Why Fires are Growing at an Exponential Rate in the Brazilian Rain Forest?
08/22/19
“Why are there so many more fires in the Brazilian Amazon now and what are the consequences?”
One of the worst ecological disasters ever recorded is happening as we speak. Brazil has recorded an increase of wildfires by 80% compared to last year. Much of this increase is human-caused and concentrated in the Amazon, where the new government is trying to develop it for commercial purposes. This is incredibly dangerous, as the Amazon rain forest is one of the largest sinks for carbon dioxide but could become a carbon source if it becomes deforested and dries out. This is Why Fires are Growing at an Exponential Rate in the Brazilian Rain Forest.
If you would like to take action, please take a look at the organization Amazon Watch.
“What happens when a municipality runs out of water?”
Around the world, increasing temperatures, population, and levels of consumption are putting a strain on municipal water supplies. In fact, many of these areas can now even predict the day that they run out of water. To avoid this Day Zero, municipalities need to consider resilience strategies in regards to their water supplies, and even take measures as drastic as Cape Town’s.
“How will there be more water crises because of Climate Change?”
With the advent of the changing climate, almost every environmental variable will be affected. In particular, areas which have dry climates will become dryer. This means less water will be produced, leading to shortages. Such shortages will cause haphazard issues for infrastructure systems designed for greater supplies of water, resulting in difficult tensions. An illustration of this can be found in Cape Town, South Africa, where a dry spell caused the municipality to enact draconian water supply restrictions. This is How Climate Change Will Lead to Water Crises.
Why We Can Learn From Cape Town in Solving Water Crises
08/09/19
“How did the city of Cape Town get itself out of a water crisis and how can other cities learn from it?”
At the beginning of 2018, the city of Cape Town was facing a devastating problem. Given the current supply of water and usage rates, the city was projected to run out of water within the year. Realizing the direness of the scenario, the city government issued a dire warning. If the water in the damns became too low, the municipality would shut off the taps on a day labeled “day zero”. To ensure citizens would cooperate, the city placed a 50 liter/day limit to water usage (for reference, the average daily per capita use in California was 321 liters), and anyone who went over would be heavily fined or even have their water shut down. Residents took heed, and began rationing water and using it as efficiently as possible. As a result, Cape Town was able to lower its water usage, achieve sustainability and avoid day zero. As droughts become a larger problem in the future with climate change, cities should learn from Cape Town in how to grapple with these problems.
Why Building Code Will Need to Adapt to an Increase in Rainwater
08/03/19
“Why will building codes need to consider an increase in future rainwater?”
With the advent of climate change, there will be an increase of rainwater. And since building codes have been designed for prior levels of rain, current standards will not suffice. This is Why Building Code Will Need to Adapt to an Increase in Rainwater.
“How can carbon capture reduce the amount of radiation absorbed from the sun?”
Greenhouse gases are responsible for the increase the increase of the heat trapped in the atmosphere. But with carbon capture, there will be less greenhouse gases and therefore less radiative forcing. This is How Carbon Capture Can Reduce Radiative Forcing.
When greenhouse gases are discussed many people only think of CO2. However, greenhouse gases are any gas that traps heat in the atmosphere, therefore there are many more Greenhouse Gases Beyond CO2.
