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In the face of an escalating climate crisis, scientists are exploring increasingly unconventional ideas to cool the planet. One of the more intriguing — and surprising — proposals is the use of <keyword id="23626780" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="diamond-dust" source="keywords">diamond dust</keyword> injected into the atmosphere to reflect sunlight and reduce global temperatures. A team of climatologists, meteorologists, and <keyword id="19912640" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="earth" source="keywords">Earth</keyword> scientists found that injecting synthetic diamond particles might be the most effective way to combat <keyword id="19942740" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-warming" source="keywords">global warming</keyword>.<br /><h2>Just chill, chill</h2>Global temperatures are rising rapidly, and scientists warn that we may have already reached a tipping point. Simply reducing <keyword id="19951337" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbon-emissions" source="keywords">carbon emissions</keyword> may no longer be enough. Some experts argue that we need active measures to cool the planet and prevent further catastrophic changes to global weather patterns. One potential solution? <keyword id="23626781" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="solar-geoengineering" source="keywords">Solar geoengineering</keyword> — a method that involves injecting <keyword id="23626782" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reflective-particles" source="keywords">reflective particles</keyword>, or aerosols, into the atmosphere to bounce sunlight back into space.<br /><br />Historically, sulphur dioxide has been the leading candidate for this approach. Released naturally by volcanic eruptions, sulphur dioxide is known to have a cooling effect on the Earth by reflecting sunlight. However, the downside of injecting it artificially is significant: it could lead to acid rain, damage the ozone layer, and disrupt weather patterns.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="114118159" title="Delhi vs. air pollution: Minister pushes for ‘artificial rains’ in city ahead of Diwali as AQI remains worse than ever" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>The new study aimed to find a better alternative by modelling the impact of seven different materials: calcite, diamond, aluminium, silicon carbide, anatase, rutile, and sulphur dioxide. Their 3D <keyword id="19912529" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-models" source="keywords">climate models</keyword> factored in light reflection, how long the particles would stay in the atmosphere, and whether they would clump together — something that could diminish their effectiveness.<br /><h2>Why diamonds?</h2>The surprising result of the research was that diamond dust emerged as the most promising candidate. Tiny synthetic diamond particles proved to be highly effective at reflecting both sunlight and heat, while also remaining suspended in the atmosphere for a sufficient period. Unlike sulphur dioxide, diamonds are chemically inert, meaning they would not react with other atmospheric elements to cause harmful side effects like acid rain.<br /><br />The models suggested that injecting 5 million tons of synthetic diamond dust into the atmosphere annually could reduce global temperatures by 1.6°C over the course of 45 years. This kind of cooling would be enough to counteract some of the most severe effects of <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword> and potentially buy time for other long-term solutions.<br /><h2>The cost conundrum</h2>Despite the effectiveness of diamond dust in the simulations, the practical challenge of this approach lies in its cost. Producing and distributing the necessary amount of <keyword id="20001023" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="synthetic-diamonds" source="keywords">synthetic diamonds</keyword> would come with an astronomical price tag — an estimated $200 trillion. To put that into perspective, that’s roughly double the size of the global economy in 2023. While the benefits of <keyword id="23626783" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cooling-the-planet" source="keywords">cooling the planet</keyword> are clear, such a high cost makes this solution far from feasible in the immediate future.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="97766424" title="A new climate solution involves shooting moon dust into space to create a &amp;#39;solar shield&amp;#39; around Earth, but scientists say it&amp;#39;s a risky last resort" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>While the diamond dust concept is still in the research phase, the study underscores the urgency of exploring all possible solutions to cool the planet. As temperatures rise and extreme weather events become more frequent, unconventional ideas like this could play a role in the global effort to mitigate climate change.<br /><br />The findings of this research have been published in <em>Geophysical Research Letters</em> and can be accessed <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110575">here</a>.

Diamonds in the Sky: Scientists want to inject diamonds into our atmosphere to cool the planet!

It’s one thing to read about <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword> and <keyword id="19951337" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbon-emissions" source="keywords">carbon emissions</keyword> in an article, and quite another to <em>see </em>the toxic fumes engulfing your entire country — swirling over it like a certain menacing doom.<br /><br /><keyword id="19935155" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="NASA" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="NASA" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="NASA">NASA</keyword> recently unveiled a groundbreaking visualisation tool that offers an unprecedented look at how carbon dioxide (CO2) moves around our planet. This high-resolution model provides a stunning, animated map of <keyword id="22576003" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-CO2-concentrations" source="keywords">global CO2 concentrations</keyword>, revealing the complex patterns of this crucial <keyword id="20719964" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="greenhouse-gas" source="keywords">greenhouse gas</keyword>.<br />   <div type="Youtube" id="zZ-lMDtiI-k" title="Model Behavior: Visualizing Global Carbon Dioxide" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zZ-lMDtiI-k/mqdefault.jpg"><url><![CDATA[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ-lMDtiI-k]]></url></div>By combining billions of data points from satellites and ground observations, NASA scientists created a dynamic picture of how CO2 is emitted, transported, and absorbed across the globe. This interactive map showcases <keyword id="22576002" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CO2-concentrations" source="keywords">CO2 concentrations</keyword> as they shifted through Earth's atmosphere from January to March 2020, influenced by wind patterns and atmospheric circulation. With its exceptional detail, you can zoom in to pinpoint CO2 emissions rising from power plants, fires, and urban areas, as they spread across continents and oceans.<br /><br />Over India, you can see the greenhouse gas blowing over from neighbouring continents and also originating from the subcontinent. The pulsating oranges indicate CO2 concentrations of 420-460 ppm over India.<br /><h2>The sources of CO2<br /></h2>One of the most striking features of the map is its ability to zoom in on specific regions, allowing viewers to see CO2 emissions rising from individual cities and industrial complexes. This level of detail provides a clear and compelling picture of human activities' impact on the environment.<br /><br />The map highlights distinct emission patterns across different regions. In China, the United States, and South Asia, power plants, industrial facilities, and vehicles were the primary contributors to CO2 emissions. Conversely, in Africa and South America, fires ignited by land management practices, agricultural burning, and deforestation, along with the combustion of oil and coal, were the main sources.<br /><br /><h2>Pulsating gases</h2>The map also highlights the role of natural systems in the carbon cycle. Forests, oceans, and other ecosystems absorb vast amounts of CO2, acting as vital carbon sinks. However, the visualisation also reveals how human activities are overwhelming these natural systems, leading to a buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere.<br /><br />Further, the map exhibits a pulsating appearance. This is because, firstly, fires typically intensify during daylight hours and subside at night, creating a diurnal pattern. Secondly, the absorption and release of CO2 by plants during photosynthesis and respiration contribute to the fluctuations. This pulsing effect is particularly noticeable in regions with abundant vegetation, such as mid- to high-latitude forests and tropical areas.<br />  <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112021374" title="Scientists found a groundbreaking new reason to plant more trees" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>“This map is a powerful tool for understanding the scale and complexity of the climate crisis,” said [Quote from NASA scientist]. “It shows us where the biggest problems are and where we need to focus our efforts to reduce emissions.”<br /><br />The data behind the map comes from NASA's <keyword id="22576004" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="goddard-earth-observing-system" source="keywords">Goddard Earth Observing System</keyword> (GEOS), a sophisticated model that simulates Earth's atmosphere with incredible detail. By applying this model to CO2, scientists have gained new insights into the gas's behaviour and its impact on the planet.<br /><br />As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, tools like this are essential for informing policy decisions, tracking progress, and inspiring action. NASA’s CO2 map is a remarkable achievement that offers a glimpse into the urgent need to transition to a low-carbon future.<br />  <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111566431" title="June warmest on record; every month since July 2023 breached 1.5 deg C threshold" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

WATCH: A NASA animation shows gigantic plumes of carbon dioxide emissions swirling over India

Is sustainable fashion a myth?

Carbon Emission Reduction Strategies

As the global urgency to combat <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword> intensifies, all eyes are on India's <keyword id="19955368" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Budget-2024" source="keywords">Budget 2024</keyword>, as there’s no better way to walk the talk than allocating funds. Speculation is rife about the potential measures the government may introduce to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future — a move that is supremely necessary after the slew of deadly climate catastrophes that we saw last year.<br /><br />India’s Union Budget 2024 will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a couple of days, and is expected to reflect the nation’s commitment to achieving <keyword id="21280854" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="net-zero-carbon-emissions" source="keywords">net-zero carbon emissions</keyword> by 2070. Here are some of the key initiatives from the interim budget that was presented in February earlier this year, along with their anticipated impacts!<br /><h2>Rooftop Solarisation</h2>One of the most talked-about initiatives is the ambitious rooftop solar programme, which aims to provide free electricity up to 300 units per month to one crore households. If implemented, this move will help in not only cutting down energy bills — a godsend for the middle- and lower-income folks — but will also give households a chance to generate and even sell their surplus power.<br /><h2>Electric Vehicle (EV) Ecosystem</h2>Charging up the electric vehicle movement, the interim budget included measures to expand EV manufacturing and infrastructure in the country. The move aimed to accelerate the adoption of <keyword id="19895203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electric-vehicles" source="keywords">electric vehicles</keyword>, reducing emissions from the transport sector and making your commute cleaner and greener. Additionally, the government seemed keen on encouraging the adoption of electric buses to make urban travel more eco-friendly.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111855546" title="Budget 2024: How will budget affect India’s position in the global space race?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br /><h2><keyword id="20495045" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="offshore-wind-energy" source="keywords">Offshore Wind Energy</keyword></h2>Riding the winds of change, the interim budget introduced a viability gap funding for 1 GW of offshore wind energy. As per the Finance Ministry, this initiative aims to harness the power of India’s vast coastline, pushing the envelope on <keyword id="19895602" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="renewable-energy" source="keywords">renewable energy</keyword> and reducing our fossil fuel dependency.<br /><h2><keyword id="22499996" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-green-hydrogen" source="keywords">National Green Hydrogen</keyword> Mission</h2>The interim budget also supercharged the National Green Hydrogen Mission with a massive boost to Rs 600 crore from last year’s Rs 297 crore. The government has continually insisted that Green Hydrogen is set to become the fuel of the future, and this announcement supports its development and adoption, paving the way for cleaner industrial processes.<br /><h2>Coal Gasification and Liquefaction</h2>Switching up the coal game, the interim budget plans to set up coal gasification and liquefaction projects that will be able to process 100 metric tonnes by 2030. These projects aim to make the most out of coal in a cleaner way, especially by reducing our reliance on imported natural gas and slashing emissions.<br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111827903" title="Union Budget 2024 for Railways: Expectations focused on improving passenger safety, experience, infrastructure" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br /><h2>Bioenergy and Biomass Aggregation</h2>Turning waste into wealth, the interim budget has also promised additional financial assistance for biomass aggregation. This, they explain, will help in creating a sustainable model for managing agricultural waste, promoting bioenergy production and giving farmers a new revenue stream.<br /><h2>Research and Development (R&amp;D)</h2>In a nod to innovation, the interim budget allocated a whopping Rs 1 lakh crore for interest-free financing in “sunrise” R&amp;D for emerging <keyword id="19931192" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="green-technologies" source="keywords">green technologies</keyword>. If the government follows through on this promise, the funding could catapult a wave of innovation, supporting the transition to a sustainable energy future.<br /><br />By focusing on renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting green technologies, India’s initial budget allocations seem to be taking significant strides towards its net-zero goal. Whether this will ultimately pan out to become a greener and more resilient future for its citizens remains to be seen.<br />

Budget 2024: Key sustainability and energy initiatives that Indian government plans to implement this year

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Games' need for a massive infrastructure project has historically hurt host cities' environments.</li><li>Installing and using 5G technology could help minimize the Olympics' environmental impacts.</li></ul><p>When thousands of the world's best athletes descend on one city, it can wreak environmental havoc.</p><p>No single Olympic Games held between 1992 and 2020 was sufficiently sustainable, found <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=c0d989491c74099378a20091f3e16aba6129c646e40d4b337bf98c0f4ca076c3&amp;postID=66a274b6d290cb433ad39ab1&amp;postSlug=paris-olympics-how-5g-tech-could-curb-environmental-impact-2024-7&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41893-021-00696-5">a 2021 study</a> in the journal Nature that assessed the environmental impacts of the Games during that period.</p><p>For example, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games damaged the city's local environment when an estimated <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/3/166#:~:text=During%20the%20seven%2Dyear%20preparation,Azevedo%202015%3B%20Zimbalist%202017).">77,000 people in favela communities were displaced</a> to make way for the event's infrastructure, according to a retrospective report published in 2023 in the journal Social Sciences.</p><p>From an environmental standpoint, the Rio de Janeiro Games <a target="_blank" href="https://katoikos.world/analysis/olympics-a-celebration-for-humanity-a-disaster-for-the-environment.html">produced</a> more than 17,000 metric tons of waste, used 29,500 gigawatts of electricity — the majority of which was not from renewable sources — and resulted in 3.6 million metric tons of carbon emissions, the Rio de Janeiro Games reported.</p><p>For the Paris Games, limiting environmental impact has been a greater concern than in past Olympics, with efforts across industries to reduce waste. Rather than build a series of new venues, existing ones have been repurposed. <a target="_blank" href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/our-commitments/the-environment/infrastructures">Only one new permanent venue was constructed</a>, and there's more <a target="_blank" href="https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/our-commitments/the-environment/organising-more-circular-games">renting than buying</a> when it comes to equipment like furniture to reduce waste. Sustainability initiatives also extend to the 5G technology powering the Olympic Games.</p><p>Orange, the telecommunications provider for the Paris Games, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.orange.com/en/allconnected/paris2024/paris-2024-how-orange-will-limit-its-environmental-impact">has set itself the goal</a> of limiting its carbon emissions to 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. If met, Orange's carbon emissions would account for less than 1% of the total estimated emissions of the 2024 Olympics.</p><p>It's the latest example of how 5G providers are supporting sustainability efforts at global-scale live events.</p><p>"As sustainability initiatives around large public venues gather steam, we know IT teams are being asked to find ways to contribute to their organization's decarbonization efforts," said Kevin Swank, the product-marketing director at CommScope, a service provider that has worked on sports stadiums in France, Germany, and the US.</p><h2 id="1d0215d6-49e6-4444-b194-294cf1e5f1bd"><strong>Environmentally friendly technology that can support more fans</strong></h2><p>Though 5G systems require infrastructure installation, their technology is more sustainable than older connectivity systems like analog distributed antenna systems, Swank said.</p><p>Digital 5G systems use less power and less cooling than older systems, which need large amounts of power and cabling to run, Swank told Business Insider. And because 5G systems run digitally, they don't require as much physical infrastructure as their predecessors, Swank added.</p><p>He said he witnessed the positive impact — on the environment and the fan experience — when CommScope updated the internet infrastructure at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.commscope.com/globalassets/digizuite/965502-atandt-stadium-cs-115933-en.pdf">AT&amp;T Stadium in Arlington, Texas</a>, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in 2020.</p><p>"The venue was reaching the performance limits of its equipment, and its current network just couldn't keep up with the growing demands of a mobile-device-centric fan base," Swank told BI. The stadium needed a 5G network that could support augmented-reality features and mobile-ordering capabilities for concessions for up to 100,000 visitors at a time.</p><p>By switching to 5G, the stadium's network performance increased tenfold, while its power use went down by about 87% and its cooling requirements decreased by up to 75%, a project report from CommScope said. Those reductions equate to over 100 metric tons in CO2 emissions savings a year, Swank said.</p><p>The stadium's 5G system resulted in just five equipment storage racks compared with the 30 to 40 racks previously required for its analog equipment.</p><p>Because of these advantages, 5G is quickly gaining steam within the entertainment industry as events continue to grow in scale and attendees expect more seamless experiences.</p><h2 id="4de8c9b0-599e-4fa3-9e87-59f5acb6ad1c"><strong>Recycling 5G equipment for more sustainability</strong></h2><p>To work toward its carbon-emissions goal for the Paris Games, Orange decreased its equipment manufacturing and infrastructure-deployment footprint. Orange, in partnership with the consultancy Carbone4, estimated that 86% of its global footprint came from those two areas.</p><p>For the Paris Olympics, the company is using more local suppliers and shipping bulky items by sea rather than air to reduce emissions. Orange said it planned to rent one-quarter of its equipment and estimated that 75% of the equipment would be reused or redeployed after the Games.</p><p>Generally, the 5G networks used at sports venues' large events can be reused after the events end and the increased capacity is no longer needed, said Kelvin Chaffer, the CEO of Lifecycle Software, which provides support systems for network operators.</p><p>"By designing infrastructure that can be repurposed for other community uses postevent, and implementing green technologies and sustainable practices," Chaffer said. He added that this approach gives large sporting event organizers the ability "to minimize the environmental impact of event-triggered infrastructure projects."</p>

How 5G technology is helping curb carbon emissions and waste at the Paris Games

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-residents-moving-leaving-climate-change-refugees-hurricanes-flood-2023-2">climate crisis</a> is an often-hidden financial risk when buying a house.</li><li>A few online tools can help you assess that risk and possible costs by address.</li></ul><p>If you're <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-man-refused-leave-hurricane-proof-home-basically-unharmed-milton-2024-10">shopping for a house</a>, you're probably thinking ahead and planning for your future.</p><p>Here's the thing, though: By the end of a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/mortgages/will-mortgage-rates-go-down-this-year">30-year mortgage</a>, you'll be living on a pretty different planet.</p><p>Even if companies and governments across the world make some drastic changes — and that's a big "if" — humanity's carbon emissions have already locked in some additional warming for decades to come. That means more intense and sometimes more frequent floods, wildfires, hurricanes, winter storms, and other forms of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/housing-market-outlook-analysis-prices-rising-extreme-weather-risk-jpmorgan-2024-2">extreme weather</a>.</p><p>You and your house could suffer everything from headaches and declining <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/housing-market-higher-home-prices-climate-change-air-quality-impact-2024-2">property value</a> to giant bills and life-threatening events.</p><p>That's why it's important to take stock of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-estate-housing-market-prediction-sun-belt-climate-change-zelman-2024-7">climate risks your home faces</a> in the coming decades.</p><p>It's impossible to know exactly what will happen, but a few <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tool-determines-home-climate-risk-heat-wind-bad-air-2024-3">online tools</a> can give you an idea of the risks — as well as the costs you could incur and what you can do about it — depending on which house you buy.</p><h2 id="f72716a3-6428-4f34-94f8-2f3ebf4d7693">Learn about the possible damages</h2><p>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zillow-gone-wild-weird-unique-houses-homes-hot-homebuying-selling-2024-7">most popular real-estate website</a> in the US, Zillow, has a new feature to peer into the potential climate future of each listing. </p><p>The new "climate risks" tool shows <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/map-shows-united-states-extreme-heat-belt-study-2022-8">how many days of extreme heat</a> and unhealthy air quality a property is expected to see over the next 30 years, assuming humanity is on track to stabilize climate change by 2100.<strong> </strong>The tool also shows the likelihood of more destructive events: floods, wildfires, and windstorms.</p><div type="image" title="group of people watch wildfire burning home in the hills with palm trees" height="1771" width="2500" msid="114374425" hostid="261" sizebytes="281278"></div><p>These assessments come from First Street, a former nonprofit that became a for-profit company this year, which uses computer models to quantify certain weather and climate risks for individual properties. First Street says it incorporates a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/maui-wildfires-lahaina-wooden-house-spared-among-rubble-2023-8">building's specific structural characteristics</a>, as well as local infrastructure like roads and utilities.</p><p>"If you don't take stock of the climate risk specifically, you could be in over your head," Jeremy Porter, the head of climate implications research at First Street, told Business Insider.</p><p>For example, if the cost of flood or wildfire insurance spikes as it already has in places like <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/homeowners-california-florida-insurance-issues-natural-disasters-wildfires-hurricanes-2023-10">Florida and California</a>, "all of a sudden your household budget doesn't make any sense for the property that you ended up buying," he said.</p><p>The new Zillow tool also makes recommendations about insurance based on First Street's analysis.</p><p>To dive even deeper, you can go to First Street's website and get a free trial of its paid service, which shows ballpark estimates of how much a flood or fire could cost you, expected cooling costs, and projections of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-insurance-hurricanes-extreme-weather-relocate-to-ocala-2023-10">insurance prices</a>. You can also toggle certain renovations to see how they impact those costs.</p><h2 id="0eef8ad3-480e-4072-aadf-cb64222742c5">Remember those estimates aren't a crystal ball</h2><p>Climate-science experts outside the company have some reservations about First Street's flood and wildfire estimates, though.</p><p>Michael Wara, a senior research scholar at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, told <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://heatmap.news/guides/zillow-climate-risk-flooding-fire">Heatmap News</a> to take First Street's calculations with "a lot of grains of salt."</p><p>Heatmap reported that First Street probably underestimates <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-wildfire-burns-multimillion-dollar-homes-in-california-orange-county-2022-5">wildfire risk</a> in wildfire-prone areas and that flood risk is very difficult to accurately model. You can try to cross-check flood risk with other sources like seeing if the town or city has flood maps available.</p><p>"Everything that we're offering are probabilistic risk estimates," Porter said.</p><p>"I think that just in general, the models give you a pretty good indication of which properties are riskier than other properties," he added.</p><h2 id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">Then check local building codes…</h2><p id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">Once you know the climate risks, you can assess <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-why-some-homes-survive-hurricanes-lessons-homeowners-2024-10">how well a property is built</a> to withstand them.</p><div type="image" title="slumping one-story grey and wood panel house with panels ripped away next to a standing yellow house" height="1500" width="2249" msid="114374424" hostid="261" sizebytes="407800"></div><p id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">A good indicator of that is the local building code and whether the house is built to its standards. The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes has a tool for checking that at <a target="_blank" href="http://inspecttoprotect.org">inspecttoprotect.org</a>.</p><p id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">Not only does FLASH rate the local building code, but the tool also shows information about the area's past <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-how-profit-natural-disasters-hurricanes-wildfires-storms-investors-2023-8">natural disasters</a> and suggests upgrades.</p><h2 id="03112be6-cab7-49c5-9eed-55cc34037179">... and consider renovations</h2><p id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">In the FLASH tool, you can select the year a house was built to see what <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiny-home-renovation-old-abandoned-cottage-scotland-before-after-photos-2022-7">renovations</a> would strengthen it against different natural disasters. Each upgrade has a cost and impact rating.</p><p id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">Taking matters into your own hands could make a big difference because, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/building-science/bcat#:~:text=FEMA%20tracks%20the%20building%20code,simply%20by%20its%20acronym%2C%20BCAT.">according</a> to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, only about one-third of US jurisdictions have adopted up-to-date codes to match their natural hazards.</p><p id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">Even then, building codes are often designed to protect the lives of people inside the house, but not necessarily<strong> </strong>to prevent <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-homeowner-milton-tearing-through-neighborhood-cant-sleep-2024-10">expensive property damage</a>.</p><p id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">"You got to at least have a good building code, but that's a starting point. It's not your gold standard, it's your minimum," Leslie Chapman-Henderson, FLASH's president and CEO, told BI.</p><p id="ea2c710b-3a7a-45fe-b58f-971596d4b019">In some cases, renovations and upgrades can even help lower your insurance costs.</p>

Before buying a home, check this hidden financial risk

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Firebricks have been around for thousands of years.</li><li>Industries use them to store heat from burning <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exxon-acquisition-permian-basin-pioneer-fossil-fuels-energy-transition-2023-10">fossil fuels</a>; newer versions conduct electricity.</li></ul><p>Industrial manufacturers make materials like aluminum and glass for everything from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy02osti/32135.pdf">beverage containers</a> to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2238785423024006">aircraft parts</a>.<strong> </strong>They're also responsible for 17% of global carbon dioxide emissions, according to recent research published in <a target="_blank" href="https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae274">PNAS Nexus</a>.</p><p>That's a problem.<strong> </strong>Countries are struggling to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/carbon-emissions-2022-record-renewables-growth-solar-wind-iea-2023-3">cut CO2 emissions</a> as the climate crisis worsens. And switching these major<strong> </strong>manufacturers to cleaner sources of energy, like wind and solar, would help significantly.</p><p>But<strong> </strong>when the sun isn't shining or wind isn't blowing, these<strong> </strong>manufacturers need to rely on stored energy. Batteries are one option, but some scientists think an ancient technology, firebricks, is a cheaper and easier solution.</p><h2 id="4d66210e-a897-4885-9d6c-45b833a3fd2c">Firebricks are cheap and effective</h2><div type="image" title="A hand holds a thin grayish brick with white speckles" height="683" width="1024" msid="112508425" hostid="261" sizebytes="28908"></div><p>If you have a brick fireplace, you might notice the bricks stay warm for a while after the fire goes out.</p><p>People have used bricks to<a target="_blank" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X23000287"> help keep</a> kilns and ovens hot since the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bronze-age-lost-tomb-ireland-rediscovered-photogrammetry-2024-1">Bronze Age</a>. Even modern industrial manufacturers use firebricks in daily operations.</p><p>They stack the bricks in tall rows, heat them up to extremely high temperatures, and then <span>blow air through channels to harness the heat for melting glass or metal, for example</span>.</p><p>Heating up the bricks causes carbon emissions since manufacturers typically burn fossil fuels to do it.</p><p>However, a few new companies think they've figured out how to use electricity from the grid to heat up the bricks instead.</p><p>Electrified Thermal Solutions and other companies make firebricks that <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/power-grid-transmission-renewable-energy-nimby-states-ferc-2024-5">conduct electricity</a>.</p><p>"A normal firebrick is an insulator like rubber.<strong> </strong>Electricity just doesn't go through it," MIT professor Charles Forsberg, an advisor to the company, said.</p><p>However, when you add<strong> </strong>compounds like chromia and nickel oxide the firebrick becomes an electrical conductor.</p><p>Forsberg said these conductive bricks function similarly to an <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gas-stove-debate-cooking-induction-electric-kitchen-2023-1">electric oven</a>, except the firebrick can handle heat that would melt your oven's wires.</p><p>"It's a way to heat firebricks to a blazingly hot temperature," he said. It can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/25/science/race-clean-up-heavy-industry-heats-up/">reach</a> 3,270 degrees Fahrenheit, more than hot enough to melt steel, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/25/science/race-clean-up-heavy-industry-heats-up/">The Boston Globe reported</a>.</p><p>Instead of storing the electricity like a battery, the bricks would store heat. So, a steel mill, for example, could take <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/modernize-us-electric-grid-what-it-will-take-2024-5">electricity from the grid</a>. The high electrical current would heat up the oxides inside the firebricks, and the bricks would retain the heat, which the manufacturer could then use to melt metal.</p><p>Of course, there's still the issue that electricity from the grid often comes from fossil fuels. But eventually, as more renewable energy feeds the grid, this could help major manufacturers drastically reduce carbon emissions, and also save a lot of money.</p><p>Mark Jacobson, a professor at Stanford University, estimated in the PNAS Nexus study that transitioning 149 countries entirely to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-renewable-energy-transition-solar-electric-vehicles-hit-records-2024-2">renewable energy</a> by 2050 would cost about $59 trillion. He and his colleagues used computer models to examine two options: one where industries used firebricks and one where they relied on technologies like electric furnaces and boilers and stored energy in batteries.</p><p>Implementing firebricks saved over $1.2 trillion dollars worldwide, he told Business Insider.</p><p>The savings partially come from the bricks' cheap cost, which are about a tenth of the price of traditional storage batteries, Jacobson said. "When we use firebricks, we reduce the cost of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-was-battery-powered-twice-last-week-2024-4">batteries</a> because we need fewer batteries," he said.</p><h2 id="518d0dd9-00e6-4e75-b1be-eeb5884abf76">Making small changes for big emissions savings</h2><div type="image" title="Two people stand in front of a device that looks like a large refrigerator" height="683" width="1024" msid="112508428" hostid="261" sizebytes="72432"></div><p>Forsberg said early adopters of conductive firebricks might still use <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/natural-gas-biden-exports-pause-energy-costs-less-predictable-2024-2">natural gas</a> or oil if they run out of stored heat.</p><p>"Someday in the future, it may all be electric," he said, "but my guess is in the near term, most of the people who need high-temperature heat are going to buy a cheap <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-ban-gas-stoves-in-new-buildings-emissions-reduction-2023-4">gas burner</a>."</p><p>It's also going to take a while to get these new firebricks installed. Jacobson said the first adopters might be companies that need to replace their equipment or newcomers starting from scratch. Once they do, though, "I think they'll find that it's actually much more beneficial," he said.</p><p>Electrified Thermal Solutions is working on one of its first industrial applications, <a target="_blank" href="https://electrifiedthermal.com/kentucky-governor-announces-ets-available-for-doe-funding-to-help-electrify-chemical-plant/">replacing</a> gas boilers in a Kentucky chemical plant.</p><p>Another company, <a target="_blank" href="https://rondo.com/calgren-case-study">Rondo</a>, has installed its technology in a biofuel company in California. Rondo said its system reduces CO2 emissions and lowers the cost of energy because it requires less electricity than hydrogen fuel.</p><p>Having a few successful example projects might help change some minds in other industries, Jacobson said.</p><p>Forsberg said one of the biggest benefits of the newer firebrick technology is that it updates processes many industries have in place. "The goal is minimum change," he said. "If you want to cause a revolution in technology, don't change anything you don't have to change."</p>

Researchers want to combine an ancient technology with clean energy to save over $1 trillion worldwide

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Scientists want $60 million to try trapping carbon dioxide in the sea floor off the coast of Canada.</li><li>They say reactive basalt rock across the planet could turn CO2 into rock at the bottom of the ocean.</li></ul><p>A major solution to the climate crisis may lie at the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-crack-mystery-of-huge-gravity-hole-in-the-indian-ocean-2023-6">bottom of the ocean</a>.</p><p>Across the planet, basalt rock deposits on the sea floor have the potential to trap carbon dioxide, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sargassum-turning-smelly-seaweed-into-a-carbon-removal-opportunity-2023-5">removing the heat-trapping gas from our atmosphere</a>.</p><p>That's why a team of scientists wants to build floating rigs at strategic offshore locations. Rather than extracting oil from the ocean floor — as offshore rigs currently do — these futuristic platforms would be injecting CO2 into it.</p><p>Powered by their own wind turbines, the floating stations would <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/carbon-capture-storage-expensive-climate-change-2021-9">suck carbon dioxide out of the sky</a> (or even out of seawater) and pump it into holes in the sea bed.</p><p>The scientists call their project Solid Carbon because, if it works as they expect, the CO2 they inject will forever be rock at the bottom of the ocean.</p><div type="image" title="bottom of the ocean sandy rock formation in dark waters" height="1500" width="2958" msid="111293862" hostid="261" sizebytes="72820"></div><p>"That makes carbon storage very durable and very safe," Martin Scherwath, a geophysicist working on the project and a staff scientist at Ocean Networks Canada, told Business Insider.</p><p>Unlike other storage techniques, we wouldn't have to worry about carbon returning to the atmosphere and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heat-waves-are-dominating-summer-and-its-not-abnormal-anymore-2022-7">raising global temperatures</a>.</p><p>It's not yet certain whether these oceanic carbon-removal factories would work as expected. First, the scientists need about $60 million to test a prototype at sea.</p><h2 id="53f09086-6783-45c9-a518-2850153add7d">How the bottom of the ocean could remove carbon from the sky</h2><p>The scientists estimate that, worldwide, basalt rock could permanently store more carbon than all of Earth's fossil fuels can emit. Just look at this map of potential sites across the planet, marked in yellow.</p><div type="image" title="world map with vast yellow patches snaking through all the oceans and some big splotches within each continent" height="769" width="1023" msid="111293863" hostid="261" sizebytes="76958"></div><p>That doesn't mean it's safe to keep burning fossil fuels indiscriminately. This strategy is unlikely to be technologically, politically, and economically feasible in every location on the map. It will also be slow and expensive to scale up.</p><p>Still, the scientists say just a few rigs could make a big difference. In the Cascadia Basin off Canada's west coast, near Vancouver Island, there's room for about 20 years' worth of global carbon emissions, according to Scherwath. That's where they hope to conduct a field test.</p><p>"The reason that that location is so appealing, is that it's probably the spot on the globe where we know the most, have the most data, the most scientific expeditions, the most studies about the nature of the ocean crust," David Goldberg, a geophysicist and professor of climate science and carbon management at Columbia University, who's been developing this idea since 1997, told BI.</p><div type="image" title="map shows vancouver island canada above Washington USA with a star marking the proposed injection site for solid carbon far offshore in the ocean" height="941" width="2000" msid="111293856" hostid="261" sizebytes="47484"></div><p>The plan rests on a chemical reaction that already occurs naturally. Basalt rock is highly reactive, full of metals that readily grab CO2 and chemically combine with it to form carbonate minerals.</p><p>The basalt also tends to be broken up and porous, leaving plenty of room for new carbonates to fill in.</p><p>In Iceland, a project called CarbFix has proven a small-scale version of this process, dissolving CO2 in water (yes, that's sparkling water) and injecting it into underground basalt.</p><p>Within two years, the CO2 gas mineralizes, becoming rock deep underground.</p><h2 id="988d2238-1182-4b6d-8b5d-82fc9c3778ca">The final stretch of reversing climate change</h2><p>These oceanic carbon-storing factories would be a giant and costly undertaking — exactly the kind of mega-project we may eventually have to resort to if we want to cool the planet back to pre-industrial temperatures.</p><p>"We have to come up with the money. I don't think there's a way around it," Scherwath said.</p><p>That said, Solid Carbon is no substitute for the basic, immediate measures that climate experts worldwide are calling for, including swapping fossil fuels for renewable energy and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-system-role-in-climate-crisis-possible-solutions-2019-8">reducing the carbon emissions of our food systems</a>.</p><p>Rather, Scherwath says this is one of our later carbon-capture options, decades from now, to shave off the last few tenths of a degree of global warming. To have the option, though, we need to start developing it now.</p><p>According to one <a target="_blank" href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25259/negative-emissions-technologies-and-reliable-sequestration-a-research-agenda">report</a> from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, the world may need to<strong> </strong>draw down 10 billion tons of CO2 each year in order to reach net zero emissions by 2050 and have any chance of restricting global warming to the targets set forth in the Paris Agreement.</p><p>To reach that goal, "you're gonna need every last drop," Goldberg said.</p><p>That can include restoring ecosystems that naturally store carbon, like forests and wetlands, as well as capturing CO2 straight from the atmosphere and storing the gas underground in depleted oil and gas reservoirs.</p><div type="image" title="Seattle Shell Arctic offshore drilling" height="2865" width="4909" msid="111293861" hostid="261" sizebytes="1262212"></div><p>The trouble with those methods is the carbon could escape, via forest fires or seeping up through abandoned oil wells.</p><p>Solid Carbon scientists say carbon rock is stuck on the sea floor for thousands of years. They also argue that in the ocean, there's plenty of room to scale up and little risk of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-build-infrastructure-transportation-housing-regulation-environment-2023-11">disgruntled neighbors fighting the project</a>.</p><p>"This is a good compliment to the other methods, but it's also the most expensive one," Scherwath said.</p><h2 id="ea90e680-4951-4f9c-bb5f-c9980aae11ac">Seeking $60 million</h2><p>The Solid Carbon demo would send out a ship with pre-captured CO2, drill a hole in the sea floor, and inject it there. They would use an existing cable network to monitor the site and check for any escaping<strong> </strong>gas.</p><p>The trouble is funding. The group has applied for federal grants in the US and Canada, as well as foundations, according to Goldberg. So far they've been unable to secure the $60 million they need to run the pilot.</p><p>Goldberg suspects that's partly because there's no clear way to make money from capturing carbon and shooting it into the bottom of the sea.</p><p>"I mean, climate change is so expensive," Scherwath said. "The way to think about it might be similar to sewage treatment in cities, like it has to be done."</p><p>If they had the money, Goldberg thinks they could start running the pilot in a year or two.</p>

Scientists want to pump carbon into a hole at the bottom of the ocean in a $60 million pilot project to help stop climate change

<ul class="summary-list"><li>UK scientists found a way to clean up blast furnaces, the most carbon-intensive part of steelmaking.</li><li>Steel accounts for up to 9% of global emissions and is one of the most difficult climate challenges.</li></ul><p>Steel built much of our modern world, but it also racked up a massive carbon footprint along the way. </p><p>Now, researchers at <a href="https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2023/novel-adaptation-for-existing-blast-furnaces-could-reduce-steelmaking-emissions-by-90" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">the University of Birmingham have developed a process</a> to clean up the most carbon-intensive part of the steelmaking process: blast furnaces. </p><p>Currently, coking coal and iron ore are fed into furnaces and heated to sky-high temperatures to create liquid iron, which is then refined into steel. About <a href="https://worldsteel.org/about-steel/steel-facts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">70% of steel</a> used around the world for buildings, cars, and household appliances is made this way.</p><p>For every metric ton of steel produced, nearly two metric tons of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, <a href="https://worldsteel.org/publications/policy-papers/climate-change-and-the-production-of-iron-and-steel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">according to the World Steel Organization</a>. The industry accounts for up to 9% of global emissions, meaning that if it were a country, it'd be the third-largest emitter behind China and the US.</p><p>Harriet Kildahl, a co-author of the research by University of Birmingham, told Insider that her team found a way to make steel with 90% less coking coal, which could reduce carbon emissions by a similar percentage. </p><p>Kildahl described it as a "closed-loop" system that captures and recycles carbon dioxide to trigger the chemical reactions that convert iron ore into steel. A mineral known as perovskite is used to react with carbon dioxide at lower temperatures, she said. The system could be retrofitted onto furnaces. </p><p>"Some coking coal is used to start up this thermochemical cycle, but from that point on, you would never need to add any more," Kildahl said.</p><p>The system could be easier and cheaper to adopt than other strategies to decarbonize steel because it repurposes blast furnaces rather than replacing them, Yulong Ding, a co-author of the research, told Insider. His team is searching for industrial partners to build a plant and test the process on a pilot scale. </p><p>Technologies that don't use fossil fuels for steel production are emerging, though they haven't been proven to work on a commercial scale. </p><p>The Swedish steelmaker SSAB built a plant that uses green hydrogen from renewable energy and <a href="https://www.ssab.com/en/news/2022/05/ssab-to-deliver-fossilfree-steel-to-volvo-trucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">delivered a small amount of fossil-free steel to Volvo last year</a>. SSAB aims to reach commercial scale by 2026. Startups like Boston Metal and Electra, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-10-06/how-to-make-emissions-free-iron-at-temperatures-colder-than-coffee" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow sponsored">which are backed by Bill Gates' venture-capital firm and heavy industry</a>, are in the early stages of testing two ways to use electricity to convert iron ore to steel.</p><p>Yet every strategy has its drawbacks, including the one out of the UK. </p><p>"I found this very innovative and promising," said Jihye Kim, an assistant professor at the Colorado School of Mines who researches critical mineral extraction from the wasted byproducts from steel production. "But there are a few disadvantages."</p><p>Kim said the researchers' approach doesn't replace 100% of coke, so other materials like biomass, charcoal, or recycled plastic must be added. Using mostly gas instead of solid coke in the blast furnace also raises questions about its stability at an industrial-sized plant. Extra heat and power might be required, although ideally that could be met with renewables. </p><p>In the end, different strategies are needed to decarbonize steel, Kim said. "We can use multiple techniques at the same time."</p>

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