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Environment - Blog Posts
I’m so here for park rangers recently alternating between taking down the government and making wholesome memes
You mean to tell me there’s a connection between the big banks and environmental catastrophe?
Who knew??
If you're feeling anxious or depressed about the climate and want to do something to help right now, from your bed, for free...
Start helping with citizen science projects
What's a citizen science project? Basically, it's crowdsourced science. In this case, crowdsourced climate science, that you can help with!
You don't need qualifications or any training besides the slideshow at the start of a project. There are a lot of things that humans can do way better than machines can, even with only minimal training, that are vital to science - especially digitizing records and building searchable databases
Like labeling trees in aerial photos so that scientists have better datasets to use for restoration.
Or counting cells in fossilized plants to track the impacts of climate change.
Or digitizing old atmospheric data to help scientists track the warming effects of El Niño.
Or counting penguins to help scientists better protect them.
Those are all on one of the most prominent citizen science platforms, called Zooniverse, but there are a ton of others, too.
Oh, and btw, you don't have to worry about messing up, because several people see each image. Studies show that if you pool the opinions of however many regular people (different by field), it matches the accuracy rate of a trained scientist in the field.
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I spent a lot of time doing this when I was really badly injured and housebound, and it was so good for me to be able to HELP and DO SOMETHING, even when I was in too much pain to leave my bed. So if you are chronically ill/disabled/for whatever reason can't participate or volunteer for things in person, I highly highly recommend.
Next time you wish you could do something - anything - to help
Remember that actually, you can. And help with some science.
First time with gouache!
Can someone tell me how communication works on Tumblr? Can I reply to comments? I'm really confused rn O.o
Pokemon art from last year
Combusting Alkanes
If you follow this blog, by now you must be thinking, when will we be done with the alkane chemistry? Well, the answer is never. There is still one more topic to touch on - burning alkanes and the environmental effects. Study up chums!
Alkanes are used as fuels due to how they can combust easily to release large amounts of heat energy. Combustion is essentially burning something in the presence of oxygen. There are two types of combustion: complete and incomplete.
Complete combustion occurs when there is a plentiful supply of air. When an alkane is burned in sufficient oxygen, it produces carbon dioxide and water. How much depends on what is being burnt. For example:
butane + oxygen -> carbon dioxide + water
2C4H10 (g) + 13O2 (g) -> 8CO2 (g) + 10H2O (g)
Remember state symbols in combustion reactions. In addition, this reaction can be halved to balance for 1 mole of butane by using fractions when dealing with the numbers.
C4H10 (g) + 6 ½ O2 (g) -> 4CO2 (g) + 5H2O (g)
Incomplete combustion on the other hand occurs when there is a limited supply of air. There are two kinds of incomplete combustion. The first type produces water and carbon monoxide.
butane + limited oxygen -> carbon monoxide + water
C4H10 (g) + 4 ½ O2 (g) -> 4CO (g) + 5H2O (g)
Carbon monoxide is dangerous because it is toxic and undetectable due to being smell-free and colourless. It reacts with haemoglobin in your blood to reduce their oxygen-carrying ability and can cause drowsiness, nausea, respiratory failure or death. Applicances therefore must be maintained to prevent the formation of the monoxide.
The other kind of incomplete combustion occurs in even less oxygen. It produces water and soot (carbon).
butane + very limited oxygen -> carbon + water
C4H10 (g) + 2 ½ O2 (g) -> 4C (g) + 5H2O (g)
Internal combustion engines work by changing chemical energy to kinetic energy, fuelled by the combustion of alkane fuels in oxygen. When this reaction is undergone, so do other unwanted side reactions due to the high pressure and temperature, e.g. the production of nitrogen oxides.
Nitrogen is regularly unreactive but when combined with oxygen, it produces NO and NO2 molecules:
nitrogen + oxygen -> nitrogen (II) oxide
N2 (g) + O2 (g) -> 2NO (g)
and
nitrogen + oxygen -> nitrogen (II) oxide
N2 (g) + 2O2 (g) -> 2NO2 (g)
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is sometimes present in the exhaust mixture as impurities from crude oil. It is produced when sulfur reacts with oxygen. Nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon particles, unburnt hydrocarbons, water vapour and sulfur dioxide are all produced in exhaust fumes and are also pollutants that cause problems you need to be aware of for the exam as well as how to get rid of them.
Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming, an important process where infrared radiation from the sun is prevented from escaping back into space by atmospheric gases. On the one hand, some greenhouse gases need to continue this so that the earth can sustain life as it traps heat, however, we do not want the earth’s temperature to increase that much. Global warming is the term given to the increasing average temperature of the earth, which has seen an increase in the last few years due to human activity - burning fossil fuels like alkanes has produced more gases which trap more heat. Examples of greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour.
Another pollution problem the earth faces is acid rain. Rain water is already slightly acidic due to the CO2 present in the atmosphere but acid rain is more acidic than this. Nitrogen oxides contribute to acid rain although sulfur dioxide is the main cause. The equation for sulfur dioxide reacting with water in the air to produce oxidised sulfurous acid and therefore sulphuric acid is:
SO2 (g) + H2O (g) + ½ O2 (g) -> H2SO4 (aq)
Acid rain is a problem because it destroys lakes, buildings and vegetation. It is also a global problem because it can fall far from the original source of the pollution.
Photochemical smog is formed from nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and unburnt hydrocarbons that react with sunlight. It mostly forms in industralised cities and causes health problems such as emphysema.
So what can we do about the pollutants?
A good method of stopping pollution is preventing it in the first place, therefore cars have catalytic converters which reduce the amount of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburnt hydrocarbons come into the atmosphere by converting them into less toxic gases. Shaped like a honeycomb for increased SA and therefore rate of conversion, platinum and rhodium coat ceramic and act as catalysts for the reactions that take place in an internal combustion engine.
As they pass over the catalyst, they react with each other to form less pollution:
octane + nitrogen (II) oxide -> carbon dioxide + nitrogen + water
C8H18 (g) + 25NO -> 8CO2 (g) + 12 ½ N2 (g) + 9H2O (g)
nitrogen (II) oxide + carbon monoxide -> carbon dioxide + nitrogen
2NO (g) + 2CO (g) -> 2CO2 (g) + N2 (g)
Finally, sulfur dioxide must be dealt with. The first way it is dealt with is by removing it from petrol before it can be burnt, however, this is often not economically favourable for fuels used in power stations. A process called flue gas desulfurisation is used instead.
In this, gases are passed through a wet semi-solid called a slurry that contains calcium oxide or calcium carbonate. These neutralise the acid, due to being bases, to form calcium sulfate which has little commercial value but can be oxidised to produce a more valuable construction material.
calcium oxide + sulfur dioxide -> calcium sulfite
CaO (s) + SO2 (g) -> CaSO3 (s)
calcium carbonate + sulfur dioxide -> calcium sulfite + carbon dioxide
CaCO3 (s) + SO2 (g) -> CaSO3 (s) + CO2 (g)
calcium sulfite + oxygen -> calcium sulfate
CaSO3 (s) + O -> CaSO4 (s)
SUMMARY
Alkanes are used as fuels due to how they can combust easily to release large amounts of heat energy. Combustion is essentially burning something in the presence of oxygen.
Complete combustion occurs when there is a plentiful supply of air. When an alkane is burned in sufficient oxygen, it produces carbon dioxide and water
Remember state symbols in combustion reactions. In addition, reactions can be halved to balance for 1 mole of compounds by using fractions when dealing with the numbers.
Incomplete combustion occurs when there is a limited supply of air. There are two kinds of incomplete combustion.
The first type produces water and carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide is dangerous because it is toxic and undetectable due to being smell-free and colourless. It reacts with haemoglobin in your blood to reduce their oxygen-carrying ability and can cause drowsiness, nausea, respiratory failure or death.
The other kind of incomplete combustion occurs in even less oxygen. It produces water and soot (carbon).
Internal combustion engines work by changing chemical energy to kinetic energy, fuelled by the combustion of alkane fuels in oxygen. When this reaction is undergone, so do other unwanted side reactions due to the high pressure and temperature, e.g. the production of nitrogen oxides.
Nitrogen is regularly unreactive but when combined with oxygen, it produces NO and NO2 molecules:
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is sometimes present in the exhaust mixture as impurities from crude oil. It is produced when sulfur reacts with oxygen.
Nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon particles, unburnt hydrocarbons, water vapour and sulfur dioxide are all produced in exhaust fumes and are also pollutants that cause problems you need to be aware of for the exam as well as how to get rid of them.
Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming, an important process where infrared radiation from the sun is prevented from escaping back into space by atmospheric gases. Some greenhouse gases need to continue this so that the earth can sustain life as it traps heat, however, we do not want the earth’s temperature to increase that much. Global warming is the term given to the increasing average temperature of the earth, which has seen an increase in the last few years due to human activity - burning fossil fuels like alkanes has produced more gases which trap more heat.
Another pollution problem the earth faces is acid rain. Nitrogen oxides contribute to acid rain although sulfur dioxide is the main cause.
Acid rain is a problem because it destroys lakes, buildings and vegetation. It is also a global problem because it can fall far from the original source of the pollution.
Photochemical smog is formed from nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and unburnt hydrocarbons that react with sunlight. It mostly forms in industralised cities and causes health problems such as emphysema.
A good method of stopping pollution is preventing it in the first place, therefore cars have catalytic converters which reduce the amount of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and unburnt hydrocarbons come into the atmosphere by converting them into less toxic gases. Shaped like a honeycomb for increased SA and therefore rate of conversion, platinum and rhodium coat ceramic and act as catalysts for the reactions that take place in an internal combustion engine.
As they pass over the catalyst, they react with each other to form less pollution.
octane + nitrogen (II) oxide -> carbon dioxide + nitrogen + water
C8H18 (g) + 25NO -> 8CO2 (g) + 12 ½ N2 (g) + 9H2O (g)
nitrogen (II) oxide + carbon monoxide -> carbon dioxide + nitrogen
2NO (g) + 2CO (g) -> 2CO2 (g) + N2 (g)
Finally, sulfur dioxide must be dealt with. The first way it is dealt with is by removing it from petrol before it can be burnt, however, this is often not economically favourable for fuels used in power stations. A process called flue gas desulfurisation is used instead.
In this, gases are passed through a wet semi-solid called a slurry that contains calcium oxide or calcium carbonate. Since they are bases, these neutralise the acid to form calcium sulfate which has little commercial value but can be oxidised to produce a more valuable construction material.
Happy studying!
i hate how everyone seems to hate ai until its convenient or entertaining to them. ill be honest i used to play around with chat bots and yeah it was fun but no amount of entertainment can justify the environmental impact it has.
like its genuinely crazy. mfs will talk about recycling for the environment and then go and ai generate shitty cat photos.
ive met people who will actively acknowledge that ai usage has a terrible impact on our already depleting water sources then turn around and make it spit out 5 shittily generated videos. like what???
i dunno call me the fun police or whatever but i do believe that ai is going to be the death of society someday. and in the event ai takes over and starts tryna kill anyone who has opposed it, im not against the idea of ai, okay listen i named myself after an android from dbh i do genuinely love the idea of being able to incorporate machinery into society and evolving. but i do believe we have unlocked it too early. i do not believe we have made the necessary steps to ensure ai can be used to help us without it actively destroying our planet and our ability to intake and output information. if ai will not be the death of us or our planet, it will be the death of critical thinking and problem solving skills.
i dunno, its just annoying and hypocritical. like you cannot claim to be an eco warrior then turn around and tell ai to write an essay for you.
like unless youre actively offsetting your carbon and hydrological footprint by planting trees or donating to re-foresting organisations (which i doubt any of them do, lol.) youre still contributing loads to the crash of ecosystems and freshwater supplies. even then i dont think that the only reason to be supporting re-foresting should be to offset ai use. just plant some trees instead of planting trees AND fucking over your writing skills.
its wild people get called soft or woke over this. mf i just care about not treating water like its an infinite resource when groundwater (40% of the planets freshwater) is being pumped from the ground too fast for it to replenish for the sake of shit like cooling servers.
i do believe humanity is getting ahead of itself, i do not believe we are at a point where ai can be used in a way where it is safe for both the environment and society itself. and because of that, i really do believe humanity as a whole needs to step back and prioritise not killing the rock we live on before we try to make dbh real.
anyways guys i think a red cherry shrimp in my aquarium is eggnant!!!!! wish me luck this could mean i wont have to spend $10 on 5 shrimp :)
Colored at last! The northern gate to Dazar'alor, which is in a part of the city called the Zocalo. This took FOR-EVER to draw, but it's worth it! I will be adding a few more details and may tweak a few things, but this is the gist of it! I plan to fill this with peoples individual World of Warcraft OCs to make it look really active and lively!
I think you'd like this story: "The dilemma of Howard land Beach" by Nyabinghi22 on Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/story/391947544?utm_source=android&utm_medium=com.tumblr&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=Nyabinghi22
Backgrounds have never been my strong suit but I’ve always had a weakness for forests.
slipped away to my hidden place, climbed a tree, and watched the clouds tell me quiet little stories
I just hit 100 followers, and I am truly grateful for all of you.
I would like to do a challenge.
For every interaction this post gets (from ANYONE) I will pick up 1 item of trash.
The earth has done so much for us, and I can’t think of a better way to give back
Los Angeles Tropical Landscape
22nd April, 2025
The entire world comes together to celebrate our home. Mother Earth. This year, the theme for Earth Day is Our Power, Our Planet. This urges us to realise the importance of sustainable and renewable energy to build a healthy future for the coming generations.
Energy powers the world. From homes to industries to global economies. Historically, natural resources like wood and sunlight powered life on Earth. But after the Industrial Revolution, the dependence on fossil fuels like coal and petroleum has increased significantly. Today, as the field of technology gets more advanced, the energy demands have gone up, pushing us to explore much safer, sustainable options to meet our growing needs.
So what are our sustainable options?
Renewable Energy
Renewable Energy is derived from natural sources that replenish themselves. For instance, sunlight, potential energy from wind or flowing water. They’re sustainable, do not release any greenhouse gases upon being harnessed and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels. However, they come with their own set of challenges. Initial costs for infrastructure can be high, and some renewable sources, like solar and wind, can be intermittent, depending on weather conditions. Despite these challenges, investing in renewable energy is crucial for a cleaner, more sustainable future.
It is essential to switch to renewable energy for a sustainable future. It reduces our dependence on fossil fuels, enhancing geopolitical stability by decreasing energy-related conflicts. Moreover, renewable energy offers social and health benefits. Cleaner air, cleaner water, and cleaner soil lead to healthier communities. Investing in sustainable energy also drives innovations, creates jobs in multiple sectors, and promotes long-term growth of not just the environmental sector, but many other sectors too. And through this, we don’t just protect our planet but also build a stable and healthy society for future generations to come.
So this Earth Day, let’s come together and make our future sustainable.
A list of (realistic) things you can do to be more environmentally friendly
(from an earth-loving horticulture student.)
— COSMETICS
Use bar soap instead of soap bottles
Use old toothbrushes for cleaning surfaces
Try exploring and researching some homemade face/body/lip products
Use ice sleeves, sunglasses, and caps instead of sunscreen (Edit: I’ve seen people say that it is safer and even necessary to wear sunscreen at all times so try to use eco friendly sunscreen instead! In my country it’s pretty uncommon to wear sunscreen often as we usually wear ice sleeves which is why I did not know this oof)
Use coffee grinds or homemade tumeric masks instead of cosmetic products with exfoliator beads
Invest in a metal ear cleanser instead of cotton buds
Try placing more importance on skincare instead of contributing to exploitative beauty companies by buying makeup
Use cosmetic products that do not contain palm oil
— CLOTHING
Try as much as possible to rewear your outfits at least twice before washing them
Actually WEAR your clothes! I know some of y’all just wear them once for your Instagram post and let it rot in your closet forever. Stop doing that!
Thrift, stitch up holes in your clothes, and use second hand clothing instead of supporting fast fashion companies like SHEIN, H&M, Zara, etc.
Cut up your old clothing into yarn and do macramè with it
Cut patches of old clothing to turn into reusable cotton pads
Learn how to knit, crochet or stitch your clothes!
If you use tampons, try menstrual cups or discs instead. If you use pads, try reusable pads or period underwear. (Trust me, it works). Also, use reusable panty liners instead of disposable ones. They may seem expensive but you will end up saving a lot more in the long run
— GARDENING
Plant seeds/cuttings in your old bottles, jars, and containers
Propagate your plants and exchange cuttings with your friends instead of buying new plants
Make your own soil mixes instead of buying soil mixes
Better yet, don’t use soil for your indoor plants and try getting into hydroponics or semihydroponics instead. This saves so much water and doesn’t contribute to mining of soil
Fertilise plants with fruit peels, coffee grinds, and tea leaves. (DO NOT use chemical fertiliser on soil)
Plant more legume plants in your garden instead of using nitrogen fertilisers. (Look up the nitrogen cycle if you need an explanation on this)
Avoid pesticides unless really needed. Try sprinkling cinnamon powder on soil or spraying neem oil on plants and soil to keep away pests.
If you have a lawn, try looking into rain gardens and consider making one
Let the (non invasive) weeds in your lawn/garden grow! They are there for a reason!
Stop killing earthworms and millipedes in your garden. This also applies to snails native to your region. They are there for a reason.
Water used to wash fruits and rice can be used to water plants
— REDUCE, REUSE
Use the caps of jars as soap holders
Use recycled paper/notebooks
Wash and dry your glass/plastic items before throwing them in the recycling bin
Keep any plastic bags for future use
Use eco friendly or reusable dish sponges
Use reusable straws and cups
Invest in a fabric cup holder
Bring a water bottle with you wherever you go
Drink more water and less sugary drinks
Bring reusable bags for buying groceries instead of using plastic ones
Always keep a folded up tote/shopping bag with you in case you spontaneously decide to buy something
— ELECTRICITY
Set a timer on your air conditioning instead of letting it run throughout the night
Better yet, use a fan instead of an air conditioner
Open your windows! Aerate your home!
Allow natural light to enter your home during the daytime, so as to avoid turning on your lights
Switch to LED lightbulbs instead of regular lightbulbs
Turn off any switches in your house when they are not in use
Collect the water from your air conditioner/dehumidifier condenser and use that to water plants, clean surfaces, steam ironing, and flushing toilets. Do not drink it though!
— INTERNET
Delete your all of your unwanted emails
Delete your inactive social media accounts
Try not to post excessively on social media and stop scrolling excessively too. This not only reduces energy usage but also improves your mental health and productivity
Try to keep to one social media app instead of having so many
Reduce your internet usage
Save your eBooks on a thumbdrive instead of on cloud
Use Ecosia instead of Google
Stop being influenced by social media trends that only just contribute to consumerism
Download music instead of streaming
Reduce online shopping
— FOOD
Reduce intake of processed foods
Reduce intake of fish, beef, and dairy
Try eating vegan or vegetarian foods at least once or twice a week
Cook your own meals instead of eating out
Bring your own food containers when taking away food from stores
Beeswax wrap instead of cling wrap!
Buy loose-leaf tea or plastic free tea bags instead of regular tea bags
Eat more mushrooms, vegetables, and fruits and drink more water
Support local farmers
And finally, educate yourself more about ecology and the environment!
I feel really uncomfortable in media when the Earth is just left behind. Interstellar, Elysium, Starfield, Lost in Space, Wall-E (which is kind of an exception) all just pretend this planet has the potential to lose all meaning for us. This place is full of history and life and culture and plants and animals. But as soon as we have the ability to leave, as soon as our tiny speck of green and blue in the universe coughs a little bit we leave it to become a planet of dust. There's not even an attempt to save anything that makes this place special. The animals and plants, who are our neighbours and roommates? They can all go extinct, who cares, as long as we survive. The buildings, the paintings, the architecture and art? It's all meaningless rubble, as long as we survive. I can't tell if everyone really thinks this planet is nothing to us except a place to infest, or it's just an unfortunate pattern in science fiction. I've never seen the movie but I watched the ending scene of Don't Look Up with Leonardo DiCaprio. What a beautiful scene, I watch it a lot. This planet is everything.