appassionato , to bookstodon group
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The Sixth Element: How Carbon Shapes Our World by Theodore P. Snow & Don Brownlee, 2024

A cosmic perspective on carbon—its importance in the universe and our lives.

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When we think of carbon, we might first think of a simple element near the top of the periodic table: symbol C, atomic number 6. Alternatively, we might think of something more tangible—a sooty piece of coal or a sparkling diamond, both made of carbon. Or, as Earth’s temperature continues to rise alarmingly, we might think of the role carbon plays in climate change. Yet carbon’s story begins long ago, far from earthly concerns. In The Sixth Element , astronomers Theodore Snow and Don Brownlee tell the story of carbon from a cosmic perspective—how it was born in the fiery furnaces of stars, what special chemical and physical properties it has, and how it forms the chemical backbone of the planets and all life as we know it. Foundational to every part of our lives, from our bodies to the food, tools, and atmosphere that sustain our existence, carbon is arguably humankind’s most important element. Snow and Brownlee offer readers the ideal introduction to the starry element that made our world possible and shapes our lives. They first discuss carbon’s origin, discovery, and unique ability to bond with other elements and form countless molecules. Next, they reveal carbon’s essential role in the chemical evolution of the universe and the formation and evolution of galaxies, stars, planets, and life, and then, more generally, its technological uses and its influence on Earth’s climate. Bringing readers on a historical, scientific, and cross-disciplinary journey...
ALT
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    • maugendre , to climate group
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    is a database of historic production data from 122 of the world’s largest oil, gas, coal, and cement producers.

    • Investor-owned companies account for 31% of emissions, with Chevron, ExxonMobil, and BP the three largest contributors.
    • State-owned companies are linked to 33%, with Saudi Aramco, Gazprom, and the National Iranian Oil Company being the largest contributors.
    • Nation-states account for the remaining 36%.

    Launch report: https://influencemap.org/briefing/The-Carbon-Majors-Database-26913 @climate

    maugendre ,
    @maugendre@hachyderm.io avatar

    How much activities are fueling in 2024

    Carbon is being sent into the air. New study exposes the current amount of greenhouse gas emissions by economic sector.
    Using scientific datasets, the project applies statistics to calculate the contributions of carbon-equivalent output in 2024.
    Extraction of fossil fuels steadily increases. Land-use change emits very high tonnage/year.

    http://data.yt/projections/ @geography

    36 state-owned companies organize a steady expulsion growth since 1989 in spite of a little dip during the 2020 Lockdown. The biggest providers are Saudi Aramco, Coal India, Gazprom (Russia), National Iranian Oil Co, Rosneft (Russia), CNPC (China) — in that order. Entities owned by Arab countries (from Algeria to Oman) are aggregated in their own band. (This group includes Iraq and excludes Iran.) They show firm growth. The other state-owned entities that extract most carbon are based in Russia, India, China, Iran, Brazil, Nigeria (in that order). Collectively they ensure ever more inforcement of the Greenhouse Effect. The present document is part of the "Greenhouse Forcing" project and is available to re-use if under the CC BY-SA licence
    ALT
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