Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies
Jul 14, 2008 · Solar power. Like wind power, the sun provides a tremendous resource for generating clean and sustainable electricity. The environmental impacts associated with solar power can include land use and habitat loss, water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing, though the types of impacts vary greatly depending on the scale of the system and the technology used—photovoltaic (PV ...
How is Electricity Measured? | Union of Concerned Scientists
Jul 14, 2008 · Watts are a measurement of power, describing the rate at which electricity is being used at a specific moment. For example, a 15-watt LED light bulb draws 15 watts of electricity at any moment when turned on. Watt-hours are a measurement of energy, describing the total amount of electricity used over time. Watt-hours are a combination of how fast the electricity is used (watts) and the length ...
Environmental Impacts of Geothermal Energy - Union of …
Mar 5, 2013 · Air emissions. The distinction between open- and closed-loop systems is important with respect to air emissions. In closed-loop systems, gases removed from the well are not exposed to the atmosphere and are injected back into the ground after giving up their heat, so air emissions are minimal.
Climate Change and Population - Union of Concerned Scientists
Nov 9, 2021 · Which countries are most responsible for climate change? Cumulative carbon dioxide emissions are the dominant driver of climate change. These began rising during the Industrial Revolution (especially after 1850)—which means richer countries like the United States, which made an early transition to a heavily fossil fuel-based economic system, have an outsized role in contributing to the ...
What is Solar Geoengineering? | Union of Concerned Scientists
Oct 29, 2020 · Scientists agree that we need to swiftly and dramatically cut emissions of heat-trapping gases. Also necessary: safely and sustainably removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and accelerating investments to prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Benefits of Renewable Energy Use - Union of Concerned Scientists
Jul 14, 2008 · In contrast, most renewable energy sources produce little to no global warming emissions. Even when including “life cycle” emissions of clean energy (ie, the emissions from each stage of a technology’s life—manufacturing, installation, operation, decommissioning), the global warming emissions associated with renewable energy are minimal [].
How Nuclear Weapons Work | Union of Concerned Scientists
Sep 29, 2016 · Each piece by itself was not enough to constitute a critical mass (the minimum amount of nuclear material needed to maintain fission)—but by colliding the pieces, critical mass was reached and a fission chain reaction occurred.. Modern nuclear weapons work slightly differently. Critical mass depends on the density of the material: as the density increases, the critical mass decreases.
What is Sustainable Agriculture? - Union of Concerned Scientists
Apr 10, 2017 · Sustainable agriculture 101. OK, so sustainable agriculture is the wave of the future. But what is it, exactly? Sustainability has many facets. Environmental sustainability, for example, means good stewardship of the natural systems …
The Ozone Hole and Global Warming - Union of Concerned …
Jul 16, 2008 · Human activities cause ozone depletion and global warming. Ozone (O 3) depletion does not cause global warming, but both of these environmental problems have a common cause: human activities that release pollutants into the atmosphere altering it.. Global warming is caused primarily by putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when coal, oil, and natural gas are burned to generate ...
Understanding Radiation - Union of Concerned Scientists
Oct 4, 2024 · When a radioisotope decays, it may emit energy (radiation) in the form of alpha or beta particles or gamma rays. If the energy of these particles or rays is high enough, that radiation can damage living tissue by ionizing, or stripping electrons from, atoms or molecules.Radiation can also be non-ionizing (in the form of visible light or …