Benefits of Renewable Energy Use - Union of Concerned Scientists
Jul 14, 2008 — Using more renewable energy can lower the prices of and demand for natural gas and coal by increasing competition and diversifying our energy supplies. And an increased reliance on renewable energy can help protect consumers when fossil fuel prices spike. Explainer. Renewables face major obstacles.
Satellite Database | Union of Concerned Scientists
Dec 8, 2005 — Kyle Ann Sebastian. Assembled by experts at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), the Satellite Database is a listing of the more than 7,560 operational satellites currently in orbit around Earth. Our intent in producing the database is to create a research tool for specialists and non-specialists alike by collecting open-source information ...
Are Humans the Major Cause of Global Warming? | Union of …
Jul 14, 2009 — The scientific consensus. Within the scientific community, there is essentially no disagreement on the causes of climate change. Multiple studies have shown that at least 97 percent of scientists agree that global warming is happening and that human activity is the primary cause. Major scientific assessments also agree.
What Are Satellites Used For? | Union of Concerned Scientists
Feb 13, 2014 — Telephones. Satellites provide in-flight phone communications on airplanes, and are often the main conduit of voice communication for rural areas and areas where phone lines are damaged after a disaster. Satellites also provide the primary timing source for cell phones and pagers. In 1998, a satellite failure demonstrated this dependence; it ...
Vehicles, Air Pollution & Human Health - Union of Concerned …
Jul 18, 2014 — The health risks of air pollution are extremely serious. Poor air quality increases respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis, heightens the risk of life-threatening conditions like cancer, and burdens our health care system with substantial medical costs. Particulate matter is singlehandedly responsible for up to 30,000 premature deaths ...
Fracking: Science, Policy, and People - Union of Concerned Scientists
Jan 14, 2015 — Fracking is a technique used to extract oil or gas from underground shale formations. A mixture of water, sand and chemicals is injected at high pressure into the rock, causing it to fracture (crack). This allows oil and gas contained in the rock to be recovered, often from sources that were previously inaccessible or uneconomical to explore.
What is Sustainable Agriculture? - Union of Concerned Scientists
Apr 10, 2017 — An economically and socially sustainable agriculture system is one that enables farms of all sizes to be profitable and contribute to their local economies. Such a system supports the next generation of farmers, deals fairly with its workers, promotes racial equity and justice, creates access to healthy food for all, and prioritizes people and ...
CO2 and Ocean Acidification | Union of Concerned Scientists
Jan 30, 2019 — When carbon dioxide enters the ocean, it dissolves in saltwater. First, it forms carbonic acid. Then, this carbonic acid breaks apart – or “dissociates” – producing bicarbonate ions and hydrogen ions. Ocean acidification results from an increased concentration of hydrogen ions and a reduction in carbonate ions due to the absorption of ...
Top Five Reasons to Choose an Electric Car
Mar 12, 2018 — 2. Electric vehicles cut your emissions. Even when the electricity used to fuel an EV comes from the dirtiest coal-dominated grid in the US, EVs still produce less global warming pollution than their conventional counterparts. The average EV in the US today produces the emissions equivalent of a gasoline car that gets 73 miles per gallon.
Climate Change and Population - Union of Concerned Scientists
A misplaced focus on population growth as a key driver of past, present, and future climate change conflates a rise in emissions with an increase in people, rather than the real source of those emissions: an increase in cars, power plants, airplanes, industries, buildings, and other parts of our fossil fuel-dependent economy and lifestyles.