"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Year: 2020
How Climate Change Might Disrupt Air Travel
01/24/20
“How might climate change disrupt air travel as we know it?”
Climate change is on course to disrupt all facets of human experience, including air travel. By making natural disasters and extreme weather more common, airlines will be forced to make tougher touches and experience more delays. This is How Climate Change Might Disrupt Air Travel
Why Having Consistent Power Is Critical for Maintaining Livable Interior Air Quality in Buildings During Wildfires
01/23/20
“Why is it important for a building to have consistent power to ensure breathability during wildfires?”
Air filtration devices are critical for providing breathable interior air quality during wildfires. However, these devices tend to be dependent on a consistent supply of electricity. If this is pulled, such as in the case of public power shutoffs, then these devices will also collapse, destroying their resiliency benefits. This is Why Having Consistent Power Is Critical for Maintaining Livable Interior Air Quality in Buildings During Wildfires.
Porous Materials
01/22/20
“How can solid materials let fluids through their geometry?”
Fluids often have difficulty penetrating solid substances due to the physical barrier present. However, if the object has holes, then there is a space available. These Porous Materials have all sorts of engineering applications, from dish colanders to physics research equipment.
Image credit image.shutterstock.com
Why Wildfires Drive Carbon Emissions Through the Roofs
01/21/20
“Why are wildfires particularly terrible for climate change?”
Wildfires are infamous for their disaster potential. However, one of their most lethal side-effects are their ability to drive carbon emissions through the roof. By burning down trees, large amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere. This can be seen in California where the emissions sent out by the campfire roughly equal the total power-sector emissions for the same year and in Australia where the ongoing bushfires may have doubled the state’s climate emissions. This is Why Wildfires Drive Carbon Emissions Through the Roofs.
Climate Refugees
01/20/20
“Why will some people become refugees because of climate change?”
The effects of climate change are already upon us. Whether it be scorching heatwaves in India or fires of biblical proportion in Australia, humanity is beginning to really feel its impacts. Conditions might become so bad in some areas that denizens will have to flee to entirely new countries! These Climate Refugees will become a more common sight in the world as the years go by, and governments must take action to accommodate them as much as possible.
Image credit media.npr.org
Climate Internally Displaced People
01/19/20
“What is someone who has to leave their homes because of climate change but stays inside their own nation’s borders?”
Climate change is going to turn areas once deemed habitable to be completely unlivable. However, not everyone affected by these changes will have to leave for another country and become a climate refugee. Instead, some may stay within their own nation’s borders and become Climate Internally Displaced People. Current examples include the people who left Paradise California, Bangladeshis who have to leave their country’s coastal plains, and people who had to evacuate from New Orleans after Katrina.
Image credit http://www.unhcr.org
How the Wildfire Crisis and the Water Crisis Are Interdependent
01/18/20
“Why is it that the ongoing wildfire and water crises are deeply interrelated?”
Although the climate-induced wildfire and water crises appear to be quite divergent, they’re actually are both overlapping issues. An oversupply of rain in one season and undersupply in another cannot only cause flooding and drought respectively but also make an area much riper for wildfires. Furthermore, when wildfires occur a gargantuan amount of water resources need to be used to take it out and the particulate matter released can pollute local water sites. This is How the Wildfire Crisis and the Water Crisis Are Interdependent.
Image credit assets.weforum.org
How Ecosystems Will Be Permanently Damage From the Australian Bushfires
01/17/20
“Why is it that the bushfire might permanently damage Australia’s ecosystems? ”
Australia is going through catastrophic damages from the bushfires right now. And one of the most pressing issues will be its ecosystem damage. Just like how a burnt-down town may never recover, a torched landscape will have its residents move out and may no longer be suitable to live in. This is How Ecosystems Will Be Permanently Damage From the Australian Bushfires.
Image credit http://www.abc.net.au
How Rainfall Is Bringing Both Relief and New Problems to Australia
01/16/20
“How is rainfall both a remedy and a hindrance to Australia’s current resilience problems?”
Drought and bushfire stricken Australia is breathing a sigh of relief as extreme rainfall is hitting down on the eastern part of the country. But like many things in human infrastructure, the solution to one problem often causes another one to occur. In particular, the torrential rain create the potential for Mass floods as the soil is less able to hold water do to the longevity of recent droughts. If you’re in Australia, don’t be surprised if you were seeing warnings on the television change from bushfires to flash floods. This is How Rainfall Is Bringing Both Relief and New Problems to Australia.
Image credit static.boredpanda.com
Isaac's Science Blog 