Saltwater film in clouds to cool Earth?

Geoengineering Technique Will Help Reflect Back More Sunlight

Washington: Amid growing concern over global warming, scientists have come up with an unique scheme to cool the earth with the help of a geoengineering method that would increase cloud reflectivity over the ocean.

Under the scheme, the scientists would increase cloud reflectivity over the ocean by spraying them with an ultra-fine saltwater mist from ships, a report in the Scientific American journal said.

“The clouds, containing more particles, would cast enough sunlight back into space to at least partially offset the warming effects of all that CO ² from burningfossil fuels,” the researchers said.

They added, “After all, clouds already reflect more of the sun’s radiation back into space than the amount trapped by human emissions of CO ² . So why not make them even more effective.”

Stephen Salter, an emeritus professor of engineering design at the University of Edinburgh, who is leading the research said, “marine cloud brightening could be done by populating the world's oceans with up to 1,500 ships of a somewhat exotic design — sometimes known as albedo yachts.”

“Each vessel would be remote-controlled, wind-powered, and capable of generating (via turbines dragged through the water) the electricity required to create a mist of seawater and loft it 1,000 meters into the atmosphere,” he added. Scientists have mixed reactions to the idea, which was first proposed in 1999.

For instance, Andy Jones at the Hadley Center for Climate Prediction and Research thinks if marine cloud brightening were deployed in the Atlantic, it might help turn the Amazon rainforest into a desert by cooling the South Atlantic, which would lead to less evaporation from the ocean, thus reducing rainfall. PTI

Cheap green tech stays elusive Rich Nations Refuse To Budge At Delhi, Copenhagen Climate Deal Hopes Dim TIMES NEWS NETWORK New Delhi: The divide bet

Rich Nations Refuse To Budge At Delhi, Copenhagen Climate Deal Hopes Dim

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: The divide between rich and developing countries on the prickly issue of intellectual property regimes for green technologies came to the fore on the concluding day of the high-level climate change technology conference in Delhi on Friday.

With a consensus eluding the conference attended by 58 countries, including the US, China, Japan and several key G77 partners, references to the contentious topic were left out of the ‘Delhi Declaration on Global Cooperation on Climate Technology’, released on Friday at the end of the meet.

India, China and other G77 countries have for years demanded that industrialised nations should ease the IPR regime or buy out technologies from private hands to give them to the developing countries. The rich countries, which hold much of the technologies, instead say ‘investment environment’ should be improved for the private sector to bring in green technologies.

While some progress has been made on other elements of what could possibly form a deal on technology diffusion at Copenhagen, IPR remains the most contentitious subject with little breakthrough evident even at the end of the Bangkok round of negotiations concluded in the second week of October.

At the conclusion, the chair, environment minister Jairam Ramesh, noted: “There will be a continued need for further consultation on the role of IPR. We have recognised that there are different views on the issue.” He pointed out that countries had to still discuss how to ensure that “IPRs do not become a barrier to the achievement of common global goals”.

The high-level meeting in Delhi was not part of a formal negotiating process which is undertaken only under the UN but a strong signal from the meet would have influenced the UN talks at Barcelona and Copenhagen later. But at the meeting, several industrialised country representatives argued that the IPR regimes should not be touched.

PM Manmohan Singh, while inaugurating the meet, had said, “Climate friendly and environmentally sound technologies should be viewed as global public goods. This implies that the IPR regime should balance rewards for innovators with the need to promote common good.”

‘Emission more serious than fundamentalism’
New Delhi: The very existence of Maldives is threatened by climate change. So for Mohammed Nasheed, its young president and now the poster boy for climate change advocacy, global warming is a “more serious threat to the international order than Islamic radicalism, piracy or sharing of resources”. Addressing a think-tank on ‘environment and conflict resolution’, Nasheed said India’s position on climate change was acceptable, but appealed that renewable energy be used to provide power to over 300 million people. “Why do you want to go to yesterday’s diesel when you can go for tomorrow’s renewable energy and new technology? The world is on the threshold of new technology and you will be in the forefront if you use them,” he said. Nasheed said climate change was a real threat. “If we believe in science, and two plus two is four, climate change is happening and it is great threat to the world,” he said. TNN

Maldives president Mohd Nasheed

Gurus work nights to better grades

Himanshu Kaushik | TNN

Mahuva (Bhavnagar): It’s 10 pm. As Asarana village sleeps, a school wakes up in this part of Bhavnagar district abuzz with students, their hair neatly combed and ready with bags and notebooks.

A group of zealous teachers with a conviction to inject academic brilliance into students of this village have helped launch this unique night school at the government-run Gyanjyot High School at Mahuva. Students are flocking to this new initiative.

It all began a couple of years ago when Anand Seta, principal of the school, thought of extra coaching classes for students after they fared poorly in the boards. He discussed the idea with other teachers — D D Modhera and A U Rajyaguru — who agreed and decided to be part of this extra curricular activity.

At the night school, classes begin at 9 pm, when students assemble with their tiffins, eat together and then settle down to study. At midnight, they spread mattresses and sleep on the school premises with their teachers and the principal. In the morning, they sweep the ground, water trees and head home to get ready for regular school as teachers get ready for extra classes for girls between 8 am and 12 noon, just before school begins.

Thus, as results of the class X board exam in other schools here have hovered between 17% and 30%, Gyanjyot High School saw a 90% success rate last year. “In class VIII, I could not even read and now I am very good in mathematics and science. Three teachers take turns in teaching mathematics, science, English and Gujarati,” said Amit Kalsaria, son of a pan shop-owner who wants to become an engineer.

Mahesh Varia, son of a farm labourer, who dreams of becoming a doctor, added: “My father can hardly afford schooling expenses,so these revision sessions are a boon.”

Anand Seta, principal of Gyanjyot High School, conducts a special class for boys, which begins at 9 pm