Edward Willett

Archives

Future energy sources

A lot of attention in Canada has been focused recently on the Kyoto Agreement to limit the emission of greenhouse gases. But scientifically, the goal for preventing possibly catastrophic global warming has been set far higher than Kyoto's modest reductions. An article in the November 1 issue of Science sets out the challenges. Entitled "Advanced Technology Paths to Global Climate Stability: Energy for a Greenhouse Planet," it was written by a team of 18 scientists and engineers from major universities (including McGill), U.S. government laboratories and agencies, and even Exxon Mobil. The U.S. Department of Energy funded the project. The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased from 275 to 370 parts per million ...

Posted by Edward Willett at 11:32, November 5th, 2002 under Blog, Columns, Science Columns | Comment now »

The greenhouse effect

Presumably, by now, you've heard of something called the "greenhouse effect." (If you haven't, we'll pause briefly while your next-of-kin checks to see if you're still breathing.) The term "greenhouse effect," as usually used today, refers to the predicted gradual warming of the Earth due to an increase in various gases in the atmosphere, primarily due to man's activities. There is considerable debate as to just how serious this warming is going to be--and whether it has begun yet. (Despite the warmth of the '80s in our part of the world, the most recent and most accurate study of the Earth's temperature, carried out by satellites over the last decade, shows no evidence ...

Posted by Edward Willett at 17:20, June 19th, 1991 under Blog, Columns, Science Columns | Comment now »