NASA has a group of people specially dedicated to studying the Earth; the Earth Science Division. This is the one that will receive this new award, with which it will fix up instruments, and boost its mission.
Edward Weiler, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said: “This administration has a clear priority for science in general and Earth science in specific”. The $2.4 billion represent a 60% increase in NASA’s Earth science programs’ budget.
So what is it this division studies about the Earth? Ecological situations, climate change and how fast it is happening, the melting of glaciers, the origin and fate of greenhouse gases (GHG) like carbon dioxide, as well as ocean temperatures, and coastal wetlands’ health.
Concerning the study of carbon dioxide, last year, NASA launched the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, which unluckily crashed immediately after launch. Thanks to the new funding, it will be rebuilt and relaunched.
Further, the new available money will help replace the GRACE satellites, which study the Earth’s gravity. And what has gravity got to do with climate change? Weiler says GRACE has helped study gravitational fields to measure the amount of ground water in some regions in California. Apparently, ground water amounts are decreasing, and global warming is one of the causes.
The more efforts we dedicate to studying the Earth and its troubles, the higher chance there is we will find solutions. Let’s hope NASA will provide useful information on our planet.
-
US President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and in his acceptance speech he emphasized the need for fighting climate change. He mentioned that from scientists and environmental activists to military leaders, the knowledge that “our common security hangs in the balance” is widespread.
-
100 nations are demanding more ambitious targets in terms of combating climate change. Among these, the 43-member alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) is particularly concerned about the effect rising sea levels can have on them. The least developed countries (LDCs) and
the AOSIS support the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees temperature rise. This would require at least a 45% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by rich nations, from 1990 levels by 2020. -
A new draft, the “Copenhagen Accord” has surfaced, prepared by China, India, South Africa and Brazil, the four major emerging economies. The draft suggests that rich countries should reduce their emissions by more than 40% compared to 1990 levels, and that the Kyoto Protocol should include a “binding” amendment. The draft was posted by French newspaper “Le Monde” in its website. The “Copenhagen Accord” aims at keeping temperatures from increasing more than two degrees compared to pre-industrial levels. An interesting proposal is that emissions reductions should be achieved “mainly through domestic measures” and not so much through paying for offsetting in other countries.
Read Post
US president Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed a number of agreements to work together on climate change and energy security. This is great news, being the US the second largest carbon-emitter, and India the fourth. The US has already advanced on negotiations with China. The fact that such powerful leaders are starting to jointly address environmental issues is a great sign, and might be of great help to create a stronger and more effective climate deal in Copenhagen.
Some of the initiatives they have agreed on are the following:
The US and India will foster development and deployment of clean energy technologies. An Indo-US Clean Energy Research and Deployment Initiative has been launched. This includes a Joint Research Center. Some of the priorities of this initiative include energy efficiency, smart grid, second-generation biofuels, and clean coal technologies such as carbon capture and storage. Also solar energy, sustainable transportation, and wind energy development.
Read Post
US president Barack Obama’s visit to China is proving to be worth its carbon footprint… Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao have already established a deal to share information on renewable energy. Now they’ve announced some great plans on clean energy initiatives.
Their plan focuses mainly on clean energy. The idea is that the implementation of clean energy will be studied and fostered, and that emissions will be hopefully reduced thanks to natural gas and the development of carbon capture technology.
Read Post
US president Barack Obama has announced he will be attending the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference next month, and will do his best to make a treaty happen.
We were talking yesterday about the importance the US has for the Copenhagen Conference. Being the US one of the most powerful nations in the world, and one of the main greenhouse gas emitters, it is crucial for the US to lead the way and accept to be legally tied to reducing its greenhouse gases. If the US does not get involved, many others might wonder, why should we?
Read Post
The US government is the largest energy consumer in the US economy. Being so, its decisions can influence the economy greatly. What would happen if the government decided to consume only renewable energy? This sector would be given a strong momentum. The energy sector as a whole would partly be driven towards renewable energies.
The Government is investigating and starting to foster this possibility. To start with, it has launched the GreenGov Challenge, on October 19th. Its aim is to involve all 1.8 million civilian workers and members of the military in suggesting ideas of how the government could become greener.
Read Post
Loading...