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July 18, 2006
Global dimming
Image source: www.engin.umich.edu
I watched a scarey documentary on BBC the other day on the phenomenon of global dimming. I had heard about this but not fully understood it. This Horizon programme certainly cleared things up but left me feeling pretty depressed. In short, it appears that the climate change problem may be much more severe than previously thought. Ironically, the tiny airborne particles of soot, ash, sulphur compounds and other pollutants in the atmosphere are serving to moderate the global warming effect. The problem is that as countries take action to reduce their emissions of pollutants (e.g. through filters) this reduces the moderation effect while not reducing greenhouse gases. The only solution is stop using fossil fuels and move to a hydrogen-based economy as soon as possible. As the Horizon programme reveals, the consequences of not doing so are potentially catastrophic.
Posted by jeremy at July 18, 2006 02:17 PM
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i said i wouldn't but here i am, i forgot how horrible it is to leave comments with this interface, next time i am tempted i will remember
are you just waking up to this? i thought your banner said something about sustainable something-or-other?
hydrogen has some drawbacks, most important that it does not pressurize well and under pressure eats steel, solar-electric is more like it, but no single approach will do the job anyway, in this struggle one size will not fit all, pull up yer socks kiddo, the tide's comin' in
Posted by: David ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jeremybwilliams.net/ruminations/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 19, 2006 10:28 AM
Thanks for braving the spam blocker once again David. As you are an "approved" commenter now, it should be less painful for you. I agree with you that there has to be a combination of renewable energy sources, and what suits some parts of the world will be less suited elsewhere and vice versa. My apparent bias for a hydrogen-based approach in this post was a reflection of the emphasis in Horizon programme rather than any specific preference on my part.
Posted by: jeremy at July 29, 2006 03:53 PM
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