Saving the Earth's Ozone Layer Went Even Better Than Expected. In 1. 98. 9, amidst mounting scientific evidence, dozens of nations joined forces to sign a treaty aimed at halting the expansion of a massive hole in Earth’s ozone layer. Nearly thirty years later, the Montreal Protocol has done just that. But it has also done something its architects never intended. It has become one of America’s most effective tools in the fight against climate change.

That’s the surprising conclusion of a study published this week in Geophysical Research Letters, which takes a fresh look at the consequences of the nearly 3. CFCs) and later, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), after scientists determined that these compounds were destroying ozone in Earth’s stratosphere. Since CFCs and HCFCs are also potent greenhouse gases, phasing them out has had a major impact on US climate pollution: Between 2. Montreal Protocol led to greenhouse gas reductions with roughly half the benefit of all other climate regulations enacted by the EPA.“This is something that’s been talked about for a while, this dual benefit of the Montreal Protocol limiting damage to the ozone layer, also curtailing climate change,” Rachel Cleetus, climate policy manager and lead economist with the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned scientists, told Gizmodo. It’s because all these ozone depleting substances are also very potent global warming gases.”Indeed, the CFCs and HCFCs used as refrigerator coolants, aerosol propellants, flame retardants, and more have heat- trapping potentials hundreds to thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide on a timescale of centuries.

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While prior research has highlighted the climate benefits of the Protocol on a global scale, the new study looked specifically at what its implementation meant for climate pollution in the US. Watch Online Watch The Ghost Of St. Michael`S Full Movie Online Film. This is a wonderful advertisement of the success of the Clean Air Act just at a time when it is being undermined by the Trump administration.”Under the Montreal Protocol—which was enforced by the EPA’s Clean Air Act—the US saw a a near- complete phaseout of CFCs beginning in 1. HCFCs since 1. 99.

Pulling data from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s atmospheric monitoring network, Lei Hu from the University of Colorado Boulder and her colleagues demonstrated that from 2. CO2 emissions by 1. Projecting forward, the researchers found that the continued implementation of the Montreal Protocol and its amendments could shave some 5. CO2 off our carbon footprint annually by 2. For context, 5. 00 million tons of CO2 is roughly a quarter of what we need to cut to meet our Paris Climate Agreement target, of reducing emissions 2.

It’s also close to the annual US emissions from the entire agriculture sector. There is a catch: Today, the climate benefits of slashing CFCs and HCFCs are being offset, in part, by the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which don’t destroy ozone like their nastier cousins, but are still hundreds to thousands of times more effective at trapping heat than CO2.

The good news is, last year, the US and other countries adhering to the Montreal Protocol agreed to limit future production and consumption of HFCs, too, with the adoption of the Kigali amendment. The legally- binding amendment, which mandates rich countries stop production and use of HFCs by 2. Secretary of State John Kerry as the “single most important step” in the fight against climate change. This, less than a week after 1. Paris Climate Agreement. Of course, as positive as this is, we still need to bring down carbon emissions if we’re going to halt global warming.

Unfortunately, Trump and EPA head Scott Pruitt are currently working to do the exact opposite, withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement and unwinding Obama- era climate regulations. Perhaps the most important thing the Montreal Protocol has to offer today—aside from the immediate environmental benefits—is a salient reminder that meaningful action is possible.“As a policy framework, [the Montreal Protocol] has been an incredible success,” Cleetus, who was not involved with the new study, said. It’s pretty striking how quickly countries moved together. What’s also striking is how the protocol has matured and been updated over time.”Kevin Trenberth, an atmospheric scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, agreed. This is a wonderful advertisement of the success of the Clean Air Act just at a time when it is being undermined by the Trump administration,” he told Gizmodo. If one takes appropriate actions it has consequences and can indeed work.”[Geophysical Research Letters]Correction: An earlier version of this post stated that “the continued CFC/HCFC phaseout could shave some 5.

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CO2 off our carbon footprint annually by 2. In fact, to reach 5. CO2- equivalent emissions reductions, the US will also need to implement a phaseout of HFCs as stipulated in the Kigali amendment. The text has been updated to reflect this.

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Timeline Future Technology Predictions Events 2. Uganda is an oil- producing nation. Commercially viable oil in Uganda was discovered in 2.

However, it would take over a decade for production to start, due to a series of political, social, economic and technical issues. These included a lack of transparency in the planning process, corruption among officials, intimidation and poor compensation of local residents, sluggish progress in determining the best infrastructure, and general bureaucracy. By 2. 01. 2, a total of 7. In 2. 01. 3 the government finally reached an agreement with Tullow Oil of the United Kingdom, Total of France and the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), to build both the oil refinery and pipeline. Watch A Thousand Words Online Free HD more. Uganda also partnered with the neighbouring countries of South Sudan, Kenya and Rwanda to take up ownership in the planned oil refinery. Once the remaining issues were worked out, construction would begin in 2.

Most of the oil was located in the Albertine Graben region, a 4. Africa's bird species, along with baboons, antelopes and elephants.

Serious concerns were therefore raised by environmentalists, but these were dismissed by the government. With at least 3. 0 years of production capacity, Uganda would undergo an economic boom – bringing electricity to the 9. This new- found wealth could not last, however.

In the longer term, serious environmental problems would plague not just Uganda, but much of the African continent. Landlocked and lying directly on the equator, Uganda was exposed to extreme climate risks, including substantial changes in rainfall and humidity.*Click to enlarge. Uganda oil map. Credit: Heritage Oil 2. A missile defence shield is deployed in Europe. Europe is now protected by a continent- wide missile defence system, developed and deployed by the US military.

This has been established in phases between 2. Phase 1 saw the deployment of a land- based early warning radar – which Turkey agreed to host – as well as ships in the Mediterranean equipped with proven SM- 3 interceptors. Phase 2 saw the creation of a land- based SM- 3 interceptor site in Romania – in order to expand the defended area against short- and medium- range missile threats. Phase 3, the most significant phase, added a more advanced SM- 3 interceptor (Block IIA) and a second land- based SM- 3 site, which Poland agreed to host. This would counter short- , medium- and intermediate- range missile threats. The system is located at Redzikowo military base, close to the Baltic Sea and Lithuania, roughly 5.

Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.*An additional fourth and final phase will be completed in 2. Initially, this defence shield resulted in a cooling of relations between the US and Russia. The latter expressed concerns over the presence of missiles so close to its border, which it viewed as a security threat. This was despite assurances from the US that the shield was for potential threats from Iran and the Middle East – and was neither designed nor capable of threatening the numbers and sophisticated ability of Russia's strategic forces.*The first private supersonic jet. While commercial airliners typically cruise at Mach 0. Spike S- 5. 12 uses advanced engine and airframe technology to reach speeds of Mach 1. Holding up to 1. 8 passengers, it can fly from NYC to London in 3.

LA to Tokyo in 8 hours instead of 1. This private jet, costing $8. A competitor, Aerion, delivers their own supersonic jet in 2. This is followed by larger hypersonic commercial airliners in the 2. Credit: Spike Aerospace The African Central Bank is established.

Following many years of diplomatic talks, a unified African Central Bank has been established.* This represents a crucial step towards a more stable and developed Africa. Though international efforts made in recent years, mostly as part of the UN's Millennium Development Goals, the continent still had numerous problems to deal with.

Despite medical advances and socio- economic progress, famine and disease were on- going issues. In the north, residual tensions and instability remained, following the protests and uprisings that raged earlier in the decade. The Horn of Africa was plagued by drought and civil unrest, while piracy off the coast of Somalia had only increased as oil and other commodities rose in value. It became clear in recent years that a lasting and meaningful prosperity could only be achieved by the entire continent working together as one. Following the 2. 01. Muammar Gaddafi, the plan for a United States of Africa came to be regarded as a dead proposal. However, countries were working together in other ways.

The East African Federation, for instance, was established in 2. This was a full political federation of five member states – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda – creating the second most populous nation in Africa (after Nigeria). The growing need for a larger, more unified and far- reaching financial institution, in order to be fully integrated with the global economy, has led to further progress in developing the African Central Bank. Finally established in 2.

Now acting as the banker for the African Union (consisting of 5. Central Bank is able to regulate trade standards and currency value – supporting both public and private banking while setting interest and exchange rates. The next step will be creating a pan- African single currency – known as the "Afro" – on schedule to take place in the early 2. It is hoped that this development will be the keystone to helping each nation in the long term, especially the poorest, with value fluctuations and inequality becoming less and less rampant.

The free movement of goods, persons, services, labour and capital will do much to improve the regional economy. A human rights court and monetary fund will also be set up.

In addition, Africa finds itself in a uniquely advantageous position, in that it can learn from the past mistakes of Europe and the Euro. A prosperous and stable Africa now appears within sight for the first time. However, true economic prosperity is still a far- off goal for most of the people of Africa, whose population has swelled to over 1. The looming threat of climate change will be the continent's biggest challenge of all. East Africa's largest ever infrastructure project This year sees a major rail network completed in East Africa.** Built by a Chinese state- owned firm and part- funded by China's government, the $1.