Climate changes

Climate changes can have a positive effect, if is not rapid. For example, a warmer climate could provide higher yields in norther Europe but on other areas could cause drough and famine. But it is expeted that the disadvantages are far higher than the benifits.

Many adverse effects of climate changes are now largely irreversible, and even if emissions of carbon dioxide are locked, global temperatures will remaine high until the next centuries. An international team of researchers say that "People thought that if we failed to emit carbon dioxide, the climate return to normal in 100 or 200 years. This is not true.", says Susan Solomon of the National Admistration for the Oceans and Atmospheric Admistration (NOAA) of the United Sates.

So genetic engineering has had many good benefits and bad benefits along our history. But still we need it every day and for some people this outcomes means life or death. The manipulation of genes can be dangerous because we can create a CARROT MONSTER!!!!!!!! Like this->

source:http://www.google.com

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/09/23/gm_food_4.jpg

Bad outcomes of Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering also has many bad outcomes. This is very dangerous because new versions of bacteria, virus, and pathogens can be created. These new forms of virus and bacteria can be stronger and deadlier. We may not be able to fight them off and we can die or have really bad health problems for the rest of our lives as an outcome. When scientists manipulate genes to make a new stronger version of any gene, sometimes their work doesn’t work as planed and it is made a weaker version of this gene. This is dangerous because now the part of the bad that the gene belongs is now weaker and it is putting the body’s health at risk.

Good Outcomes of Genetic Engineering

Genetic engineering has many good outcomes. Vaccines for example, are used every day by thousand of hospitals and medical centers and they are made from genetically engineered virus. This virus is dead or weakened. Another thing that was made through genetic engineering and is used by millions of people is Insulin. Insulin is made by taking the insulin gene from the human chromosomes and replacing them in bacteria and now that bacteria will reproduce and make human insulin.

Source: http://www.google.com
http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/bitesize/standard/img/biology/genetic-eng.gif

What is genetic manipulation or genetic engineering?

Genetic engineering is the process of removing genes and relocating them in other cells or bacteria.
This new technology is very important because we can manipulate our own DNA in many ways and create stronger immune systems, better physical ability and smarter brains. We can creature a new version of any species by changing their DNA and making them have other traits that they didn’t have.

Toxic Waste

Toxic waste can kill or injury living creatures and it can be easily spread and contaminates soils and water. Some companies, instead of paying a fortune to safely throw out their toxic waste, they simply dump it in rivers, lakes and in the sea. This cause the death of fishes and can end in a fishing boat, humans eating this fishe can get injured or even dead getting seriouse diseases.

This is a serious probleme that some industries, illegally, don't respect to save some money but ending by killing many living creatures.

Recycling colors

The colors of recycling are the color of recycling bin to indicate the material that recycles:

Blue – paper:
Deposit:
-packaging of milk and juice
-paper bags
- Magazines and newspapers
No deposit:
-fat card
-bags of cement
-diapers

Green – glass:
Deposit:
-bottles
-jars
No deposit:
-mirrors
-cups

Yellow – plastic:
Deposit:
-bags
-Styrofoam
-bottles
-can
No deposit:
- Packages of butter
- Batteries
- Cutlery

source: http://www.domal.pt/upload/pt_vantagens_reciclagem.pdf
http://www.greencar.com.sg/images/uploads/2955-06_angle.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVnqN980PQYpKzAbh-4Fh5OxAvX-aA1NCu95qEjFbabFXoQ236bI6lNupZ9zdrngSBIfhEQGaw8eEBrfRhugPxAIWw4POpeqDM2eJJTlRVRQXLN4aXQuHTj9ZGwwbhpP-Tz9PZwEeByOU/s320/Vidr%C3%A3o.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8lpq5e_3Wm8eyYoxld-T12W_nlYuIp0CBohwmnBgTiJJIqWZW6GuYHtRuXdJEqruGpPlM-b9jj_YIWFiX9sKKWG0sSy7tR9epR1wpx_qG8fTftDu1ZaY0ZfB-EwocrrqhJ3reqm-7qpX/s400/ecoponto-amarelo100.gif

Recycling Cycle

The cycle of recycling is the general process of recycling of materials.
For example, a can of juice:

I drink the juice and put the can in the recycling bin. A truck takes it to a recycling center, where its process and transformed into a new can and its resold.

source: http://www.scottsdalecc.edu/green/images/recycle_metalani.gif

Importance of recycling

Recycling is very important for our planet. It saves raw materials, reduces greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, reduces the cost of non-renewable energy, waste accumulated in landfills, reduces water pollution and other. With the recycling people have a quality of life much better.

Source: http://www.domal.pt/upload/pt_vantagens_reciclagem.pdf
http://www.cm-mirandela.pt/index.php?oid=716&id

Benefits of recycling

Recycling has environmental benefits, economic and social:

-Environmental:
Recycling can reduce waste accumulated, gas emissions, the pollution of soils, air and water.
-Economic:
Recycling contributes to the use of natural resources.
-Social:
Recycling creates jobs and provides better quality of life.


Benefits of recycling paper and cardboard:
Recycling one tone of paper to:
-Save between 15 to 20 trees;
-Need 50 to 200 times less water (equivalent to a daily intake of 1000 people;
-Consumes 2 to 3 times less energy;
-Reduces by 75% atmospheric emissions, by 25% discharges to water and consumes 45% less oxygen during the process.

Benefits of recycling plastic:
The recycling of plastic to:
-Saving non-renewable raw materials such as OIL;
-Reduce energy consumption in production of plastic.

Benefits of recycling metal:
Recycling one ton of metal to:
-Saves 1.5 tons of iron ore, 75 trees, 70% energy and 40% water.

Benefits of recycling glass:
The production of recycled glass to:
-Save 20% of raw;
-Reduces 20% of air pollution;
-Reduces 10% of waste.

Source: http://www.domal.pt/upload/pt_vantagens_reciclagem.pdf

Greenhouses

What is a greenhouse?

It's a house that focuses on increasing the efficiency of water, energy and materials ressources used.

In the United States, more than 50% of the energy is used on buildings, greenhouses help to reduce a huge amount of that energy. The excessive use of energy on buildings are underestimated and since greenhouses cost tree times more, people don't want to spend so much to protect the ecosystem.

Greenhouses use solar and wind energy to reduce the use of ressources to produce the same energy. It uses recycled materials for construction and orientate the windows to the sun. Making bigger windows they are able to improve the heating in the house reducing the need for electric heaters.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building

Desforestation

Trees make photosynthesis, so they turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. This carbon is stored in the tree and, consequently, when trees are cutted and burned they realese that CO2 into the atmosphere, causing an increase in greenhouse gases.
According to FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization, 25to 30 percent of greenhouse gases that are realesed into the atmosphere comes from desforestation. Despite all the efforts to conserve biodiversity, desforestation continues to grow at a rate of about 13 millions hectares per year, the equivalent to 36 football fields per minute. And we can not forget that trees take thousands of years to grow, so we have to start to planting trees for the next generation.
To reduce desforestation there are some measures that we can take, sush as: increasing the productivity on agriculture areas, so that we don't have to cut trees to make more places to framing; recycle, to reduce the number of cutted trees that origin materials like paper.

Endangered Species‏

In the coming decades, thousands of plants and animals may be extint.

Animals like pular bear can die because climate changes are destroying their habitat, and they don't have the capacity to move to other places to live.Whe think that "that is just in the future", but in the fact the time has passed and, on the present, everything is happening faster and faster. We have to worry about all this things, because we are living beings too.

Children born in this century possibly just see animals, that are comuns now, in books or zoos.

Greenhouse effect

Since the formation of the earth there are natural climate changes. But man has had a
predominant position in the climate changes.
During the past 100 years, the temperature of the earth increase about 0.5ºC. It may not seem to be like much, bue due to our planet has a delicate ecosystem, the minimum 0.5ºC can lead ice melting, extintion of some species, drastic climate changes, increasing of desets, etc.
But how does the man causes an increase in greenhouse effect? Through of desforestation, the burning of fossil fuels, amoung others, that, when pollutant gases are emited to the atmosphere, prevent heat escape out of the atmosphere and, consequently, cause an increase in greenhou effect.

Solar Energy

Renewable energies are inexhaustible because they take advantage of nature’s elements.
In the next four posts I will talk about four kinds of this energy resource.


www.maisenergias.com

The Solar Energy is radiation that derives from the sun, which may be captured and transformed into an energy directly used by human being, in order to warm the house water (process made by solar collectors) or for electric energy production (process made by photovoltaics).

Solar collectors – How do they work?
These panels absorb the radiation emitted by the sun, warming their interior, mainly, the collector plate, which is made with materials that are good absorbers, and also good emitters (this is, metals like aluminum or copper). So, the solar radiation absorbed is transformed into a less energetic radiation, this is, infrared radiation. There’s a glass cover on the panel’s surface, which allows the solar radiation to enter to the panel interior, but it doesn’t allow the infrared radiation getting out of the system, creating a greenhouse effect. And so, the cold water is warmed by the heated collector plate, and then, it’s ready for those hot baths!

www.dispaq.com

How does a photovoltaic work?
These panels are composed by solar cells, which capture sunlight, and then they create a potential difference. So, the solar cells use the photovoltaic effect to absorb solar energy, and then making the electric current flow between two layers with opposite charges.


www.labeee.ufsc.br

Source:

www.maisenergias.com
www.wikipedia.com
ONTEM E HOJE - Física e Química A 10º ano

Wind Energy

This kind of energy has been exploited since the classical civilizations used it on their boats, or on windmills.

Nowadays, it is used to move wind generators (mills that, using generators, produce electric energy).

It is considered a clean energy, because it’s use doesn’t produce any kind of toxic waste or pollutants. The cost of wind energy parks’ construction and maintenance are low, which is another good point.
But there’s one inconvenient:
These parks originate a strong change in the landscape, and the abandon of fertile lands, and also, the nearby noise level is very high.


www.geografia.seed.pr.gov.br

Source:

www.maisenergias.com
www.wikipedia.com
ONTEM E HOJE - Física e Química A 10º ano

Water Energy

This is the energy stored on the waters in the reservoirs of the dams. It is transformed into electric energy by the passage of water in a turbine that is linked to an electric generator.

Out of the electric energy production, the water energy has other impacts, because dams can originate the disappearance of populations. On the good side, it can contribute to the nearby terrain’s irrigation, which makes them more productive.


http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/380/cahorawr4.png

Source:

www.maisenergias.com
www.wikipedia.com
ONTEM E HOJE - Física e Química A 10º ano

Geothermic Energy

This one takes advantage of the energy of the materials in fusion on Earth’s interior. So, it means that it can just be applied on volcanic areas.

In this system, the reservoirs of subterranean water at high temperatures (of about 400º C) are used to trigger the turbines (this is, the steam that comes from those waters is the responsible of making the turbines work), and then, start generating electric energy.

This kind of energy system doesn’t pollute, even though you can see an emission of a white steam, that isn’t more that water steam.
Although, the costs of construction and maintenance of these systems are very high.


www.revistapascal.com.br

Source:

www.maisenergias.com
www.wikipedia.com
ONTEM E HOJE - Física e Química A 10º ano

Climate Change

The climate change is one of the most concerning problems on earth now a days. Climate change like global warming is making serious problems. In consequence we have ice melting that increases the sea level rising and temperatures increasing dangerously in some countries. This comes mostly from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and deforestation.

If you are interested you can watch this movie on Youtube :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzjOcOcQ90U

(I'm sorry I couldn't upload the video)

Source:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/home_en.htm

Population Growth

Population is growing for about o.1% and 3%, for each country, every year. But countries like Germany it is actually decreasing. Population growth affect more the southern countries like in Africa and the problem is here, Africa is one of the continents with the most problems like food, water and diseases and population growing isn’t helping. With more habitants to feed and the lack of food these countries are having problems to feed every one and conditions to live are getting worse.The world growth rate is more than 1% and scientists predict that in 2067, the 6.5 billion habitants that we have now will become 13 billions .
With population growing in most countries and some can’t afford to feed every one, some are in great difficulties to handle that.


"Annual population growth rate in percent, as listed in the CIA World Factbook (2006 estimate)."

Source:

http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/populationgrow.htm