its idea may be simple, but that did not stop Radiator Labs winning the MIT Clean Energy Prize with its controllable box that can be retrofitted to radiators to boost the efficiency of hot water and steam heating systems. The heavily insulated housings physically cover the radiator, trapping heat in the system, and strictly controlling the amount that is let into the room. This prevents homes becoming over-heated, and wasteful heat loss as people open windows to compensate. The controlled heat transfer is activated by a fan, which, thanks to the inclusion of wireless control technology, opens up all kinds of smart-home intelligent, remote and automated control sorcery. Of course, radiators fitted with valves can be turned down or off when heat isn't desirable, so Radiator Labs' system is arguably surplus to requirements in the majority of cases - provided people actually turn radiators or thermostats down when temperatures become too high rather than opening windows.
Some People's Climate Beliefs Shift With Weather - The Earth Institute, Columbia University Study Shows Daily Malleability on a Long-Term Question Social scientists are struggling with a perplexing earth-science question: as the power of evidence showing manmade global warming is rising, why do opinion polls suggest public belief in the findings is wavering? Part of the answer may be that some people are too easily swayed by the easiest, most irrational piece of evidence at hand: their own estimation of the day’s temperature. In three separate studies, researchers affiliated with Columbia University’s Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED) surveyed about 1,200 people in the United States and Australia, and found that those who thought the current day was warmer than usual were more likely to believe in and feel concern about global warming than those who thought the day was unusually cold. A new paper describing the studies appears in the current issue of the journal Psychological Science. The other authors are Eric J.
Next-gen cargo ships could use 164-foot sails to lower fuel use by 30% Of the world's nearly 45,000 cargo ships, many burn a low-grade bunker fuel in their engines and produce pollution equivalent to millions of automobiles. To help reduce that toxic load and keep the price of shipping freight reasonable, engineers at the University of Tokyo (UT) and a group of collaborators have designed a system of large, retractable sails measuring 64 feet (20 m) wide by 164 feet (50 m) high, which studies indicate can reduce annual fuel use on ships equipped with them by up to 30%. View all "Using today's technology, it's possible to make big sails, and to control them automatically," UT professor Kiyoshi Uzawa told DigInfo. Each five-segment collapsible sail, estimated to cost about US$2.5 million, will be hollow and constructed of durable, lightweight aluminum and fiber-reinforced plastic. It appears that a new era of tall, greener ships could be just over the horizon. Source: DigInfo via Akihabara News A native San Franciscan, Randolph attended the U.S.
Le négationnisme climatique Chaque mois paraît dans le monde un ouvrage niant soit le réchauffement, soit ses causes humaines, soit sa gravité. On explique même que ce réchauffement serait une chance pour l’humanité en permettant d’accéder à des ressources jusque-là inexploitées (pétrole en Alaska, agriculture en Sibérie, nouvelles routes maritimes dans le Grand Nord, etc.). Chaque jour des dizaines d’articles expliquent aussi que la science aura de toute façon une réponse au problème du réchauffement planétaire. Il serait donc stupide de s’inquiéter, même si le réchauffement était avéré. Ces deux discours sont non seulement faux mais dangereux. Ils empêchent de prendre conscience des enjeux. D’ici à 2100, nous nous dirigeons très probablement vers une hausse globale des températures de +3°C, voire +4°C à la surface de la terre. Le défi à relever est immense. Ce livre est fondé sur une enquête de plusieurs années qui a conduit Florence Leray à lire cette presse, à fréquenter ces réseaux, etc.
dontDIY's thoughtful Passive house design sees off international competition Passive House Bulgaria recently announced the winner of its international competition to design a low-energy domicile to be built in Lozen, a village very close to Sofia. The winning entry, from Bulgarian outfit dontDIY, is not only eye-catching, but also fully compliant with the rigorous, though voluntary, Passive house standard. View all Buildings that qualify for the accolade of Passive house (it's not limited to residencies) have been described as "ultra-low energy," as they must fall within strict performance criteria per unit area of the building in respect of heating, cooling and energy consumption. This typically results in drastic energy savings when compared to buildings built to meet (though not exceed) national building codes. How have dontDIY done it? The south facade has a large window in order to maximize solar heat gains (with east and west facades also generously fenestrated), while the north facade is entirely windowless. Source: Passive House Bulgaria, via Treehugger
BLOG - Climate Etc. Le CO2 et le climat: un point de vue d'ingénieur | ParisTech Review Rarement un débat aura autant préoccupé l’opinion et les médias que celui qui fait rage aujourd’hui à propos de l’évolution du climat et de la responsabilité éventuelle de l’humanité à son égard. Les climatologues eux-mêmes sont divisés en deux factions qui s’affrontent. La majorité d’entre eux semble se ranger dans le camp «officiel», celui qui soutient un point de vue que l’on peut résumer en quatre points : - La température du globe terrestre s’accroît et va continuer à le faire dangereusement - Les activités humaines et tout particulièrement les émissions de gaz carbonique (CO2) sont la cause majeure du phénomène - Il faut donc agir pour maîtriser et réduire ces dernières - Il existe des moyens pour y parvenir et il faut les mettre en œuvre d’urgence pour « sauver la planète ». Mais d’autres climatologues, qui font de plus en plus entendre leur voix, contestent les bases mêmes de ce raisonnement. L’instinct conduit à répondre positivement. A l’évidence, la réponse est négative.
Le climat, la science et la haine de l'incertain | ParisTech Review D’un côté les « réchauffistes » : ils jurent que l’augmentation, qu’ils estiment rapide et dangereuse, de la température du globe est sans aucun doute d’origine humaine. Face à eux, les « climato sceptiques » affirment que l’origine humaine d’un éventuel changement climatique n’est nullement démontrée. Chaque camp, qui a eu alternativement l’avantage médiatique, n’est pas avare en invectives très peu scientifiques. Pour le mathématicien Benoît Rittaud, auteur du Mythe Climatique, la bataille du climat est devenue la plus grande controverse scientifique depuis celle qu’avait provoquée le très stalinien pseudo agronome Trofim Denissovitch Lyssenko en déclarant une guerre idéologique sans merci contre les conclusions du moine autrichien Johann Gregor Mendel, considéré auparavant (et depuis lors) comme le père fondateur de la génétique et le théoricien de la formation des plantes hybrides. La bataille des hypothèses fait toujours rage en 2010. Alors, saura-t-on un jour prédire le climat ?