Climate

This World Biofuel Day, we look to the future with optimism

Gillian D'Souza August 10, 2022

Credit: Gabriel Sigmund (from imaggeo.egu.eu)

Fossil fuels have dominated the global energy market for centuries, and so most people find it surprising to learn that the first ever diesel engine (1892) was run entirely on peanut oil. German engineer Sir Rudolf Diesel who built the engine was almost prophetic when he said the use of vegetable oils for engine fuels “may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become in course of time as imp ...[Read More]

Imaggeo On Monday: Works of art – works of muck

Irene Marzolff August 8, 2022

Works of art - works of muck. Credit: Irene Marzolff (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

Dung cakes made from buffalo manure are artfully piled up in a village in Madhya Pradesh. Used as fuel for cooking fires, they are a sustainable energy source in rural areas of India, but add to air pollution by biomass burning. Photo by Irene Marzolff, as described on imaggeo.egu.eu. Imaggeo is the EGU’s online open access geosciences image repository. All geoscientists (and others) ...[Read More]

How a Spanish newspaper experiment is improving public understanding of climate change

Gillian D'Souza August 5, 2022

Credit: Christopher Furlong via Getty Images

Climate change is not a new phenomenon. Nor is global warming. So why do researchers report a poor public understanding of this subject around the world? According to a recently published study, 70% of the people surveyed said they were concerned about rising global temperatures but had little knowledge about the climate crisis. When asked how much they knew about the origin and effects of global ...[Read More]

Imaggeo On Monday: Beech leaves on burned ground

Gabriel Sigmund August 1, 2022

Beech leaves don't burn. Credit: Gabriel Sigmund (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)

A charred pine cone lies on the ground of a mixed beech-pine forest following a forest fire in the Rax-Schneeberg region of Austria in 2021. The charred pine cone and litter are surrounded by unburned yellow beech leaves that fell to the ground after the surface fire. Pyrogenic carbon such as the charred pine cone can remain stable in the environment for extended periods of time and can affect bio ...[Read More]