By Dongyu Qu
Even as it takes its distressing toll, the current pandemic has generated a flurry of less somber memes. Some of these involve people stuck at home, unable to tear themselves from the pantry, piling on the pounds. But for many in the developing world, the lockdowns mean the exact opposite: they cannot get anywhere near the pantry.
Shipping Industry Could Replace Diesel Fuel With Ammonia to Reduce Emissions
The shipping industry is coming to grips with its egregious carbon footprint, as it has an outsized contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and to the dumping of chemicals into open seas. Already, the global shipping industry contributes about 2 percent of global carbon emissions, about the same as Germany, as the BBC reported.
- $5 Billion Plan Could Create Zero Carbon Shipping Industry ... ›
- The Mauritius Oil Spill: An Environmental Catastrophe That Could Have Been Much Worse - EcoWatch ›
Delta-8 THC is a cannabis product that has become a bestseller over the past few months, as many consumers find they can legally purchase it from CBD retailers. Its proponents say that Delta-8 THC will give you a nice little buzz, minus some of the more intense feelings (including paranoia) that are sometimes associated with marijuana.
Delta-8 THC is being marketed as a legal option for consumers who either don't live in a state with legal cannabis, or are a little apprehensive about how traditional psychoactive THC products will affect them. But is it all it's cracked up to be? Let's take a closer look, exploring what Delta-8 THC is, how it differs from other THC products, and whether it's actually legal for use.
NuLeaf Naturals Full Spectrum Delta 8 THC Oil
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzNjAyMy9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMTMxMjAyNX0.wRpb_E9ZFZFNgkYsYh6cleNbTezo16rUeTmifcP_yCk/img.jpg?width=980" id="60683" width="400" height="400" data-rm-shortcode-id="32630bf41fd6909a232194b540c570eb" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />nuleafnaturals.com
<p><a href="https://nuleafnaturals.com/product/full-spectrum-delta-8-thc-oil-30mg-ml/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NuLeaf Naturals Full Spectrum Delta 8 THC Oil</a> is made from organic hemp and organic virgin hemp seed extract. It's available in a 150 mg bottle and a 450 mg bottle, which both provide 15 mg of Delta 8 THC per serving. This formula is also available in a soft gel.</p>Botany Farms Delta-10 THC Vape Cartridge
<img class="rm-lazyloadable-image rm-shortcode" type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNjAzNjE2Ni9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2OTcwNTgzM30.opm4l5-rSqV1HfvrbVE16EEVZvqxI42xgqnsQfL9p2M/img.jpg?width=980" id="2c749" width="400" height="400" data-rm-shortcode-id="a678e76d8cd5e13bae95d9c3ae664b85" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />botanyfarms.com
<p>The <a href="https://www.botanyfarms.com/product/delta-10-thc-vape-cartridge/?aff=14" target="_blank">Botany Farms Delta-10 THC Vape Cartridge</a> actually contains both Delta-10 and Delta-8 THC.This is designed to provide the desired effects of Delta-8 THC but without the drowsiness. They also offer a vape cartridge with a 1:1 concentration of <a href="https://www.botanyfarms.com/product/delta-10-delta-8-thc-vape-cartridge/?aff=14" target="_blank">Delta-8 THC</a> and Delta-10 THC. Note that while vape products can be used to aid in smoking cessation, we do not recommend vaping or smoking because of the negative health effects they can cause.</p>Yet another endangered southern resident orca is missing, and researchers fear he is dead.
- 3 Southern Resident Orcas Missing, Presumed Dead - EcoWatch ›
- New Orca Calf Born to Ailing Southern Resident Orcas - EcoWatch ›
- 'A Ray of Hope': Second Baby Born to Ailing Southern Resident ... ›
- 'Herculean Effort' to Save 74 Remaining Southern Resident Orcas ›
A major conglomerate in the global shipping industry wants to start a fuel tax to raise money for zero-carbon ships within a decade, as the AP reported.
- Oil Companies Are Thinking About a Low-Carbon Future, but Aren't ... ›
- Landmark Agreement: Shipping Industry to Cut Emissions - EcoWatch ›
Thousands of Ships Use 'Cheat Devices' to Dump Toxic Wastewater Into Sea and Bypass Emissions Standards
You might have known that cruise ships are some of the world's worst polluters. Now, there is more disturbing news from the shipping industry thanks to a bombshell investigation that found that global shipping companies have spent billions to equip their ships with "cheat devices" that get around new emissions standards by dumping pollution into the sea rather than the air. The British newspaper The Independent revealed the fraud in an exclusive story.
- The Essential Guide to Eco-Friendly Travel - EcoWatch ›
- Polar Bear Shot Dead After Attacking Cruise Ship Guard, Raising ... ›
- Measles Case on Scientology Cruise Ship Leads to Quarantine ... ›
By Marlene Cimons
Nearly a century ago, German engineer Anton Flettner launched a ship into the ocean. "Without sails or steam, like a ghost ship, it moved mysteriously through the water with no apparent means of propulsion," according to a 1925 article that appeared in Popular Science Monthly. The ship cruised in silence, without spewing anything into the air. Curiously, two odd-looking, giant spinning cylinders rose from her deck as "the ship plowed its way through the rough waters of the Baltic, at nearly twice its former speed," the article said.
Flettner's rotor ship, the Buckau, in 1924.
<p>"Who would have thought that centuries later we would be taking a hard look at how to harness the power of the wind to power ships?" said Bryan Comer, a senior researcher in the marine program of the <a href="https://www.theicct.org/?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">International Council on Clean Transportation</a>. "In the beginning, all ships were zero emission, using human power — oars — or wind. Now, in an effort to reduce costs and environmental impacts, we're starting to see innovative uses of wind power, including rotor sails. It seems we have come full circle."</p><p>The global transportation sector accounts for nearly a quarter of the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases discharged into the atmosphere. Still, energy moves our cars, trucks, buses, trains, ships and airplanes, everything we depend upon to deliver food and consumer goods, to commute to work, to go shopping, to get the kids to school and soccer practice, and to fly the job-weary to a long awaited vacation. People aren't going to abandon their vehicles anytime soon, and if people can't change, then the vehicles must.</p><p>Experts agree that the transportation sector must undergo fundamental changes, starting now, if we are to keep warming to 1.5 degrees C, the target set by the <a href="https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/d2hhdC1pcy?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">Paris Climate Agreement</a>. "We need to start the technological shift in transport immediately and at a very high pace in order not to fall short of the ambitious Paris climate goals," said Johannes Pagenkopf, a scientist and vehicles systems specialist with the <a href="https://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10002/?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">German Aerospace Center</a>.</p>Traffic jam in New Delhi.
<p>Transport today still depends heavily on fossil fuels, with only a small share based on electricity. "We need to profoundly shift our current transport systems towards a carbon-neutral future," said Pagenkopf.</p><p>Ships account for around <a href="https://www.theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/Global-shipping-GHG-emissions-2013-2015_ICCT-Report_17102017_vF.pdf?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">3 percent</a> of CO2 emissions globally, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation. Experts in the shipping industry think that wind-assisted technologies— rotor sails among them — will help vessels reach emission reduction goals set by the International Maritime Organization. The group has called for lowering carbon emissions by 70 percent by 2050 compared to 2008 levels.</p><p>Ships armed with rotor sails wouldn't be fossil fuel-free, but the technology could help curb fuel use and pollution. In addition to rotor sails, ships could also deploy <a href="https://www.theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/Rotors_and_bubbles_2019_05_12.pdf?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">innovations</a> such as a blower to pump air bubbles under the ship and across part of the hull, reducing drag and thus the amount of power needed by the main engines.</p>The amount of energy used per person per mile by different forms of transport, as measured in metric tons of oil.
<p>Beyond shipping, Pagenkopf believes that other transportation modes must be powered by electricity. To that end, he believes people should rely more on trains instead cars and airplanes, since most railways already use electricity. Someday, he hopes the same will be true of planes and ships. "Battery and fuel cell electric propulsion for short- and medium-range planes and ships will get momentum" he said.</p><p>Some short-range airplanes already use battery-derived power for short distance flights that carry only a few passengers. And, "the industry has actually taken to the idea of electric aircraft in many meaningful ways," said Phil Ansell, assistant professor of aerospace engineering at the <a href="https://illinois.edu/?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</a>. "Lots of different industry groups are currently conducting internal research into electric aircraft concepts."</p>An airplane flying above Chicago.
Pexels
<p>There are major obstacles to overcome, however, before batteries will routinely power planes, especially on longer flights. Current batteries are too heavy to carry planes very far; research must focus on making them lighter. Because of these drawbacks, scientists are looking at other options, including <a href="https://arc.aiaa.org/doi/10.2514/1.C035070?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">hybrid systems</a> that pair batteries with fuel.</p><p>Xianguo Li, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering at the <a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">University of Waterloo</a>, is working on something similar, pairing batteries with fuel cells for use in automobiles. He believes his system will last as much as ten times longer than current fuel cells and can be produced cheaply enough to eventually replace conventional gas engines. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030626191930337X?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">The system</a> consists of a battery and three fuel cell units of identical size that shift among themselves, depending on the amount of power needed.</p>Professor Xianguo Li seen here with his fuel cell test vehicle in his lab.
University of Waterloo
<p>"During low speed driving, the battery provides the power," Li said. "One of the three fuel cell units would be activated if the battery energy level is low or battery power is not sufficient, and the fuel cell output would be used partly for driving and partly for charging the battery. If the vehicle speeds, two of the three fuel cells would be activated, and at full load all three fuel cells would be activated." But the fuel cells likely would last longer because a vehicle needs full power only around one-third of the time, he said.</p><p>Similarly, Li's Waterloo colleague, <a href="https://uwaterloo.ca/mechatronic-vehicle-systems-lab/?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">Amir Khajepour</a>, has developed a new <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0957415818300230?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">valve technology</a> that increases the efficiency of conventional internal combustion engines by more than 10 percent. He also has created a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544217305832?source=post_page---------------------------" target="_blank">battery system</a> that harnesses and stores heat that a vehicle creates when it brakes, but still allows refrigeration units and air conditioners to run during idling.</p><p>"Combustion engines will be the horse force of heavy transportations for many years to come," he said. "In addition, the current vehicles especially used in city buses or utility fleets have at least another decade of life span. Any technology that can reduce the fuel consumption and emissions of such vehicles will have a huge impact in making the transportation system greener."</p>By Verner Wilson II
2018 was a breakthrough year for Arctic conservation work at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). I wrote partly about it in my previous blog. Aside from obtaining internationally recognized routing measures and shipping areas to be avoided (ATBA) in the Bering Sea, IMO also moved forward with regulations to ban the use of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) in the Arctic.
The United Nations shipping agency also moved to regulate climate-change causing greenhouse gas emissions in the international shipping industry, which is one of the largest emitters of carbon and other atmosphere pollutants. I look forward to continuing that type of work into 2019. And there will be plenty of opportunity for that, as there are a number of IMO subcommittee meetings that will consider pollution reduction and prevention measures. The people who I believe made some of the most significant differences in this work in 2018 were able to come to IMO with me last fall.
By James J. Winebrake and James J Corbett
The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency that regulates global shipping, is writing new rules to curb greenhouse gas emissions from ships by 2050 as it implements other regulations that will mandate cleaner-burning fuels at sea by 2020.