Environment

Turning Polluted Air to Tiles

An Indian startup called Carbon Craft Design has developed the technology to make tiles from Carbon present in the polluted air. As the world witnesses some positive impact on the environment because of the subdued activity due to the Coronavirus lockdowns, this innovation seems to have the potential to change the course of the fight against climate change.

Crux of the Matter

The world is facing serious problems because of climate change. Many efforts are being made in terms of policymaking, technology, and innovation to tackle climate change. One of the major problems in urban areas is the increasing level of carbon. The construction industry is one of the major sources for the emission of carbon i.e. around 25% to 40% of global emission of carbon comes from the construction business.

Curios Use of Carbon
Carbon Craft Design in collaboration with the Boston-based Air-Ink launched the innovative equipment that captures the pollutants from the air and converts them into tiles. 30,000 liters (30,000,000 cubic centimeters) of air will be purified to make one tile. The process of making the tiles includes cutting, shaping, joining, and filling the mould before finally forming the tiles. The price of the one tile is around ₹190, whereas the conventional tiles range from ₹50-₹1000. 

We utilised the colour of pollution to our aesthetic advantage and created tiles in shades of black only. But since the pollution source varies each time, the shade of black could also vary.

Kishor Avhad, Lead Designer, Carbon Craft Design
Curiopedia
  • A carbon credit is a generic term for any tradable certificate or permit representing the right to emit one tonne of carbon dioxide or the equivalent amount of different greenhouse gas. Carbon credits and carbon markets are a component of national and international attempts to mitigate the growth in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs).
  • Another Indian startup called Graviky Labs uses carbon (released by factories and automobiles) to transform it into ink, oil-based paints and fabric paints. With their proprietary electrostatic filter called Kaalink, they capture pollutants from vehicles or generators, reportedly without impacting engine performance and transform it into this revolutionary product which they call “Air-Ink”.
  • Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company’s stated mission is to “help bring creative projects to life”. As of December 2019, Kickstarter has received more than $4.6 billion in pledges from 17.2 million backers to fund 445,000 projects.
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Chernobyl Redux?

Chernobyl experienced an upswing in radiation levels. Recent forest-fires worked as a catalyst to increase the radiation level in the restricted area near the nuclear plant.

Crux of the Matter

Fire Near the Plant
Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 impacted the whole of Europe. Due to the nuclear accident, authorities vacated people living within 30 km of the site located near the city of Pripyat in Ukraine. On Saturday fire broke out in the wilderness around the nuclear plant. Because of the forest fire, there has been a spike in the radiation contamination in the air. The radiation levels recorded were 16 times more than the normal level. The fire has spread to about 100 hectares of the region.

To fight against the forest fire, Ukraine sent two planes with one helicopter backed by a unit of 100 firefighters. On Sunday morning emergency services said that the fire was not visibly burning and no increase in radiation level was recorded. The Ukrainian Government was planning to open up this site with a green corridor for tourists. The area without any human interference has developed a lot of natural beauty. The Ukrainian government wants to alter Chernobyl’s negative image. A recent historical drama on HBO named “Chernobyl” has made viewers across the world and in the newer generation conscious about the forgotten incident of the nuclear radiation break out in the Chernobyl plant. 

Curiopedia

Chernobyl

  • Many companies provide tour services for the villages and areas near the Chernobyl site to provide tourists with safe post-apocalyptic world experience.
  • Last year HBO released a miniseries titled “Chernobyl” which revolves around the nuclear disaster. It is the 5th Highest rated series on IMDb as of today.
  • Chernobyl is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history and is one of only two nuclear energy disasters rated at seven—the maximum severity—on the International Nuclear Event Scale, the other being the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan.
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COVID-19 Side effects: Can Earth’s Environment Recover and Hit a Reset Button?

environment

The flagship environmental channel, National Geographic and the reputed fact checker, Snopes recently debunked social media claims regarding improvement in the environment like increased dolphin and swan sightings in Italy. In the meantime, this has spiked up fresh debate between environmentalists and scientists worldwide: Can the human social isolation adopted to fight against the ongoing COVID-19, do any good to revive Nature? Or is it just a temporary distraction to the underlying problem at hand, i.e the pandemic itself?

Crux of the Matter

Small Step To Giant Leap in Carbon Footprint Reduction?
The transportation sector is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. As per reports released by researchers at Columbia University (CU), emission of carbon monoxide from cars and planet heating Carbon Dioxide (CO2), has reduced by nearly 50% as compared to 2019, improving the overall environment. With schools and businesses adopting strict work from home policy worldwide, there could be a further decrease in travel carbon footprint.

An analysis by China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment suggests that there has been a 35% drop in energy usage of fossil fuels like coal, over a two week period due to less industrial activities. The Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimates it to be equivalent to 200 million tons of CO2. In Europe, satellite images show nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions receding in northern Italy, Spain, and the UK.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center:
The Epicentre of COVID-19’s Pollution Footprint changed in just about a month!

On the flip side, the household carbon footprint has the potential to increase. It depends mainly on weather conditions, geography and different family lifestyles followed at home. According to Jacqueline Klopp, co-director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development at CU, “People may spend more time watching television or using appliances if they’re cooped up in their houses, increasing household’s carbon footprint.”

India Takes Deep Breaths as Air Quality Improves
Over 90 cities in the nation have recorded minimum air pollution recently during the ongoing 21 days lockdown period aimed to control COVID-19. As per figures generated by the Government-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), there has been a noteworthy drop in PM2.5 (fine particulate pollutant) by 30 percent in Delhi. In Pune, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) pollution has reduced by 43 percent, in Mumbai, by 38 percent, and in Ahmedabad, by 50 percent.

What Has Happened in the Past?
Julia Pongratz, professor at the University of Munich, Germany, discovered that epidemics left subtle prints on atmospheric CO2 levels, by measuring tiny bubbles trapped in ancient ice cores. The list included epidemics such as the Black Death in Europe in the 14th Century and smallpox in South America. Even in the case of a financial crash of 2008-09, there was an overall dip in emissions of 1.3%. Combined emissions from manufacturing, industrial processes and construction round up to 18.4% of global anthropogenic emissions.


Growth of global carbon emissions halved during 2008-2009 recession

Challenge Yet to be Addressed: Clean Energy Plans Paused
A global recession as a result of coronavirus shutdowns could stall the shift to clean energy. If capital markets lock up, it will become difficult for companies to secure financing for planned wind and electric grid projects, and it could bomb proposals already made or new projects. Low prices could further depress electric-vehicle sales and make people less inclined toward projects like retrofitting energy-saving homes and offices.

As a matter of fact, the world’s largest share of solar panels, wind turbines, and lithium-ion batteries are produced in China. The Dragon land is already relaxing environmental supervision of companies to stimulate its economy, which means that the aforementioned 25% cut in carbon emissions could evaporate, followed by even more emissions than before. Similarly, US has a $2 trillion stimulus bill passed earlier this week and is being popularised as the largest fiscal stimulus package in modern American history. It does include direct payments to individuals and extended unemployment benefits but not relief for renewables, such as crucial tax credit extensions for solar and wind energy.

Sneak Peek to a Zero-Carbon Economy?
The world can have a promising future of coexistence of both Human Beings, natural environment and other living species including birds and animals if there is both public and political will with international cooperation. Policymakers can further move forward with their climatic plans of action while keeping the global economy stable, as stated by the European Green Deal, a new policy package that commits European Union member states to zero emissions by 2050.

On the digital front, Tech giant IBM has already launched a Call for Code Global Challenge which addresses both climate change and COVID-19 and shall involve different coding communities round the globe. With the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow planned to be derailed till the pandemic cools down, online environmental activism is parallelly being carried out. Thus not with mere words, but by actual actions, we can look forward to a greener, more sustainable future.

India doing it’s own part in bringing together willing climate patriots

Complete coverage of the Global Coronavirus effect

Curiopedia

A carbon footprint is historically defined as the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. Greenhouse gases, including the carbon-containing gases carbon dioxide and methane, can be emitted through the burning of fossil fuels, land clearance and the production and consumption of food, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, transportation and other services.

An individual’s, nation’s, or organization’s carbon footprint can be measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment, a life cycle assessment, or other calculative activities denoted as carbon accounting. More Info

2017 co2
Global emissions increased from 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 1900 to over 36 billion tonnes 115 years later.

Air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. WHO data shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing high levels of pollutants in the environment. From smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate. The combined effects of ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution cause about seven million premature deaths every year.80% people are affected by its unfortunate consequences, in the form of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. More Info

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Reliance Industries to use plastics in road construction

India, that uses about 14 million tonnes of plastic annually, lacks an organized system for the management of plastic waste, leading to widespread littering. Amidst growing concerns over pollution, Reliance Industries is launching a project to use plastics in road construction.

Crux of the Matter
  • RIL seeks to work with NHAI and individual states to potentially supply a plastics-infused mix to make roads.
  • Reliance wants to use light plastics, carry bags or snack wrappers, that are typically not viable to recycle and that end up in landfills, street corners or oceans and rather mix it with bitumen, a formula which is cheaper and long-lasting.
  • Vipul Shah, the COO of the RIL petrochemicals said, ” This can be a game-changing project both for our environment and our roads.”
  • Sunil Dahiya, Analyst at the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air said, “It is happening internationally and now has started percolating to India too, though it’s at a very early stage.”
  • PM Narendra Modi is urging India to end the consumption of single-use plastics by 2022. 
Curiopedia

Plastic roads are made entirely of plastic or of composites of plastic with other materials. Plastic roads are different from standard roads in the respect that standard roads are made from asphalt concrete, which consists of mineral aggregates and asphalt. There are two kinds of Plastic roads. One consists of modular, hollow and prefabricated road elements made from consumer waste plastics and others that consist of an asphalt mix with plastic waste incorporated into the asphalt mixture. The technology was initially developed and patented by Rajagopalan Vasudevan of the Thiagarajar College of Engineering. This method will help in making roads much faster and also will save the environment from dangerous plastic waste. More Info

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India’s Coffee Production output slashed by 50%

Due to the extensive torrential rains, floods and landslide damaged the coffee plantations in August-September 2019; India’s Arabica production has hit an all-time low this coffee-picking season.

Crux of the Matter
  • Most Arabica farmers have reported a production decline of 50%. The exact size of the output for this year will be known by the end of January.
  • The entire topsoil got washed away and farmers didn’t have funds to maintain their gardens. The crop is poor and the quantity too low this season.
  • Torrential rains washed away a big chunk of plantations and destroyed coffee plants in Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu and Wayanad districts.
  • Five years ago, India’s Arabica production was 1.5 lakh tonnes. It reduced to 80,000 tonnes in 2018.
  • H.T. Pramod, Karnataka Planters Association said, “This is the worst Arabica crop we have seen. The berry quantity per plant is too low. We used to get at least 300 kg of parchment coffee per acre. We are getting only some 100 kg this season.’’
Curiopedia

Coffea Arabica is also known as the Arabian coffee. It is believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated and is the dominant cultivar, representing about 60% of global production. Coffee produced from the robusta bean makes up most of the remaining coffee production. Arabica coffee was first found in Yemen and documented by the 12th century. Wild plants grow between 9 and 12 m (30 and 39 ft) tall and have an open branching system. More Info

Coffee production in India is dominated in the hill tracts of South Indian states, with Karnataka accounting for 71%, followed by Kerala with 21% and Tamil Nadu with 5%. Indian coffee is said to be the finest coffee grown in the shade rather than direct sunlight anywhere in the world. Almost 80% of Indian coffee is exported. Italy accounts for 29% of the exports. The two well-known species of coffee grown are the Arabica and Robusta. More Info

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