Thursday 7 July 2011

Environment - A practical example !!!

We hear many terms such as carbon foot print, carbon credit, green house effect, global warming etc !!! In this post, I have made an attempt to explain all these terms with practical examples !!!


Let me make two concepts very clear !!!

1. Green house effect
2. Global Warming

Assume your car is parked in hot sun !!! Doors and windows are sealed !!! After half an hour, you enter the car !!! What would you feel !?!? Of course you will experience additional temperature !!!

Where does this temperature come from !?!?!? This scenario holds good for explaining these two concepts !!!

First let me explain why the car got heated !!! Generally whenever a light falls on a surface- Absorption, Reflection and Transmission are sure to take place !!!

Absorption - Outer body of the car gets heated due to sunlight !!!

Reflection - Some amount of energy is reflected from body of the car !!!

Transmission - Interior of the car also gets heated !!! Since it allows heat to pass through it !!!

Now when rays reach car body from sun - its energy will be high !!! So enough energy gets penetrated in (otherwise transmitted inside) !!! Keep in mind that part of energy has only got inside !!!

When this energy hits the seat of the car, again transmission, reflection and absorption takes place !!!

As a result, energy level of rays become considerably low, so that they could not escape out of the car body !!! This leads to increase in inside temperature !!!

Now, our earth is the car !!! Green house gases form a layer above the earth surface !!! This layer allows the rays from sun to reach earth surface !!! Due to loss of energy (as mentioned in above case), the return of the rays back from earth is stopped by this layer !!! This leads to increase in earth temperature which is known as Global warming !!!

Science says we people contribute to green house layer !!! How do we do it !?!? For understanding that, first lets understand carbon footprint !!!

Total amount of green house gases produced to directly or indirectly support human activities is known as carbon foot print !!! It is usually expressed in equivalent  tons of carbon di-oxide !!!

Everyone of us contribute to this carbon footprint, knowingly or unknowingly !!!

For example, you have your motor bike !!! Your bike runs an average of 50KMPL !!! For every liter of petrol, approximately 3Kg of CO2 is released !!! This is of course added to our personal account !!!

You might ask me question !!! Other than CO2, many other green house gases are also released, why are they not accounted ?!!?!?

The reason is, they (methane,Ozone) are converted into amount of CO2, that would have caused the same effect on global warming !!!

Now in large scale, every country has particular limit for their carbon release !!! Say for example, India has to emit only 100 ton of carbon di-oxide per year and US has to emit only 150 ton of carbon di-oxide per year !!!

Now US can't control their emission !!! For example say US emissions accounts to 175 tons !!! Now they will approach India and ask India to keep their emission under 75 ton assuring that they will pay for 25 tons !!! This process is known as carbon credit !!!

All environmental related issues circle around all these parameters !!!

Hope this post was useful !!! Please refer this blog to your friends and relatives !!! Please find time to write back to us !!! Do vote in INDLI, INDIBLOGGER and DIGG, if we deserve !!!

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