Net zero – site de știri și informații utile

Net Zero powered by Pur și Simplu Verde provides concise news, articles, and useful information about the goal of achieving net zero emissions

Net zero refers to reaching an equilibrium between emitting greenhouse gases and absorbing them. The European Union wants to reach net zero (climate neutrality) by 2050. This website publishes new scientific discoveries, local and foreign initiatives, and public policies meant to bring us closer to net zero. It was created combining Artificial Intelligence and human input from our volunteers. It is accessible in both Romanian and in English.You can send us articles you want to see published on this site or suggestions here. Enjoy!

When are we going to fly commercial hydrogen-powered airplanes?

Feb 6, 202301 min citire
Când vom avea avioane comerciale alimentate cu hidrogen?

Rolls-Royce and EasyJet recently conducted a successful test of a hydrogen powered aero engine. The AE 2100-A turboprop engine was used in the test. The two companies have successfully demonstrated that hydrogen can generate power efficiently and safely. This is proof that their plans for CO2-neutral aviation in 2050 are on the right track. Hydrogen-powered aircraft engines have been experimented with since the 1950s, but we are now edging closer to commercial viability. However, there are still many practical problems that need to be solved ,such as the greater volume needed for hydrogen fuel and the challenge of keeping it in liquid form. In order to accommodate hydrogen fuel, an existing aircraft would have to be redesigned entirely. Airbus...

A new future for old wind turbine blades

Feb 5, 202302 min citire
Un nou viitor pentru palele vechi de eoliene

Continuum, a Denmark-based company, is building six wind turbine blade recycling factories across Europe and will begin taking end-of-life blades by the end of the year. The first one will be located in Esbjerg, Denmark, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. The other factories will be located in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Turkey. The construction of all six factories should be completed by the end of the decade. Each factory will have the capacity to recycle 36,000 tonnes of end-of-life turbine blades each year and will be powered by 100% green energy. Continuum...

Solar panels in French car parks

Feb 4, 202302 min citire
Panouri solare în parcările din Franța

The French Senate recently approved a law requiring car parks with 80 or more spaces to have solar panels installed within five years. Larger parking lots with over 400 spaces need to comply in the next three years. Failure to comply will result in a fine of 50 euros per parking spot per month until the requirements are met. Large car parks must install solar panels covering at least half of the property. The government estimates the plan could generate up to 11 gigawatts of power, equivalent to 10 nuclear reactors. Parking lots with architectural, environmental, heritage, or other proven restraints may be exempt, as well as car parks with at least half of their property shaded by trees and parking lots for heavy goods vehicles ...

Bamboo and rattan, two alternatives for plastic

Feb 3, 202302 min citire
Bambusul și ratanul, alternative pentru plastic

The Second Global Bamboo and Rattan Congress (BARC 2022) was held in Beijing, China between November 7-8, to promote the use of bamboo and rattan as nature-based solutions to reduce plastic pollution and reach net-zero emissions. BARC 2022 brought together representatives from governments, research institutes, international and non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and the media. Plastic production has skyrocketed in the past decade, with 400 million tonnes now produced annually. However, only 12% of it is incinerated and 9% recycled. Paper is not the solution, as some may think. A study found that paper bags have a higher carbon footprint than plastic shopping bags, making them less environmentally friendly ...

Antartica's Penguins Need Help

Feb 2, 202302 min citire
Pinguinii din Antarctica au nevoie de ajutor

GPS-based technology is being used to help researchers learn more about emperor penguins' feeding patterns, as part of efforts to protect them from environmental threats. Birds at the Cape Crozier emperor colony have been wearing trackers akin to Fitbits that record how far the penguins travel for food. New Zealand and American researchers at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and San Jose State University's Moss Landing Marine Laboratories are working on this project. First, they catch and fit emperor penguins with data loggers, then release them. When the birds return to shore, they are recaptured and the data loggers are retrieved. This research has revealed that during a ...

70-story tall wind turbine will be built in China

Feb 1, 202301 min citire
Turbină eoliană înaltă de 70 de etaje va fi construită în China

Compania MingYang a anunțat că va construi MySE 18.X-28X, cea mai mare turbină eoliană din lume, cu pale de 140 de metri fiecare. Această turbină depășește turbina H260-18MW care este în curs de construcție de către firma concurentă CSSC și care are pale de ”doar” 128 de metri. Noua turbină MySE 18.X-28X de la MingYang va acoperi într-o rotație o suprafață de 66.052 mp și este proiectată pentru a face față taifunurilor de nivelul 17 cu viteze ale vântului de peste 202 km/h. Se estimează că va produce 80 GWh de energie pe an, ceea ce este suficient pentru a alimenta 96.000 de locuitori. MingYang și CSSC spun că unul din avantajele mega-turbinelor pe care le produc este că permit reducerea costurilor de instalare a parcului eolian și duc, astfel, la reducerea…

Solar Energy Use in Agriculture

Jan 31, 202302 min citire
Energia solară în agricultură

Agrivoltaics is an experimental agricultural method that combines solar energy and crop production by placing solar panels higher than traditional solar farms to accommodate grazing animals and allow more sunlight to reach plants growing beneath them. This approach could be beneficial for both energy generation and crop production. Less direct sunlight helps keep plants cooler during the day, allowing them to retain more moisture and thus require less watering. The solar energy and increased land-use efficiency could increase revenue for farmers, protect access to fresh food for local communities, and add more than 100,000 rural jobs without affecting...

Tripling of Microplastics at the Ocean Floor: A Major Environmental Concern

Jan 30, 202302 min citire
Triplarea cantității de microplastice din ocean: O problemă majoră pentru mediu

A recent study has found that the amount of microplastics found at the bottom of oceans has tripled in the last 20 years. Tiny pieces of plastic debris, smaller than what can be seen with the human eye, have been building up on the seabed at a depth of over 100 meters. Their accumulation mimics the increasing amount of plastic products used by society, such as packaging, bottles, and clothing. The study shows that the world is still far from achieving a reduction in single-use plastic. The team analyzed five sediment cores that were extracted in the Balearic Sea in November 2019, which allowed researchers to see how many microplastics were on the seafloor from 1965, when plastic mass production started, onward. The results show that since 2000, the amount of broken-down plastic particles on the seafloor...

NASA study: 2022 is the fifth warmest year on record, continuing the trend of global warming

Jan 29, 202301 min citire
NASA avertizează: 2022 este al cincilea cel mai cald an înregistrat, iar tendința de încălzire continuă

Earth's average surface temperature in 2022 was the fifth warmest on record, according to an analysis by NASA. This warming trend is due to human activities pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The harmful emissions have rebounded following a short-lived dip in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Arctic region experiences the strongest warming trends – close to four times the global average.NASA has reported that they are deepening their commitment to address climate change by providing state-of-the-art data through their satellites from the Earth System Observatory. Source: NASA

Pollution and Climate Change are Destroying Ocean Ecosystems

Jan 28, 202301 min citire
Poluarea și schimbările climatice distrug ecosistemele oceanelor

The world's oceans have recorded record temperatures in 2022 due to climate change, with 90% of the excess heat being caused by pollution. This warming has devastating effects on underwater life, leading to stratification (the water separates into layers of different degrees of salinity, which no longer mix) and ocean deoxygenation (the exchange of heat, oxygen and carbon between the ocean and the atmosphere is disrupted). Climate change has also caused the temperature on land to rise, leading to atmospheric instability and the amplification of extreme weather events. Scientists warn that until the net zero emissions target is reached, ocean temperatures will continue to rise, further damaging marine life. Source: Phys.org