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Worldwide carbon emissions were flat for third year in a row
For the third year in a row, carbon emissions around the world have remained flat, according to the research group Global Carbon Project. The group revealed its findings in the Global Carbon Budget 2016, which measures how much carbon is emitted by countries around the world, and then how much of that is absorbed into the earth by plants, land and oceans. The remaining carbon hangs out in the atmosphere and drives global warming, and it's the focus of Global Carbon Project's research.
Hydroelectric dams cause more emissions than we thought
It turns out that you can't even rely upon hydroelectric dams as a source of hope and optimism in 2016. Researchers have found that the technology is far more damaging to the climate than previously thought. A new study reports that dams emit 25 percent more methane than expected, and are the cause of 1.3 percent of all human-created emissions. It's the hope that kills you, really.
Planet Earth might be the biggest loser under President Trump
Deny it all he wants, Donald Trump did in fact tweet that global warming is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese to damage American manufacturing. But, let's give him the benefit of the doubt and say that since 2012 his opinion on the matter has evolved. Even if he no longer considers the concept of climate change to be a conspiracy cooked up by China, he still clearly doubts the science, and that will have significant consequences.
Carbon Xprize chooses the 27 best solutions for CO2 emissions
Twenty-eight teams made it through the $20 million NRG COSIA Carbon Xprize's first round. Now, they have to start proving that they can truly transform a meaningful amount of carbon dioxide emissions into useful products. The semi-finalists from various universities, startups, big companies and non-profits all over the globe will do a test run of their technology over a ten-month period. Judges will look at how much CO2 they can convert, as well as the value of their products.
Earth's CO2 levels have permanently crossed the 400ppm threshold
Despite the fact that September is typically the lowest month for atmospheric carbon dioxide, the CO2 levels in Earth's atmosphere crossed the symbolic 400 parts per million threshold this month. According to climate scientists, it is extremely unlikely that the planet will ever drop below those levels again in our lifetimes.
CarbFix turns a power plant's CO2 emissions into rock
Apparently, pumping carbon dioxide into volcanic basalts is a pretty effective carbon capture technique. Back in 2012, scientists began an experiment in Iceland called the CarbFix Project. Since then, they've been injecting tons of carbon dioxide waste from a geothermal plant in the country into basaltic rock 1,600 feet underground. According to results they've recently published in Science, 95 percent of the gas they store underground turn into solid carbonate minerals within only two years. Even better, the team doesn't have to turn the gas into liquid first.
Apple, Google and Microsoft back EPA's emissions strategy
The White House and Environmental Protection Agency may have their plans for carbon dioxide emissions reduction hanging by a thread in court, but they're getting some big allies in their corner. Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft have submitted a joint legal brief supporting the EPA's Clean Power Plan following a challenge by 29 states. They argue that the emissions regulation is not only realistic, but makes good business sense. Prices for solar and wind power are coming down, and their energy is a hedge against both volatile fuel prices and outages -- you can store unused power to ride out a storm, for instance.
Supreme Court decision may derail Obama's emissions pledge
At the Paris climate talks, President Obama pledged that America, historically the world's biggest polluter, would reduce its carbon emissions 32 percent by 2030. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that it will not enforce his Clean Power Plan, now under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The court voted along party lines, with the five conservative judges ruling that states don't have to start making emissions cuts until lower courts rule on pending challenges.
Human climate influence means we're skipping an ice age
According to a new study published in Nature, human-generated climate change -- specifically the massive additions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere -- is causing the Earth to effectively delay the start of the next ice age by 100,000 years. Typically, ice ages occur once every 50,000 years or so; as they have in at least eight regularly intervalled times in the Earth's history.
