The Paris Climate Change Agreement was the biggest gathering of world leaders in one place ever. Including ministers from 196 countries that sat behind their country nameplates at 7.16pm, two hours later then when the agreement was supposed to be signed. When the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, announced that the last-minute compromises had been resolved and that the agreement was signed. The agreement produced by Paris was hailed as “historic, durable and ambitious”. It involves developed and developing countries alike to limit their emissions to 2C with an aspiration of 1.5C, a relatively safe level with regular reviews to insure the limits are met. Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International, described the mood as, “It sometimes seems that the countries of the UN can unite on nothing, but nearly 200 countries have come together and agreed a deal. Today, the human race has joined in a common cause. The Paris agreement is only one step on a long road and there are parts of it that frustrate, that disappoint me, but it is progress. The deal alone won’t dig us out of the hole that we’re in, but it makes the sides less steep.” The agreement will be deposited at the UN in New York and opened for signature for one year on 22 April 2016.

So what does this agreement mean? The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C and be entered into force in 2020. Some of the key elements of the agreement are; mitigation reducing emissions, transparency and global stocktake, adaptation, loss and damage, and support. To summarize, most of these key elements mean that as the human race we will put our difference aside and work together to secure our world and start to slow down climate change. Our governments have agreed to come together every 5 years to set more ambitious targets as required by science, to report to the world how well they’re doing, and to track the progress towards the long-term goal. As for the agreement entering into force, that will happen after the 55 countries that account for at least 55% of global emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification. We definitely haven’t solved the problem yet but we are most certainly taking the steps in the right direction.

http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/paris/index_en.htm
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/13/paris-climate-deal-cop-diplomacy-developing-united-nations
https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2015/cop21/eng/l09r01.pdf
http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/paris-climate-change-agreement-first-draft-ignores-india-s-demands-115101400016_1.html

Going green has become a big part of many Americans daily lives. Many are worried about the emissions being released from vehicles every day and how it is affecting our environment. Fuel economy standards which were first established in 1975, haven’t changed much since the mid-1980s until the first Obama Administration. Under a rule passed in 2010, carmakers were already aiming to achieve an average of 34.1 mpg across the board by 2016. The government has since raised the bar even higher, to an average of 54. 5 mpg by 2025. The new standards will likely require auto companies to develop more hybrids, plug-ins and natural gas vehicles as alternatives to our everyday cars.

The White House has said the regulations will save drivers money at the pump in addition to reducing emissions. For the most part, automakers will have to accelerate their efforts to improve mileage by reducing the weight of vehicles, meaning they need to use more aerodynamic designs and decrease the engine size without sacrificing power. According to the Department of Energy, reducing a vehicle’s weight by 10 percent can improve fuel economy by 6 to 8 percent. So why not switch to a lighter material? Well although normally car components made of aluminum are anywhere between 10 and 40 percent lighter than conventional steel. Aluminum is about 35 percent more expensive than steel, and concerns that it might not be as durable are in everyones mind. Volkswagen AG Krupitzer announced “If you make a component stronger, it can carry the same load as it did before, but you don’t need as much steel to do it. You can make parts thinner, but they can absorb the same about of energy and hold the same load”. The auto industry still has a lot of playing around to do to figure out what the best long term solution is but they have made strides in the right direction. I’ll be interested to see what options are to come in the future and how it may benefit our environment.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/29/business/energy-environment/obama-unveils-tighter-fuel-efficiency-standards
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-boost-gas-mileage-automakers-explore-lighter-cars/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2012/08/30/10-ways-automakers-are-helping-you-spend-less-on-gasoline/#4ddd409f31e9

My group is creating a Light bulb to determine the amount of energy produced in the graphite based off the number of batteries used. We are starting with 6 D batteries and then 8, and then 10 batteries to see how the light is affected. We are following this procedure listed below:
1. Using electrical tape, fix eight D-sized batteries together, end-to-end, with the positive ends connected to the negative ends.
2. Place a clear shot glass inside of a mason jar or other clear glass.
3. Tape one positive and one negative alligator clip to the top of the shot glass. Make sure the clip is facing up, away from the rest of the shot glass.
4. Carefully clip a mechanical pencil refill between the two alligator clips. The pencil refill needs to be in one piece, so be gentle.
5. Place a mason jar or clear glass over the top of the shot glass.
6. Touch the other positive and negative ends of the alligator clips to the ends of your batteries.
7. Give the circuit a moment to circulate the electricity the pencil refill begins to glow.
The idea behind this experiment is to see an electrical circuit which is a closed path where electrons from a power source flow. Electricity freely flows through a closed circuit, on a battery from the negative side to the positive side. By connecting multiple batteries, you increase the voltage. In the experiment, the clips complete the circuit. The graphite gives off light energy because it is made of carbon molecules and as electricity passes through it, the molecules gain energy. After gaining a lot of energy, it gets released as heat and light energy. (Source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xre81ZuqyEg).