Johannes Ellinger, 23.10.

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________________________________________________________________ Could US scientists "CO2 catcher" help to slow warming?

1. Greenhouse effect solar radiation passes the atmosphere and impacts1 on the earths surface - it is converted into heat causing the emission of infrared radiation back to space - greenhouse gases avoid that all energy of this radiation is lost in space - one part heats up the gas molecules, the other part is re-emitted2 to earth where it warms the surface - this greenhouse effect is essential for life on earth because without it the average temperature would be around -18 - now it is about +15 human disturbs this natural effect with emitting more and more greenhouse gases, so less energy is lost in space and earth gets warmer => global warming -

2. Content: Could US scientists "CO2 catcher" help to slow warming? It has been a long search for a way to trap3 carbon dioxide from the air. Now a group of US scientists lead by Klaus Lacker claim to be able to build a machine which can absorb a tonne of the greenhouse gas a day from the air within the next two years. This machine will be small enough to fit into a usual ship container but with cost around 150000 it will be quite expensive. Furthermore it wont be a way to stop global warming because of the low capacity and the problem of disposing4 the CO2. But it can help to slow global warming so a better solution can be developed. There is only limited time for this because scientists guess that a concentration of 450 ppm5 carbon dioxide in the air is the point where global warming gets irreversible - actual we have 387 ppm, 40% higher than before the industrial revolution. Despite6 sceptical views of other scientists and institutions like the ICCP that CO2 catchers are too inefficient to be used they believed in their idea. At last they made a breakthrough: Instead of chemicals, which can absorb the CO2, they use plastic sheets called ion exchange membranes. They have the big advantage that humid7 air can make them resorb the CO2, not a complex process like common chemicals need. Also the problem of disposing the carbon dioxide seems to be solved: Lackner wants to use it for boosting7 plant growth or producing fertilizer9 or food by growing algae10.
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auftreffen; 2 zurckstrahlen; 3 einfangen, hier: binden; 4 entsorgen; 5 parts per million 6 trotz; 7 feucht; 8 frdern; 9 Dnger; 10 Algen Sources: - http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/greenhouse-effect - http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/global/pdf/GCPFrameworkFinal.pdf - "Could US scientists CO2 catcher help to slow warming?" (published in the Guardian)