As President Obama last month launched a sweeping new national program to combat “climate change,” including tens of billions of dollars in likely new subsidies for solar and wind power and bio-energy, a separate, groundbreaking study by the National Research Council has warned that those kinds of subsidies are virtually useless at quelling greenhouse gases .
Tag Archives: National Research Council
‘Next Generation Scientific Standards’ May Face Tough Battle With Politics
By The Huffington Post News Editors
A new set of science standards released by Achieve, an educational nonprofit, could transform American science education — if politicians can keep their distance.
The “Next Generation Science Standards” took two years to create, and are the result of a drafting committee of 41 members — including Nobel Prize laureates, National Research Council members, science education researchers and standards and policy experts. The voluntary plan (which does not carry the force of law and is not endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education) included input from 26 states, with 21 states saying they’d seriously consider adopting the standards. However, the final product includes information on global climate change and a preference for evolution over creationism — two of several concepts that could lead states to reject the new standards on political grounds, The Verge reported.
In response to the plan, each state can decide which of the standards to adopt — if any at all.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Huffington Post
Exelis and NASA complete flight campaign tests of carbon dioxide measuring instrument
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Exelis and NASA complete flight campaign tests of carbon dioxide measuring instrument
Active LIDAR from space would contribute to long-term study of global CO₂
ROCHESTER, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– ITT Exelis (NYS: XLS) and the NASA Langley Research Center completed a flight campaign in March that measured carbon dioxide over various surfaces and conditions as a step toward taking active global measurements from space.
Using a NASA DC-8 aircraft and an instrument built by Exelis called the Multifunctional Fiber Laser LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), the team took carbon dioxide measurements from various, challenging environments. The information was gathered from high altitudes over fresh and aged snow surfaces, ocean surfaces in high winds, tall coastal and forest conditions, and in the presence of thin cirrus clouds.
“The science community has stated clearly, the ability to improve climate models depends directly on our ability to obtain more accurate CO₂ measurements,” said Eric Webster, vice president of Exelis weather systems. “Using our active LIDAR system from space would enable significant improvements in global mapping of carbon sources and sinks and thus improve climate models. Results over several years and dozens of flights, including this campaign, prove our solution works and would provide decision-makers with more accurate information.”
In 2007, the National Research Council released its decadal survey recommending the use of an active LIDAR system to provide new information on carbon dioxide processes over all regions of the Earth, during night and day. NASA Langley Research Center is evaluating the Exelis instrument to determine its effectiveness for the mission. The Exelis instrument is based on commercially viable fiber communications technology, which makes it lower cost and risk than other approaches.
Using active LIDAR is important for researchers because current passive instruments for measuring CO₂ from space cannot take measurements at night, at high latitudes where major cities are located, or through clouds, which limits effectiveness. Active instruments also take more accurate measurements in the lower atmosphere where increases and decreases in carbon dioxide take place more often.
Exelis has won three related technology development grants from the NASA Earth Science Technology Office, and is on its ninth task under an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract with the NASA Langley Research Center for evaluation of LIDAR technology. The most recent flight campaign also included …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
Petroleum use, greenhouse gas emissions of automobiles could drop 80 percent by 2050
A new National Research Council report finds that by the year 2050, the U.S. may be able to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent for light-duty vehicles—cars and small trucks—via a combination of more efficient vehicles; the use of alternative fuels like biofuels, electricity, and hydrogen; and strong government policies to overcome high costs and influence consumer choices. While achieving these goals will be difficult, improving technologies driven by strong and effective policies could make deep reductions possible. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Potential benefits of inertial fusion energy justify continued R&D
The potential benefits of successful development of an inertial confinement fusion-based energy technology justify investment in fusion energy research and development as part of the long-term U.S. energy R&D portfolio, says a new report from the National Research Council. Although ignition of the fusion fuel has not yet been achieved, scientific and technological progress in inertial confinement fusion over the past decade has been substantial. Developing inertial fusion energy would require establishment of a national, coordinated, broad-based program, but achievement of ignition is a prerequisite. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org
Guns Driving Down Life Expectancy in America
By Mark Russell 
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Newser – Home
Americans Sicker And Die Earlier Than People In Other Rich Nations
Americans have shorter lifespans and higher rates of injury and disease than their counterparts in other rich countries, researchers from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council wrote in a new report this week…
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Medical News Today
New report: The reach and impact of mathematical sciences
The Mathematical Sciences in 2025, a new report from the National Research Council, finds that the mathematical sciences are an increasingly integral component of many disciplines—including biology, medicine, the social sciences, business, advanced design, and climate studies. However, the expanding role of the mathematical sciences over the past 15 years has not been matched by a comparable increase in federal funding, and the number of federal agencies that provide significant support for this research is considerably smaller than the number that profit from it.
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Phys.org