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As British scientists have found, rocks contain large amounts of CO2 – carbon accumulated in the remains of flora and fauna that lived on Earth several million years ago.
Rocks absorb carbon dioxide while the minerals of a particular rock are affected by a weak acid that is part of rainwater. This helps to counteract the continuous release of carbon by volcanoes. Accordingly, it is a component of the natural carbon cycle that helps to keep the planet’s surface habitable over time.
Nanjing University has proposed a solution to the problem of the rapidly disappearing Dagu Glacier, located in the Tibetan region of the People’s Republic of China. Specialists believe that the ice should be covered with white-colored geotextile. Reflecting sunlight, such material will slow down the melting, which has recently accelerated due to climate change and global warming.
China’s Tibetan Plateau Research Institute has found that Dagu and other glaciers have shrunk by at least 15 percent over the past 50 years, and this is a serious problem.
Some experts, however, doubt the effectiveness of the artificial cover. In their opinion, such a measure will only temporarily stop the harmful processes, and for large areas is not suitable at all, as, firstly, requires high costs, and secondly, contaminates the environment with particles of textiles.
By 2030, rich nations should increase spending to help poor countries counter global warming from $200 billion to $400 billion a year. So says the UN report, which was prepared for the Dubai conference.
Similar deadlines have been set for stopping fossil fuel extraction. There are also plans to triple the capacity of renewable sources by 2030 and double the efficiency of their use across the planet, and to zero carbon emissions by 2050. But there is no guarantee that these initiatives will be on the summit agenda.
These measures should prevent global temperatures from rising by 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. The UN set this target when it concluded the Paris Agreement in 2015. In addition, it is necessary to check how states are progressing in combating carbon emissions every 5 years.
Researchers reported that glaciers in Switzerland have lost about 10 percent of their ice volume in two years.
In just a couple of years, as much ice has melted as it did between 1960 and 1990. According to researchers, glaciers are melting at a truly terrifying rate.
As the head of the monitoring center M. Huss said, this year risks to become the 2nd in terms of ice loss due to warm summer, abnormal heat in September and small amount of snow in winter. In his opinion, the recent sharp drop in temperature and snowfall in the mountains can correct the situation.
Abnormal heat is most dangerous for glaciers. Due to the high temperatures in early summer melted all the snow cover that protects the ice by reflecting the sun’s rays.
Pepper X has successfully claimed the title of the world’s hottest pepper, scoring 2,693,000 Scoville Sharpness Units (SHU). It beats the Carolina Reaper pepper, which has a score of 1.64 million SHU.
The creator of Pepper X is Ed Curry, a famous pepper breeder and founder of the PuckerButt Pepper Company, also known as the author of the Carolina Reaper.
Pepper X has been rumored for several years to be the hottest pepper on Earth, but it is only now that it has officially earned that title and has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The main component that gives the pepper its pungency is capsaicin. This is a chemical that plants produce to protect them from being eaten by animals. But humans have developed an addiction to the substance and feel a rush of endorphins when consuming it in certain amounts.
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