Eco Slopes

The Greenhouse Effect, undoubtably you have heard of it by now: The inexorable warm up of the planet Earth due to the emission of man-made Carbon Dioxide and other gases. While I am no expert on this subject, I have an all-around knowledge of what it is, and why it is so hard to say whether or not we are actually undergoing greenhouse warming. Here is a general rundown of the Greenhouse Effect, with the astronomer in mind. As you know, the planet Venus is enshrouded by clouds. Venus is also very,... more

In a general sense, the “greenhouse effect” is a natural phenomenon where sunlight passes through the atmosphere and warms the Earth’s surface. Infrared energy is then radiated by the Earth; some of which goes back to space. The heating effect is crucial to permitting the existence of life as we know it on Earth. Water vapor (esp. in the form of clouds) plays the major role in this effect. As temperatures increase, the air can hold more water vapor which can perhaps more... more

Most of the information on the net about the greenhouse effect actually pertains to global warming. Here we explain in detail the actual origin of the term as it pertains to greenhouses or physics of how solar radiation is transformed as it passes through glass. explanation of the physics of the greenhouse effect as it occurs in an actual greenhouse. Different materials may be transparent to different frequencies of light. Glass is transparent to visible light, but much less so to infrared. So... more

The scientific evidence substantiates an increase in annual global surface temperature. Global warming is real and cannot be denied, so what can we do? 1. Control and limit population growth. 2. Encourage space exploration and the colonization of the solar system. 3. Discourage the development, drilling and the consumption of oil. 4. Discourage oil-based automobiles. 5. Develop small localized mass transist solutions that can interface as nodes with other small transportation projects. 6. ... more

Defenders of the “greenhouse effect is good” theory, who propose that we continue burning fossil fuels until every last drop is extracted from the ground say that the greenhouse effect will be a good thing: 1. Cold areas will become tropical and extend growing seasons to feed expanding populations. This is clearly not true. Cold areas may become warmer but they will certainly not become tropical. They will for example still have long dark winters during which nothing will grow. The growing... more

Global Warming Interview with John Daly 1.Once and for all is global warming fact or fiction. Please explain reasons. We must discriminate here between natural warming which may occur through natural variability, and warming which has been (or may become in the future) generated by human activity. Most of the warming in the 20th century occurred before 1940, a large number of scientific papers attributing that warming to the sun. The sun is now hotter and more active than at any time in the last... more

A lot of information about global warming gets slung around from both sides of the issue. Some argue against climate models while others see the merit in climate models. Just so that we are all on the same page I would like to propose the following simple questions to those amongst who have an educated insight into global warming, in particular, to the one’s most familiar with climate models. 1. Will global warming increase or decrease rainfall? Yes, in some areas there will be. In others,... more

More evidence linking acid air pollution and the death of forest trees in the Northeast has surfaced from Cornell University and the Ithaca-based Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research. Two scientists have completed a study showing how acidic clouds contribute to the killing of red spruce trees, one of the Northeast’s dominant forest species, according to the Institute. While previous research pointed to the relationship between acid rain, acidic clouds and damage to the trees, the new... more

Although it is true that most of the energy beamed to earth from an SPS will be radiated into the environment as heat, it does not at all follow that this will result in more or even significant global warming than fossil fuel. First of all, much of the energy in generating stations is expended as heat directly (about 60% as I recall), while in an SPS system the energy is converted much more efficiently (more like 20% waste or less as I recall). This would allow a much larger amount of useful energy... more

The amount of energy available from wind is limited by the sites suitable for major wind installations. Think of this as being like hydroelectric power. Hydro plants can only be usefully located where there’s a significant water flow across a significant drop. Generally, a dam has to be built to create such a situation; Niagara Falls is one of the few exceptions. In the U.S., most of the good sites were developed decades ago. The wind resource maps estimate the resource in terms of wind... more