GF

Renewable Energy Sees Strong Growth But Not Enough A coal rebound, high energy demand, lack of ambitious goals, and multiple financial, political, and social challenges threaten clean energy growth. The renewable energy sector saw record growth in 2021 but the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that the ongoing surge in investments won't be enough to put the world on track for net-zero emissions by 2050. The IEA's "Renewables 2021" report forecasts that by 2026, global renewable electricity capacity will reach 4,800 gigawatts (GW), a 60% increase from 2020 levels. That means that over the next few years, the world should be able to produce more than half of its electricity from renewable sources, up from nearly 37% at the end of 2020. However, to avoid a climate catastrophe, renewable energy capacity would need to grow twice as fast and, on top of that, biofuels and the use of renewable space heating would need to grow exponentially. When it comes to growth,

How Much Energy Is in Lightning? And could we use it to power our lives? Lightning is the discharge of electricity caused by an imbalance between the positive and negative charges that build up in a thundercloud. Most lightning flashes occur between or within clouds, but about 40 million lightning strikes hit the ground in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks lightning strike injuries and deaths. Is it possible to harness that energy to power entire communities? Here, we explore that question. Amount of Energy in Lightning Lightning produces 10 times more electricity than flows on high-tension wires. It also produces heat energy hotter than the surface of the sun, and sound energy (thunder) that can travel 25 miles. While only lasting a millisecond, a flash of lightning is thought produce up to 10 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, which would be a sixth of the capacity of all the rooftop solar panels in the U.S. in 2021. Ca

Can We Reduce Carbon Emissions by Burning Dead Trees? New research suggests that burning dead trees could reduce coal consumption. A recent study finds that specially treated wood from beetle-killed trees could replace some of the coal in existing power plants, reducing emissions of fossil carbon. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the carbon dioxide emitted from burning wood (biomass) doesn't count. That's because it is not fossil carbon but is biogenic "fast" carbon. The best explanation comes from the International Energy Agency: "Burning fossil fuels releases carbon that has been locked up in the ground for millions of years, while burning biomass emits carbon that is part of the biogenic carbon cycle. In other words, fossil fuel use increases the total amount of carbon in the biosphere-atmosphere system while bioenergy systems operates within this system; biomass combustion simply returns to the atmosphere the carbon that was

Can You Recycle Used Motor Oil? Used motor oil can be ‘re-refined’ and used again. Used motor oil can and should be recycled. It poses significant health and environmental risks if discarded improperly, and it offers a more efficient, less carbon-intensive alternative to making new motor oil from scratch. What Is Motor Oil? Motor oil is any oil used as an engine lubricant. It typically includes gasoline- and diesel-engine crankcase oils, as well as piston-engine oils for cars, trucks, boats, airplanes, locomotives, and heavy equipment, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Motor oils may be petroleum-based or synthetic, although synthetic oils are still primarily made from fossil fuel sources. Motor oil itself is highly durable, but its dirty job still takes a toll. During normal use inside your engine, motor oil accumulates impurities ranging from dust and dirt to metal scrapings and various chemicals, eventually impeding its lubrication. On top of its own toxic

How to Recycle Laptops Safely and Responsibly Plus ideas for reusing your old laptop. Old laptops are typically not accepted in curbside recycling programs, but they can be processed through special e-waste recycling programs. And because laptops may contain valuable materials, including gold, silver, and platinum, recycling them is actually profitable, which means plenty of eager recyclers are willing to take them off your hands.  Since laptops do contain heavy metals and hazardous chemicals that can negatively impact the environment, they should be handled carefully and recycling should be left to the professionals. Laptop Recycling Facts Generally, all parts of a laptop are recyclable. Laptops consist of things like glass, metal, batteries, and electronic parts that can all be recycled at specialized facilities. Some of a laptop’s electronic parts, like motherboards and hard drives, can even be sold and reused in refurbished products. How to Prepare Your Laptop for Recycling Your la

How to Recycle Light Bulbs and Why You Should All types of light bulbs are recyclable, even those that contain traces of mercury. In fact, some types of light bulbs must be recycled—when tossed in the trash, they leach environmentally harmful chemicals into the soil and groundwater. How to Recycle Light Bulbs Each type of light bulb is recycled differently and each state and municipality has different requirements and recycling programs in place. While your curbside pickup recycling program may accept LED light bulbs, it typically will not take incandescent or CFL bulbs that may contain hazardous chemicals. Many states have specific recycling programs available for these materials. Incandescent Light Bulbs An incandescent light bulb consists of a glass enclosure containing a filament typically made from tungsten, a metal with a high melting point. When you turn an incandescent light bulb on, a current passes through the filament and heats it until it’s white-hot and produces visible li

Top Famous Horses From History In the long history of domestic horses as our companions, there have been many standout superstars. Humans domesticated horses somewhere around 3,000 BCE, and since that time the horse has been one of our closest allies in work, war, travel and entertainment. Over these many thousands of years and millions of equines living alongside us, there have been quite a few standouts. Be it their speed, strength, smarts or simply their good looks or loyalty, the stories of a few special horses have become popular and stood the test of time. From horses living in ancient times whose memory still lives on today to beloved television stars of the 20th century, here are 12 celebrities from the equine world whose stories you want to know about. Figure While many people have likely heard of the Morgan horse breed—one of the earliest breeds developed in the United States—far fewer know about the much loved horse who started the lineage, Figure. Figure was a small bay sta

Dairy Farming: Environmental Impact, Ethics, and Industry Outlook How much does dairy farming contribute to global warming? Dairy farming is the practice of raising and breeding livestock to produce milk for human consumption. While the industry isn't going away any time soon, plant-based milk alternatives such as soy, almond, and oat milk have created a competitive market, driving down the rate of cow’s milk consumption in recent years. Given the dairy industry's tremendous land and water use and the substantial amount of methane produced from cows, this might be considered a gradual environmental win. How environmentally taxing is dairy farming? Here, we review the impacts and ethics of this sector of agriculture, the competition between small and large dairy farms, and the future of the industry. Processes of Dairy Farming Dairy farmers manage every aspect of a cow’s life—from what they eat and how much space they’re allotted to how much time cows spend with their offspring