What Are We Doing To Stop Global Warming – An orbital sunrise is photographed from the International Space Station (ISS) as it orbits 260 miles (418 kilometers) above the Pacific Ocean, about 500 miles (805 kilometers) southwest of Mexico. As Earth changes, the ISS watches from above, helping to provide unique information to keep the planet safe. Credit: NASA
NASA’s work has spawned countless spin-offs that are now at the forefront of the fight against change. This should come as no surprise, as the agency’s missions include studying the Earth and improving aircraft performance.
What Are We Doing To Stop Global Warming
But that’s not the only way NASA innovations are making an impact. Many advances to meet the stringent requirements of space travel also help reduce greenhouse gases, improve alternative energy sources, and increase our understanding of the causes and effects of change.
Top 10 Things You Can Do To Reduce Global Warming
Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is the main driver of change on Earth. But on Mars, where most of the atmosphere is CO
, gas can be useful. Under NASA contracts, an engineer helped develop technology to capture Martian carbon dioxide and break it down into carbon and oxygen for other uses, from life support to fuel for a return trip home.
Although it has never flown, Perseverance will test a similar idea, using an experimental system called MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment). Earlier technology, meanwhile, led to a system that now captures natural gas in oil wells rather than wastefully burning it and spewing out the resulting CO2.
And another version of the system helps breweries become “greener” by capturing carbon dioxide from the brewing process instead of releasing it and using it for carbonation instead of buying more.
Stop Global Warming Background Banner Poster For Climate Change 5458977 Vector Art At Vecteezy
Energy conservation is a crucial consideration for space travel, and many of the innovations that NASA created in this area are now widespread to improve energy efficiency on Earth.
For example, NASA helped create a type of reflective insulation to effectively maintain a comfortable temperature inside spacecraft and spacesuits. In the decades since, this insulation has been adapted and used in homes and buildings around the world.
Another material that was pioneered to cryogenically insulate rocket fuel from the inclement weather around the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, now saves energy by maintaining temperature in industrial facilities. And a coating designed to protect spacecraft during the extreme heat of atmospheric entry improves the efficiency of incinerators, boilers and refractories, furnaces and more.
NASA research and innovation has led to many developments that save the environment, and this graphic highlights a few. Credit: NASA
The Five Ways To Stop Climate Change. Oh, Wait, Make That One Way
Air travel is a major contributor to man-made greenhouse gases. Designing planes to fly more efficiently reduces the amount of fuel they use and, in turn, the resulting emissions. And many of the improvements that make modern planes more efficient come directly from NASA.
In fact, some of the agency’s most significant contributions to aviation fuel efficiency can be traced back to the work of a single NASA engineer in the 1960s and 1970s. Richard Whitcomb designed and tested an entirely new wing shape – the supercritical wing – that significantly increased better performance at high speeds and eliminated weight.
He then designed inverted wingtips that use air vortices that would otherwise create drag. Now incorporated into nearly all commercial aircraft, these advances combined save billions of dollars in fuel, along with the associated CO.
In the decades since, NASA has continued to work with industry partners to improve aircraft efficiency, and the agency is now championing all-electric flight.
Climate Change Solutions
As there are no fossil fuels on Mars, NASA is interested in wind energy to power future Mars operations. So the space agency helped a company develop a wind turbine that could operate in an equally hostile environment – the South Pole. Robust and designed for easy maintenance and efficiency in extremely low temperatures, over 800 of the resulting turbines now generate power on Earth.
Unexpectedly, the software that NASA supported to design and maintain improved aircraft also led to more efficient and longer-lasting wind turbines. And several solar panel makers have benefited from the agency’s long dependence on the sun for power.
Mountains of data from NASA’s Earth observation satellite suite are helping countless other agencies, researchers, and companies better understand the causes and effects of change. The agency worked with business partners to make this data manageable and easy to extract information from. Other companies have benefited from NASA’s support of technology to monitor land, ocean and atmospheric conditions, including innovative devices to detect local greenhouse gases and ocean conditions. The resulting data helps verify and enrich the meteorological agency’s Earth models and, over decades, circle the globe and look into the future.
NASA has a long history of transferring technology to the private sector. The agency’s Spinoff publication showcases NASA technologies that have been turned into commercial products and services, showing the broader benefits of the United States’ investment in its space program. Spinoff is a publication of the Technology Transfer Program within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. Sky looks at the everyday changes you can make to avoid global warming after the UN revealed that temperatures will reach the 1.5°C threshold in 20 years.
Climate Change Facts That Prove We’re In A Climate Emergency
The United Nations has warned that the planet will reach the peak of global warming in the next 20 years, causing irreversible environmental damage and more extreme weather events.
Its latest report calls for “rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions”, urging people to treat climate change as an “immediate threat”.
While it may sound daunting, there are simple steps you can take to help prevent climate change. Here Sky looks at six of them.
The average carnivore diet produces 7.2 kg of carbon dioxide per day, almost twice as much as a vegan diet.
Geoengineering: The Most Controversial Climate Solutions, Explained
Livestock is responsible for around 15% of global emissions and, according to researchers at the University of Oxford, adopting a vegan diet is one of the best ways to reduce your environmental impact.
Researcher Joseph Poore says that by freeing up farmland to grow more trees, global veganism would reduce greenhouse gases by 13 million tonnes over 20 years, a 25% reduction in global emissions.
Professor Bill Collins, one of the lead authors of the UN report, told Sky that 0.5°C of the warming we’ve seen in recent years is caused by methane from cows.
But by reducing methane levels, we can not only prevent global warming, but also actively reduce global temperatures, he added.
Planting Trees Alone Will Not Stop Global Warming
If you can’t completely cut out meat, chicken production produces about a third of the CO2 per pound of protein than beef and lamb.
During the various lockdowns in 2020, UK greenhouse gas emissions fell by 8.9% – from 454.8 million tonnes in 2019 to 414.1 million – the biggest drop since records began in 1990.
Transport accounts for around a third of all UK emissions and toxic fumes from cars, vans and trucks cause thousands of premature deaths every year.
The government is banning all new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, but until then, if you can travel by bus or electric tram – or have your own electric car – it’s the best option for the planet.
A Hotter Future Is Certain, According To U.n. Climate Report
Overall greenhouse gas emissions have also dropped as a result of the suspension of air travel during the pandemic.
The aviation industry is responsible for 2% of all human-induced CO2 emissions, according to the Air Transport Action Group.
But while reducing unnecessary air travel makes a difference, the climate campaign group Eblaj argues that a small minority of frequent flyers are doing the real damage.
They say that 70% of all flights in the UK are taken by the same 15% of people, the vast majority with higher incomes.
Here’s What It Would Take To Stop Climate Change Sooner
As a result, they want a mileage tax introduced to discourage people who can fly more frequently from doing so.
Professor Collins explains that while you can electrify cars, you cannot electrify airplanes. So the only way to reduce emissions from air travel is to fly less often.
From Greta Thunberg to Extinction Rebellion, climate change activists have used social media to take their campaigns globally.
As for what to share on social media, Professor Collins told Sky: “It is useful to draw attention to the consequences of climate change.
We’ve Got Climate Solutions. Now We Need A Movement.
“It’s important to show people that climate change is not just an abstract notion, these extreme weather events are killing people.”
The textile industry requires a large amount of water and dozens of toxic chemicals, resulting in large amounts of water and air pollution.
And Fashion Revolution campaigns have also criticized big brands for not declaring their carbon footprints, meaning many remain unchecked.
While it’s up to them, there are some things you can do to limit the impact of your fashion choices.
How To Help Stop Global Climate Change
Buying second-hand clothes, selling or repurposing clothes you no longer want, and limiting how often you buy new items will help.
Avoiding fast delivery options will also help reduce the clothing company’s carbon footprint and look into more sustainable brands — for example, those that use electric delivery.
How could we stop global warming, how can we stop global warming, how do we stop global warming, what are ways to stop global warming, what is the government doing to stop global warming, how can we stop the global warming, can we stop global warming, why should we stop global warming, what can we do to stop global warming, how we can help stop global warming, what can we do stop global warming, what are we doing about global warming