Archive for category Global Dimming

The Criegee Biradical – A New Molecule That Could Stop Global Warming

Posted by Mihai Sandru in Global Dimming on January 20, 2012

Saying that you’ve discovered a molecule that could fix global warming is maybe a bit far-fetched. It’s like saying you found a medicine to cure cancer… My point is that it’s not that simple. There is however some truth in it: according to researchers at the University of Bristol and Snadia National Laboratories, the Criegee [...]

Ratio Between Black Carbon and Sulphates in Atmosphere Crucial to Global Warming

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming, Global Warming on July 30, 2010

Black carbons are emitted from diesel exhausts and burned biomass and are considered an environmental and health hazard all over the world. Besides the fact that they favor global dimming, black carbons also attract heat.

New Study Estimates Impact of Soot on Global Warming and Timeframe of Actions to Be Taken

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming, Global Warming on June 25, 2010

Soot is considered one of the most important threats to the environment, along with carbon dioxide. Princeton University researchers have described the contribution of soot (“carbonaceous aerosols”) to phenomena of global warming and global dimming. Soot is born by incomplete combustion and comes mostly from diesel engines and coal burning.

DNA-Like Metal Organic Frameworks to Store Carbon Dioxide Efficiently

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming on February 12, 2010

UCLA scientists, led by professor Omar M. Yaghi have created three-dimensional, synthetic DNA-like crystals which are capable of storing carbon dioxide: We have taken organic and inorganic units and combined them into a synthetic crystal which codes information in a DNA-like manner.

Throwing Chemicals Into The Air – Solution to Global Warming?

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming on March 19, 2009

Certain bright minds say we should throw trillions of mirrors into space to slow global warming. It doesn’t seem like a bad idea at a first glance, but other enlightened thoughts say we should release chemicals into the air to do just that.

What to Try on Earth's Day

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming, Global Warming on April 22, 2008

If you didn’t find out already by typing “google.com”, today’s Earth day, my fellow readers! Enjoy this sunny, or maybe rainy or (I hope not) snowy day, and try to pollute as little as you can. Try to study about how people got into this game of planet destroying, try to understand why and what [...]

10+1 Tips to Driving a Diesel Car Economically

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming, Global Warming, How to... on April 14, 2008

1. First of all, remove the aggressive tendency from your driving habits. I admit I myself like to be aggressive sometimes, it gives me chills, diesel cars have a lot of torque at low rpm, but from what I experienced that go fast-full stop-go-fast attitude costs me about 2 liters more per hundred kilometers. Sometimes [...]

New Carbon Collecting Car – Really That Green?

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Car industry, Global Dimming, Global Warming, Hydrogen Power, New Inventions on February 16, 2008

Georgia Institute of Technology has created a concept of a car in a pretty new polluting fashion: it uses petrol as a fuel, but it separates hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The hydrogen is used in a fuel cell, and the CO2 is collected and recycled. Now, I know my website’s name is “greenoptimistic.com”, but this [...]

How Much Can You Harm Your Planet By Shopping Daily?

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming, Global Warming on February 11, 2008

Today I stumbled upon a website called “The Story of Stuff” where a nice lady shows you how we deplete the planet’s resources, how products being made are in fact more expensive than you buy them, how you are fooled to buy stuff just for the sake of buying, how and where the waste is [...]

How To Save Fuel in 10 Steps

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming, Global Warming on February 10, 2008

Tip #0: Whether you drive a two-seat hybrid or a three-ton SUV or a Toyota Prius, chances are you can squeeze a bit more distance out of each gallon of fuel. These ten fuel saving tips have served me well over the years, and they can help you improve your car’s fuel economy and take [...]

DO NOT IDLE with no purpose: several myths related to this bad habit

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming, Global Warming on February 6, 2008

HERE’S THE RULE OF THUMB: If you’re in a drive-through restaurant/business line or waiting for someone and you’ll be parked and sitting for 10 seconds or longer… turn off your car’s engine. Why?? For every two minutes a car is idling, it uses about the same amount of fuel it takes to go about one [...]

Global Dimming reducing means a hotter and dryer world?

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming on January 30, 2008

Despite concerns over global warming, scientists have discovered something that may have actually limited the impact of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in recent years by reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the surface of the Earth. So-called “global dimming,” will be the focus of a NOVA special scheduled to air on April 18 and [...]

We May Save The Planet If We Run Out Of Gas?

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Energy news, Global Dimming, Global Warming on January 29, 2008

Indeed, it does seem that the Earth will run out of oil, natural gas and coal much more quickly than was, originally, anticipated by researchers keeping track of overall expenditure of these resources [1]. At the same time, others warn that any expectation of nuclear power taking over as an effective substitute is both unrealistic [...]

Why is the natural light dimming?

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming on January 29, 2008

Global dimming is the gradual reduction in the amount of global direct irradiance at the Earth’s surface that was observed for several decades after the start of systematic measurements in 1950s. It is thought to have been caused by an increase in particulates such as sulfur aerosols in the atmosphere due to human action. The [...]

The first carbon capture system ever built

Posted by Ovidiu Sandru in Global Dimming, Global Warming on January 29, 2008

Global Research Technologies, LLC (GRT), a technology research and development company, and Klaus Lackner from Columbia University have achieved the successful demonstration of a bold new technology to capture carbon from the air. The “air extraction” prototype has successfully demonstrated that indeed carbon dioxide (CO2) can be captured from the atmosphere. This is GRT’s first step toward a commercially viable air capture device.