Month: November 2019

Climate Action Plans

Climate Action Plans

Climate Action Plans

11/04/19

“How can governments design roadmaps to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions?”

 

Climate change is going to affect every part of human society, whether it be how transportation infrastructure will buckle under extreme heat or how strengthened floods will harm coastal power generation. To help make sure climate conditions will not become too exacerbated, governments are looking to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their communities. Central to this will involve creating plans and frameworks to organize all actors of their institutions to reduce their carbon footprint. The prescribed actions can vary, from designing new energy efficiency programs for buildings to replacing carbon emitting power plants with solar and wind. These Climate Action Plans will be vital to ensuring that humanity has a safe and sustainable future ahead of it.

How the Increased Frequency of Droughts Will Put Pressure on City Water Infrastructure

How the Increased Frequency of Droughts Will Put Pressure on City Water Infrastructure

How the Increased Frequency of Droughts Will Put Pressure on City Water Infrastructure

11/03/19

“How will the increased frequency of droughts add stress to a city’s water infrastructure?”

 

As the climate is changing, more and more cities around the world will have to deal with the effects of drought. This means that less water will be available for municipal services, placing a strain on infrastructure. This effect can already be seen in cities around the world, whether it be Cape Town’s Day Zero crisis or Chennai running out of water. This is How the Increased Frequency of Droughts Will Put Pressure on a City’s Water Infrastructure.

Suspended Solids

Suspended Solids

Suspended Solids

11/02/19

“What happens when solids particles do not dissolve in water?”

 

Many types of solid particles are able to be dissolved in water. But often this is not always the case. Some particles are able to stay suspended in water, contaminating its purity. These Suspended Solids are often fine particulate matter, such as the ones from wildfire air pollution, that have settled onto the water. These can be purified either through the use of a water filter or sedimentation.

 

Image credit http://www.onsiteinstaller.com

Examples of Inequitable Heat Resilience

Examples of Inequitable Heat Resilience

Examples of Inequitable Heat Resilience

11/01/19

“What are examples of inequitable heat resilience?”

 

The rising global temperatures are putting heat resilience more and more into focus. However, if not properly implemented, there could be grave consequences for the world. There are many potential illustrations of this. If an urban area decides to plant trees in an upper-income area using species that require high volumes of water, then it might drain it off from the river banks of poorer communities. If upper-income communities install large amounts of energy-intensive HVAC systems in a power-starved region such as Lebanon or India, then it could siphon off electricity from the rest of the grid and cause brownouts in surrounding areas, making the response to heatwaves only worse. And if housing in temperate coastal or mountain areas becomes too expensive, lower-income people will be pushed into hotter areas that could prove deadly in a heat-wave, as being seen in California right now. These are just a few out of many Examples of Inequitable Heat Resilience.

 

Image credit blogs.ei.columbia.edu