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Author
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Topic: Laughing Gas
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DIRTY SALLY
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Member # 7845
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Humankind doesn't have a great track record when it comes to cleaning up environmental messes, but there was one time we really outdid ourselves. That was back in 1989, when over 190 nations signed the Montreal Protocol, phasing out the use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The decade before, scientists had discovered that CFCs were blowing a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, exposing us to dangerous ultraviolet radiation and boosting the risk of skin cancer. Today, CFCs are no longer in widespread use, and the ozone layer appears to be on the mend.
But even with that battle all but won, scientists are finding a new man-made threat to the ozone layer: nitrous oxide (N2O), otherwise known as laughing gas. A study published in the Aug. 28 Science found that N2O - a by-product of agricultural fertilizer and a number of other industrial processes - is now the biggest ozone-depleting gas in the air, and could present a real threat to the ozone layer in coming decades. And worse, unlike CFCs, N2O - which also adds to global warming - is not regulated by the Montreal Protocol, meaning there is no global effort to try to reduce emissions. (Read "Can Steven Chu Win the Fight Over Global Warming?")
"Pretty soon human-caused N2O emissions will be greater than all other ozone-depleting substances combined," says John Daniel, an atmospheric scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a co-author of the Science study. "It will be the dominant gas in the future."
The idea that N2O poses a threat to the ozone layer is not new, but the Science study is the first comprehensive look at the exact concentrations and consequences of the gas. The investigators found that although N2O is only one-sixtieth as dangerous to the ozone layer as CFCs on a gram-by-gram basis, the sheer amount of N2O - each year nearly 1 billion metric tons of CO2 equivalent are released globally - means that it now poses a more significant threat to the atmosphere. (N2O emissions are calculated in terms of their impact on global warming, and CO2 is used as a kind of base level.) (See Q&A: "Regional Nuclear War and the Environment.")
The news isn't all bad: the fact that scientists can now turn so much of their attention to the dangers of N2O is in part because CFC levels have dropped so low, thanks to the Montreal Protocol. But N2O is likely to prove much more difficult than CFCs to phase out. While CFCs had a relatively narrow range of uses - and chemical companies like DuPont were able to come up with replacements quickly - N2O is all around us, tied intimately to our industrial way of life. The millions of tons of soil fertilizer used in U.S. agriculture alone add N2O into the atmosphere, as do livestock manure, sewage treatment and automobiles. And it's not just our doing: two-thirds of global N2O emissions come from the planet itself, as bacteria in soil and the oceans break down nitrogen. Though N2O is regulated by the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 as a greenhouse gas - and one that is nearly 300 times more potent for global warming than CO2 - that treaty doesn't cover all nations, and will expire in 2012. "The question is how are we going to reduce these gases," says Daniel. "We need to bridge that gap between science and policy."
Such a multifaceted problem will require a multifront solution, and some good ideas might come up at the U.N. Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen in December. Reducing the quantity of fertilizer used in farming, switching to a less meat-heavy diet and lowering the number of cars on the road while boosting fuel economy will all help. The planet itself will continue churning out its own N2O, of course, but the planet did that for eons. It was our N2O production that pushed the gas past the tipping point - requiring that we now push it back. "It can be a win-win phasing out these gases, both for climate and the ozone," says Robert Portman, an atmospheric scientist at NOAA and a co-author of the study. If we fail, we won't be laughing about nitrous oxide.
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Savage Habits
instagram @2cheezen
Posts: 9145 | Registered: Aug 2007
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SLOWBACK 67
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Member # 6348
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Global warming is a scare tactic to conrol people and their money worldwide. 19000 scientists signed a petition stating that there is no conclusive evedence showing that co2 is causing a rise in the temp on our planet.
Who would you rather believe.... Politicians like Al Gore , peloci, boxer, Obama, the late Ted Kennedy, Barney "elmer fudd" Frank....Or scientist who say there is no real scientific proof ?
People like Al Gore who's friends will make billions off " Green Tec." like solar, wind, bio fuel ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif) If Gore was so worried about the sea levels rising 20feet why would he have a property near the coast ![[Confused]](confused.gif) the truth is it's more like 23.... Inches ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Gore is selling snake oil
( rant off ) ![[Mad]](mad.gif)
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Originally posted by turbo50:
I have no intenions of keeping anyones parts or taking anyones money.
Posts: 8582 | From: Vallejo | Registered: Dec 2005
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fr5.0
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Member # 8652
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posted
wawawawawawawawa lol
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MAGA
TRUMP TRAIN!!!!
Posts: 2913 | From: sacramento | Registered: Sep 2008
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AL STOCK
Its All Stock
Cuzzon
Member # 1852
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by slowback67:
Global warming is a scare tactic to conrol people and their money worldwide. 19000 scientists signed a petition stating that there is no conclusive evedence showing that co2 is causing a rise in the temp on our planet.
Who would you rather believe.... Politicians like Al Gore , peloci, boxer, Obama, the late Ted Kennedy, Barney "elmer fudd" Frank....Or scientist who say there is no real scientific proof ?
People like Al Gore who's friends will make billions off " Green Tec." like solar, wind, bio fuel If Gore was so worried about the sea levels rising 20feet why would he have a property near the coast the truth is it's more like 23.... Inches
Gore is selling snake oil
( rant off )
![[patriot]](graemlins/patriot.gif) Global Warming is bullshizznit, if you use common sense and apply it to your daily lifestyle, things will make more sense.
Ohhh the temp is raising.. Ohh the polar ice caps are melting.. Ohh the chunks of ice in antartica is melting.. Ohh the pollution.. I say STFU, and do your research, shit was hot as hell 500 years ago and shit is hot today.
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.:: FANATICS ::.
93 Cobra Teal
93 Cobra V Red
90 SSP
SVT Raptor
Huracan Rosso Mars
E63s W213 Selenite Gray
C7Z M7 Daytona Sunrise
Posts: 6498 | From: San Bruno | Registered: Sep 2002
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Captain Obvious
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Member # 7842
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posted
Global warming = just another natural climate cycle of earth.
the planet mars is also having a rise in climate temperature, the ice caps of mars are melting because of it. damn martian space SUV's
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It's NOT illegal. It's just frowned upon, like masturbating on an airplane.
Posts: 1976 | Registered: Aug 2007
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70mach351
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Member # 7528
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posted
Im going green E85
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70 Mach 1 gettin a make over
2001 Ford F250 Crew Cab 7.3
Posts: 1762 | From: EDH | Registered: Mar 2007
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90FoX
FoX
Member # 1974
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by slowback67:
Global warming is a scare tactic to conrol people and their money worldwide. 19000 scientists signed a petition stating that there is no conclusive evedence showing that co2 is causing a rise in the temp on our planet.
Who would you rather believe.... Politicians like Al Gore , peloci, boxer, Obama, the late Ted Kennedy, Barney "elmer fudd" Frank....Or scientist who say there is no real scientific proof ?
People like Al Gore who's friends will make billions off " Green Tec." like solar, wind, bio fuel If Gore was so worried about the sea levels rising 20feet why would he have a property near the coast the truth is it's more like 23.... Inches
Gore is selling snake oil
( rant off )
+infinity
Posts: 5364 | From: Shooting Skeet | Registered: Oct 2002
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SLOWBACK 67
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Member # 6348
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by 90FoX:
quote:
Originally posted by slowback67:
Global warming is a scare tactic to conrol people and their money worldwide. 19000 scientists signed a petition stating that there is no conclusive evedence showing that co2 is causing a rise in the temp on our planet.
Who would you rather believe.... Politicians like Al Gore , peloci, boxer, Obama, the late Ted Kennedy, Barney "elmer fudd" Frank....Or scientist who say there is no real scientific proof ?
People like Al Gore who's friends will make billions off " Green Tec." like solar, wind, bio fuel If Gore was so
worried about the sea levels rising 20feet why would he have a
property near the coast the truth is it's more like
23.... Inches
Gore is selling snake oil
( rant off )
+infinity
I'm happy to see there are more and more people seeing through the BS
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Originally posted by turbo50:
I have no intenions of keeping anyones parts or taking anyones money.
Posts: 8582 | From: Vallejo | Registered: Dec 2005
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SHOalex
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Member # 7720
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posted
Some times I go outside and turn my car on and rev my catless exhaust just because
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BAM! POW! Right in the kisser.
Posts: 1448 | From: Oakland | Registered: Jun 2007
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90FoX
FoX
Member # 1974
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by SHOalex:
Some times I go outside and turn my car on and rev my catless exhaust just because
run some sea foam through it next time too
[ August 30, 2009, 06:07 PM: Message edited by: 90FoX ]
Posts: 5364 | From: Shooting Skeet | Registered: Oct 2002
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SLOWBACK 67
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Member # 6348
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by 90FoX:
quote:
Originally posted by SHOalex:
Some times I go outside and turn my car on and rev my catless exhaust just because
run some sea foam through it next time too
Lmao ![[Whoo Whooooo!]](graemlins/woowoo.gif)
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Originally posted by turbo50:
I have no intenions of keeping anyones parts or taking anyones money.
Posts: 8582 | From: Vallejo | Registered: Dec 2005
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blackfifty
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Member # 9023
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posted
all you guys are right global warming doesn't exist every planet is getting warmer the earth just goes through heat cycles and we happen to be experiencing one and polar bears are not becoming extinct they are actually thriving right now.
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03 Terminator
Posts: 1331 | From: Oakland | Registered: Mar 2009
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SLOWBACK 67
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Member # 6348
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by blackfifty:
all you guys are right global warming doesn't exist every planet is getting warmer the earth just goes through heat cycles and we happen to be experiencing one and polar bears are not becoming extinct they are actually thriving right now.
these remarks make me want to ![[dance]](graemlins/dance.gif) for joy and hope. We need to vote and remove these politicians from office that use global warming as a tool to gain power over the people of this country
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Originally posted by turbo50:
I have no intenions of keeping anyones parts or taking anyones money.
Posts: 8582 | From: Vallejo | Registered: Dec 2005
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liftedF150
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Member # 868
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posted
quote:
Originally posted by 91fox:
Global warming = just another natural climate cycle of earth.
the planet mars is also having a rise in climate temperature, the ice caps of mars are melting because of it. damn martian space SUV's
exactly we are coming out of a ice age its not the first time its happened.....
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GO SHARKS!
Posts: 3259 | From: Discovery Bay | Registered: Feb 2002
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