What are Green Roofs? August 5, 2016 Green roofs are literally as the name implies, roofs that are green with plant life that is planted on top of buildings. This practice allows for more vegetation to be installed while not interrupting urban infrastructure. The plants have several uses on top of buildings. Environmentally, these plants will act as a carbon sink and also reduce the amount of runoff from rainwater. Also, the installation of green roofs will help to reduce urban temperatures while also acting…

What is Green Chemistry? August 5, 2016 Green Chemistry is an aspect of modern science that looks into researching and designing of chemicals used in production that will have minimal environmental harm. This field of science differs from cleaning up pollution as it aims to prevent pollutants at the beginning of a product’s life rather than removing refuse at the product’s end life. It is intended to eliminate pollution from a molecular level while finding ways to reduce pollution and hazards from conventional chemicals through…

What is the Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS?) August 5, 2016 Since it was introduced in 1975 at the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, the Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS) is a global operation that collects information to better understand and protect the Earth’s environment. This effort is made with the cooperation of other countries, who contribute data to the GEMS. One of the many projects that the GEMS has been studying has been water quality. Since 1978, the GEMS has examined the…

What is the Global Carbon Budget? August 5, 2016 The Global Carbon Budget is an effort by carbon scientists and the Global Carbon Project to measure carbon levels. This is set up by experts by looking at the exchange of carbon between the atmosphere and the biosphere in the carbon cycle while also factoring changes in land and ocean carbon sinks given the increase of carbon from human activities. The use of the Global Carbon Budget allows for us to understand the seriousness of carbon…

What are Fossil Fuels? August 2, 2016 Fossil Fuels are non-renewable fuels made from the fossilized remains of animal and plant matter that have decomposed over millions of years. Fuels that fall under this category are natural gas, coal, gasoline, diesel, and fuel oils (the last three being refined versions of crude oil). These fuels are used every day to power cars, generators, and sources of heat. Though they are the preferred for of energy and heat, fossil fuels have a huge environmental impact. As…