CO2 and Ocean Acidification | Union of Concerned Scientists
WEBJan 30, 2019 · When carbon dioxide enters the ocean, it dissolves in saltwater. First, it forms carbonic acid. Then, this carbonic acid breaks apart – or “dissociates” – producing bicarbonate ions and hydrogen ions. Ocean acidification results from an increased concentration of hydrogen ions and a reduction in carbonate ions due to the absorption of ...
Benefits of Renewable Energy Use - Union of Concerned Scientists
WEBJul 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 …
How is Electricity Measured? | Union of Concerned Scientists
WEBJul 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 Solar Power - Union of Concerned …
WEBMar 5, 2013 · Most estimates of life-cycle emissions for photovoltaic systems are between 0.07 and 0.18 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour. Most estimates for concentrating solar power range from 0.08 to 0.2 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt-hour. In both cases, this is far less than the lifecycle emission rates for natural ...
Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies
WEBJul 14, 2008 · 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) solar cells or concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP). Explainer.
Coal Power Impacts - Union of Concerned Scientists
WEBNov 15, 2017 · Coal impacts: water pollution. When you burn charcoal in your grill at home, ash is leftover. The same is true for coal-fired power plants, which produce more than 100 million tons of coal ash every year. More than half of that waste ends up in ponds, lakes, landfills, and other sites where, over time, it can contaminate waterways and …
Car Emissions & Global Warming - Union of Concerned Scientists
WEBJul 18, 2014 · Our personal vehicles are a major cause of global warming. Collectively, cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas. About five pounds comes from the extraction, production, and delivery of the fuel, while the great bulk of heat-trapping emissions—more than 19 pounds per ...
Environmental Impacts of Natural Gas - Union of Concerned …
WEBJun 19, 2014 · Emissions from smokestacks and tailpipes, however, do not tell the full story. The drilling and extraction of gas from wells and its transportation in pipelines results in the leakage of methane, the primary component of natural gas. Methane is 34 times stronger than CO2 at trapping heat over a 100-year period and 86 times stronger over 20 ...
Environmental Impacts of Wind Power - Union of Concerned …
WEBMar 5, 2013 · A recent National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) review of peer-reviewed research found evidence of bird and bat deaths from collisions with wind turbines and due to changes in air pressure caused by the spinning turbines, as well as from habitat disruption. The NWCC concluded that these impacts are relatively low and do …
Tropical Deforestation and Global Warming - Union of Concerned …
WEBJul 27, 2008 · The consensus among climate scientists is that CO 2 from tropical deforestation now makes up less than 10 percent of global warming pollution. This percentage has gone down in recent decades, partly due to some success in reducing deforestation, but also because greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels—by far the principal cause of climate ...