scholarly journals Is it Possible to Stabilize the Earth Climate by Transition to Renewable Energy?

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
V.S. Arutyunov
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Ir Radiation ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Progressive Development ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Intellectual Potential

The evolution of the Universe proceeds through the persistent complication of the appearing objects. As the constituent objects become more complex, the intensity of their energy exchange with the environment increases, which is necessary to counteract entropic processes. Our Civilization is the most complex of the natural systems, with the development of which its energy consumption has constantly increased and will inevitably increase in the future. This will happen regardless of the sources of energy, be it fossil hydrocarbons, thermonuclear energy, or solar radiation, which is the only primary source of all renewable energy. The use of the latter on a global scale will reduce the Earth’s albedo. Maintaining the thermal balance of the Earth by increasing the emission of low-potential IR radiation into space will require an increase in surface temperature. Thus, the current strategy of managing climate processes by reducing greenhouse gas emissions is in princi¬ple not capable of preventing the inevitable future global warming caused by the progressive development of Civilization, but will require enormous funds, energy, natural resources and intellectual potential. Until more realistic ideas about the ways of development of Civilization and the corresponding strategic decisions are put forward, the most rational tactic of our relationship with the environment is not to stave off inevitable changes, but to prepare for them.

GENERATION AND PROPERTIES OF INFRARED RADIATION

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-137
Author(s):  
RUSTAM KHAKIMOVICH RAKHIMOV
Keyword(s):  
Electromagnetic Radiation ◽  
Infrared Radiation ◽  
Radiation Spectrum ◽  
Laws Of Nature ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Ceramic Materials ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Ir Radiation ◽  
Scattering Of Light

The article presents the main basic laws of nature and modern theories of the nature of electromagnetic radiation, its generation, characteristics, and laws of reflection, absorption and scattering of light. The principle of transformation of the radiation spectrum of the primary source using the developed ceramic materials are shown, as well as experimental results of the interaction of IR radiation with matter and various mechanisms of influence on various objects and processes are described.

scholarly journals Effects of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Urban Light Emissions: Ground and Satellite Comparison

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 258
Author(s):  
Máximo Bustamante-Calabria ◽  
Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel ◽  
Susana Martín-Ruiz ◽  
Jose-Luis Ortiz ◽  
José M. Vílchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Activity ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Clear Correlation ◽  
Light Pollution ◽  
Nocturnal Activity ◽  
Empirical Expression ◽  
Anthropogenic Aerosol ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Sky Brightness ◽  
The City

‘Lockdown’ periods in response to COVID-19 have provided a unique opportunity to study the impacts of economic activity on environmental pollution (e.g., NO2, aerosols, noise, light). The effects on NO2 and aerosols have been very noticeable and readily demonstrated, but that on light pollution has proven challenging to determine. The main reason for this difficulty is that the primary source of nighttime satellite imagery of the earth is the SNPP-VIIRS/DNB instrument, which acquires data late at night after most human nocturnal activity has already occurred and much associated lighting has been turned off. Here, to analyze the effect of lockdown on urban light emissions, we use ground and satellite data for Granada, Spain, during the COVID-19 induced confinement of the city’s population from 14 March until 31 May 2020. We find a clear decrease in light pollution due both to a decrease in light emissions from the city and to a decrease in anthropogenic aerosol content in the atmosphere which resulted in less light being scattered. A clear correlation between the abundance of PM10 particles and sky brightness is observed, such that the more polluted the atmosphere the brighter the urban night sky. An empirical expression is determined that relates PM10 particle abundance and sky brightness at three different wavelength bands.

The Strait of Magellan—a Gateway to New Worlds

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Onetto Pavez
Keyword(s):  
Global Scale ◽  
Modern World ◽  
American Continent ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Strait Of Magellan ◽  
The World ◽  
The Strait Of Magellan ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Time

The year 2020 marks the five hundredth anniversary of the “discovery” of the Strait of Magellan. The unveiling of this passage between 1519 and 1522 allowed the planet to be circumnavigated for the first time in the history of humanity. All maritime routes could now be connected, and the idea of the Earth, in its geographical, cosmographic, and philosophical dimensions, gained its definitive meaning. This discovery can be considered one of the founding events of the modern world and of the process of globalization that still continues today. This new connectivity awoke an immediate interest in Europe that led to the emergence of a political consciousness of possession, domination, and territorial occupation generalized on a global scale, and the American continent was the starting point for this. This consciousness also inspired a desire for knowledge about this new form of inhabiting the world. Various fields of knowledge were redefined thanks to the new spaces and measurements produced by the discovery of the southern part of the Americas, which was recorded in books on cosmography, natural history, cartography, and manuscripts, circulating mainly between the Americas and Europe. All these processes transformed the Strait of Magellan into a geopolitical space coveted by Europeans during the 16th century. As an interoceanic connector, it was used to imagine commercial routes to the Orient and political projects that could sustain these dynamics. It was also conceived as a space to speculate on the potential wealth in the extreme south of the continent. In addition, on the Spanish side, some agents of the Crown considered it a strategic place for imperial projections and the defense of the Americas.

scholarly journals Evaluation of coral reef carbonate production models at a global scale

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1339-1356 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. S. Jones ◽  
A. Ridgwell ◽  
E. J. Hendy
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Coral Cover ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Carbonate Production ◽  
Future Global Warming ◽  
Atmospheric Co2 Concentrations

Abstract. Calcification by coral reef communities is estimated to account for half of all carbonate produced in shallow water environments and more than 25% of the total carbonate buried in marine sediments globally. Production of calcium carbonate by coral reefs is therefore an important component of the global carbon cycle; it is also threatened by future global warming and other global change pressures. Numerical models of reefal carbonate production are needed for understanding how carbonate deposition responds to environmental conditions including atmospheric CO2 concentrations in the past and into the future. However, before any projections can be made, the basic test is to establish model skill in recreating present-day calcification rates. Here we evaluate four published model descriptions of reef carbonate production in terms of their predictive power, at both local and global scales. We also compile available global data on reef calcification to produce an independent observation-based data set for the model evaluation of carbonate budget outputs. The four calcification models are based on functions sensitive to combinations of light availability, aragonite saturation (Ωa) and temperature and were implemented within a specifically developed global framework, the Global Reef Accretion Model (GRAM). No model was able to reproduce independent rate estimates of whole-reef calcification, and the output from the temperature-only based approach was the only model to significantly correlate with coral-calcification rate observations. The absence of any predictive power for whole reef systems, even when consistent at the scale of individual corals, points to the overriding importance of coral cover estimates in the calculations. Our work highlights the need for an ecosystem modelling approach, accounting for population dynamics in terms of mortality and recruitment and hence calcifier abundance, in estimating global reef carbonate budgets. In addition, validation of reef carbonate budgets is severely hampered by limited and inconsistent methodology in reef-scale observations.

scholarly journals Renewable energy development in Hungary

2012 ◽  
pp. 73-77
Author(s):  
Orsolya Nagy
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Fuel Prices ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Renewable Energy Development

Due to the exhaustion of the fossile fuel reserves of the Earth, the increase of fossile fuel prices and the difficulties concerning stable fuel supply, the increase of electricity production from renewable energy sources has a special strategic importance. In this study, I am going to evaluate the circumstances of the production and use of renewable energy sources in Hungary and in the European Union. I present the Hungarian economic, energy policy-related and social circumstances which make it necessary to support renewable energy production. I am going to give an overview on the related EU strategies concerning the sector and the Hungarian development plan in this field. I pay particular attention to the examination of development opportunities and the R&D activities going on in this area in Hungary, as well as the efficiency of the means used to improve renewable energy use.

Smart Cities and Smart Societies

2021 ◽  
pp. 129-152
Author(s):  
Roberto Pagani ◽  
Gian Vincenzo Fracastoro
Keyword(s):  
Smart Cities ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Local Systems ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Post Shock ◽  
Uncertain Future ◽  
The City

The post-shock scenario is outlined: an uncertain future with a “new normality.” The embryos of the new paradigm are alongside the powerful discontinuity generated by COVID-19. With examples and anecdotes from Shanghai and China, a transformation already underway is portrayed. No more perfect shock could be thought to reconsider the role of humans on this planet, on our cities. There is a crucial need for resilience of local systems, for short chains, for autonomous energy and food self-sufficiency, for decentralizing essential products. Security and contingency plans are needed and must operate on a global scale, but at the same time at the country and the city level. The future must be reinvented, acting in depth, for shifting from “exploitation” to “cooperation” with natural systems. Topics are education, work, services, transport, food safety.

scholarly journals Contributing to the progress of descriptive taxonomy

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1968 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
ZHI-QIANG ZHANG
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Analysis ◽  
Molecular Systematics ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Grass Roots ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The World ◽  
Molecular Studies ◽  
Types Of Information

One of the fundamental quests of biology is discovering how many species inhabit the Earth. Yet the vast majority of the world’s animal species are waiting to be discovered, named and described—estimates of the total number vary from 5 to 30 million.  Most biologists would agree that taxonomy is important and fundamental to credible biology, and descriptive taxonomy is the most important task of taxonomy (Wheeler 2007). Unfortunately, the reality is that descriptive taxonomy has been marginalized since the mid-1950s and has sustained serious losses in funding and academic positions in universities and museums around the world, especially since phylogenetic and molecular studies became popular in the last twenty years.  During this period, there has also been an important historical trend in taxonomic publishing—many journal publishers/editors have been making increasing demands on authors to provide phylogenetic analysis, molecular systematics, and other modern types of information in taxonomic papers. In addition, there are long publication delays and/or increasing page charges for many journals that do publish descriptive taxonomic papers. Zootaxa was founded in 2001 to provide a much-needed outlet for descriptive taxonomic papers and monographs that are difficult to publish elsewhere, and as a result has received tremendous support from taxonomists worldwide, despite the fact that it is a grass-roots project without support from government and institutions (Zhang 2006a).  Zootaxa satisfied the publishing need of many zoological taxonomists, and sustained a period of rapid growth during 2001 to 2006 (Zhang 2006b). During the last two years, it has continued to grow in size, and especially in its impact, and has become a major force in reviving descriptive taxonomy on a global scale.  Here I summarize some encouraging data on the growth of Zootaxa and its impact.  I also comment on its contribution to the progress of  descriptive taxonomy.

scholarly journals Sustainability in the Anthropocene: Between Extinction and Populism

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2538
Author(s):  
Manuel Arias-Maldonado
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Policy Goal ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
The Face ◽  
The One

The pursuit of environmental sustainability has been affected by two significant developments in the last years. On the one hand, the Anthropocene hypothesis suggests that the human impact on the environment has increased to such a degree, that natural systems are now disrupted at a planetary level. The most dangerous manifestation of the Anthropocene is climate change, where there is need for greater urgency in the face of insufficient climate action. There are a number of scientists who currently warn of the possibility that failing to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere may render the Earth uninhabitable in the first place. A first goal of this paper is thus to ponder how the sustainability paradigm may be affected in the face of this threat and whether, in fact, sustainability may be displaced by “habitability”. On the other hand, some climate policies are eliciting the reaction of a populist movement—from Trumpism to the gilets jaunes in France—that opposes the rise of environmentally-related taxes and denies climate change or questions the severity of its effects. Both as a concept and as a policy goal, sustainability thus finds itself under double pressure: as it must focus on keeping the planet inhabitable, while the political opposition to measures directed towards decarbonization also increases. In what follows, the paper suggests that sustainability should be understood as a technocratic project to keep the planet safe for humanity rather than imposing a new way of life for all its inhabitants. This is not to imply that moral or ideological debate is to be curtailed, but rather to differentiate between achieving environmental sustainability and seeking the reshaping of socionatural relations.

Science, Development and Humanity

1998 ◽  
pp. 198-202
Author(s):  
V. Mantatov ◽  
I. Lambaeva
Keyword(s):  
Social Behavior ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Hierarchical Systems ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Surrounding World ◽  
Adequate Knowledge ◽  
The World ◽  
Negative Phenomena

The formation of a new scientific picture of the world is connected with the necessity of subjectivity. This subjectivity posits no limits for the scientific aspects of cognitive processes, but embraces a comprehensive world of spiritual activity. To choose the most effective model of social behavior, it is important to have an adequate knowledge of reality (i.e., the objective regularities of the surrounding world). Modern science reflects the vagueness of reality and, in consequence, the impossibility of using classical approaches. Increasingly, the negative phenomena of the surrounding world reflects the complexity of natural and socio-natural systems, especially on the global scale. Restrictions of the classical approaches to this complexity can be overcome within the synergistic theories or hierarchical systems theory that are becoming more and more popular. The necessity of appeal to modern theories, initiated as the result of ecological crises, stimulates the processes of new paradigm formation in science, acting often in spite of the needs and motives of society.

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