November 30, 2023: Hydrogen fuel from plastic trash, how to buy a new telescope and nations have pledged money to help developing countries rebuild after climate disasters. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Researchers have found a cleaner way to make hydrogen gas from plastic waste. They used a strong electric current to heat plastic to about 2,700 degrees Celsius for mere milliseconds (a method called flash Joule heating), which breaks down plastic's chemical bonds. The process released a gas that was 94 percent hydrogen. The new process also generates graphene, an extremely valuable, ultrathin carbon material used in products such as electronics, concrete and car parts.
Why this matters: Hydrogen gas is a carbon-free energy source that can be burned in place of fossil fuels. But its most common production method relies on methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Other known methods are costly and resource-intensive. Flash Joule heating could generate 39 to 84 percent fewer greenhouse emissions than other hydrogen-production methods.
What the experts say: The hydrogen-generating technique works with mixed plastic waste and could also theoretically work for other carbon-based household garbage such as cardboard and paper, says James Tour, a Rice University chemistry professor. | | |
The key point: What you want to achieve in stargazing determines what equipment you should buy. A good pair of binoculars is more than sufficient for viewing the moon and Jupiter, for example. In very dark skies, they may also help you see big, bright objects such as the Orion nebula and the Andromeda galaxy. To more closely observe astronomical events like comets or farther planets, a small refractor—that is, a telescope with a light-gathering lens at the front of the tube, usually up to 10 centimeters wide—may suffice. More serious stargazing requires a reflector—a telescope that uses a mirror to gather up light from fainter objects. Of that category there are many varieties and price points, which Plait describes in his column.
What the experts say: "The best telescope for you is the one you will use," says Plait. "If it's too big, heavy or complicated, then you'll find yourself making excuses not to use it. Don't overindulge in your purchase." Personally, binoculars have served me pretty well, plus they're easy to take along to darker skies and clearings. Happy stargazing! | | | • Countries need to double their energy efficiency gains to hit the 2015 Paris climate agreement goals and to avoid the worst impacts from global warming, according to a new report. | 3 min read | | | • The Israel-Hamas war has disrupted hospitals' access to electricity, fuel and medicine. A physician from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières explains why health care is so vulnerable during war. | 5 min read | | | Chinstrap penguin sleeping in the snow, Yankee Harbour, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Credit: Marica van der Meer/Arterra Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo | | | • Every year, small island nations in the Pacific incur an estimated $1.075 billion in economic losses as a result of climate change. This is equivalent to at least 5 percent of their combined GDP, while more than 50,000 Pacific people are displaced by climate and disaster-related events. As part of their climate change mitigation goals, developed nations have pledged financial support for these countries, but have failed to come through so far, writes Josephine Latu-Sanft, a Tongan-born communications specialist who focuses on climate, ocean and natural resources. For this year's COP28 climate summit to be successful, "outcomes must ensure that the needs of vulnerable developing countries and communities are prioritized, including fast-tracked and uncomplicated access to finance," she says. | 4 min read | | | Just as I was reading Latu-Sanft's opinion piece above, news broke that today the participants at the climate summit COP28 fully adopted and pledged concrete dollar amounts to the Loss and Damage fund, totaling about $429 million in funding so far. The fund itself was agreed to last year and since then summit participants have been negotiating specifics. "The loss and damage fund will provide urgent assistance to vulnerable communities living on the frontlines of the climate crisis they did little to cause," Joe Thwates, senior advocate for International Climate Finance at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement today. "All wealthy and high-emitting countries now have a responsibility to step up and contribute to the fund." Stay tuned to Scientific American for updates on COP28 in the coming days. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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