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Bidur Prasad Upadhyay
The Earth’s climate is unique as it supports life due to the availability of oxygen in atmosphere, water on its surface and the occurrence of reasonable range of surface temperature due to the presence of naturally occurring green house gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide). Climate thus, has been playing central role in human societies since long. However, humanity today is playing a dice with its natural environment through multitude of interaction- injecting trace atmospheric gases like the green house gases, engineering massive land use change, depleting species in the natural habitat and accumulating stockpiles of nuclear equipment sufficient to destroy human civilization.
Even a minimal change in climate can have disastrous consequences for natural ecosystem notably drought, desertification, flood and geo-physically related problems like land slide and soil erosion. Consequently, this variability may pose greater risk of different dimension.
Nepal’s contribution to global warming is rather insignificant. In particular, the emission of CO2 (carbon dioxide) and other global warming gases due to the combustion of fossil fuel is even more negligible. An emission of 1465 Gg (Gega gram) of CO2 was estimated in 1994 caused by combustion of fossil fuel. Similarly, the average production of methane from livestock and agriculture was estimated 867 Gg in the same year.
Global warming due to climate change means a bleak future. Since all the species exist in the complex web of interaction between them and climate, global warming will affect the entire plant kingdom in unpredictable ways. The most direct effect will be physiological involving temperature or moisture changes. Some plants will not thrive or set seed if it is too hot and too dry as higher temperature will lead to more evaporation increasing likelihood of drought. For example, in the southern slope of Kathmandu valley, due to rise in temperature in excess of 40 degree Celsius, evaporation has increased as high as 190 per cent during summer and consequently 70 percent of the indigenous vegetation of the valley has been replaced by exotic plants and only xerophytes have been found on the foothills of naked northern slopes. Some of the effects of this change especially on economy and agriculture have already been observed in Nepal. This fact is reflected by the decreasing trend of maize yield from 1890 kg/ha in 1975/76 to106 kg/ha in 1994.
Annually in Nepal, natural hazard causes loss of 500 lives on average and property worth several millions. Majority of these losses occur due to hydro-climatic disaster such as torrential rain, floods, soil erosion and landslides. Forested hill slopes are now in the process of turning into bare hills due to excessive soil erosion caused by rains. This process would then finally intensify desertification. In such a disaster scenario increase of monsoon precipitation may add more catastrophes in the country. Global climate change model has predicted that the rainy season in Nepal will be extended to June from July with more rainfall and the winter will be drier. Twenty four hours of extreme precipitation analyses indicate the whole of the Terai, which is the food bowl of Nepal, is susceptible to floods.
Changes in the position of glacier terminus reflect the mass balance condition of past years, and a general tendency of glacier fluctuation indicates a corresponding change in the climate. Study of glaciers in Nepal revealed that 66 per cent of the observed 494 glaciers had retreated during 1958-92. If these glaciers, which are the sources of our principal rivers ( Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali) will keep receding in such a fashion, they might no longer remain perennial. On the other hand, the amount of water from melting glaciers, released into the ocean will have a drastic effect on man and other species due to sea level rise. Besides, the glacier lake outburst flood is one of the most disastrous and significant phenomenon affecting current and future developments of water resources in the mountain region of Nepal.
It is clear that environment in Nepal, which is highly vulnerable to natural hazards and disaster, could face serious impact due to climate change. This will make the national efforts towards sustainable development even more difficult. However, commitment made in the UNFCCC (United Nations Frame work Convention on Climate Change) calls for extension of the cooperation, from the developed country to the developing country for the transfer of technologies, practices and process that control, reduce or prevent anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases from different sectors. Nepal should utilize this opportunity extending cooperation to the global community in order to minimize the climate change effect and seek some financial support and transfer of technologies for the same. Through cooperation and joint approach to this problem by every nation of the world global warming can be minimized and mother earth be saved.
Prof. Dr. Upadhyay is associated with the Central Department of Environmental Science, TU
Posted on: 2009-12-02 09:22:09
HYDROGEN ENERGY REPLACES FOSSIL FUEL BY: MANFRED ZYSK, M.E. – November 30, 2009 »» UPDATED: Added pages 22 – 25, November 25, 2009 «« Contains Proprietary Research and Intellectual Property Rights - Publication is authorized by author Only Hydrogen Energy and Hydrogen Energy Regeneration Processes can replace Fossil Fuel and Oil. The availability of inexpensive and the abundance of Hydrogen can generate a new era for the world with numerous new products and processes which will transform our present industrial system toward an ideal future environment. When hydrogen energy and hydrogen regeneration processes and applications are fully developed, tens of millions of jobs will be created which will surpass the present auto industry and infuse great economic energy into all other industries and commerce. Low energy costs are the lifeblood of civilization and can lead toward global peace, democracy and prosperity. If hydrogen energy regeneration processes are provided at lower costs compared to fossil fuel by 60% to all countries, then major economic improvements occur on a global scale and would reduce or eliminate most global conflicts over energy resources. Ocean waters contain 11% hydrogen and fresh water contains 10% hydrogen. The present fossil fuel and global climate crisis's are not surprising, and the global energy/climate crisis most likely will continue to the point of severe economic strangulation, associated with high unemployment, high food prices, much higher cost of living expenses, et cetera, unless measures are taken to circumvent such impending disasters. It is already well known that the constant global battles and wars over natural resources, global market share and global military domination will only lead to disaster. Of utmost importance is inexpensive and abundant supply of energy. Relatively cheap energy fueled the industrial revolution to its present state, but has been dominated with constant human suffering and wars. Due to the Cuban Missile Crisis, I foresaw continued nuclear missile confrontations; therefore I came up with a possible solution with the design of a small 2 to 4, or 6 passenger jet planes for military, commercial and private usage. Such a small jet plane with a feature of vertical take-off would have great economic benefits and simultaneously reduce and solve many military confrontations. In 1963, I hoped that our government would not try to control the Mid-East oil, because logically it meant that we ultimately would lose our wealth and waste much fossil fuel in the process. I fully understood the ongoing political games and controls being exercised by the oil companies, auto industry, military industrial complex, the state department, our government and basically the involvement of every facet of our economy. The supply of oil and gasoline was a major problem and had to be solved, because the world was going to run out of oil according to my research. My research of seismic and electronic sensing with computer analysis would help the exploration of oil but would not be adequate, and a new energy source was needed. After a few weeks of research, I decided that hydrogen, obtained from the oceans (11%) were in adequate supply for several centuries and needed to be processed and developed. Basically, hydrogen cannot be consumed or destroyed and therefore is the ideal chemical element for regeneration. Further research of hydrogen regeneration processes with various chemical reaction elements indicated that this little jet plane would be able to travel very long distances without refueling. Some organic chemical reaction formulas indicated prolonged regeneration capabilities and in conjunction with some inorganic formulas could provide very long term regeneration capabilities. From the mechanical and practical standpoint any hydrogen regeneration processes and systems will wear out and need to be maintained and replaced. The hydrogen regeneration processes therefore needed to be thoroughly researched and tested for durability and safety concerns. The next problem was the processing of large amounts of hydrogen from oceans waters. Various methods such as hydrolysis were considered, but ordinary electricity methods were energy intensive. The Hydrogen Regeneration Systems for some Processes would produce excess energy and generate steam to drive turbines very economically. All that is needed is the initial starting of the chemical reaction system to produce hydrogen from the ocean water and to operate the entire hydrogen regeneration system. The separation (dissociation) of some chemical reaction elements would not require complete separation during the regeneration process and a small amount of these chemical elements could be systematically discharged into waste containers for later processing or disposal. The use of solar, wind and nuclear waste energy for processing the hydrogen were considered, but are not very practical, because very large amounts of hydrogen need to be produced. I believed that I found a new method to produce very large amounts of hydrogen from ocean water by utilizing my hydrogen regeneration processes at that time in 1963. In late summer of 1963, I had sufficient confidence to build and test this little jet plane with new jet engines, but I also wanted to conduct experiments with my hydrogen regeneration processes and systems. Certified mail submittals for appropriation requests were sent to top government officials, including the defense department and federal agencies, but were met with silence or just acknowledgement of having received my disclosures. All sorts of intimidation and physical threats were used to discourage me from proceeding with my research for obvious reasons for seizing control of my research by the government and corporations. In spite of many employment problems, I researched numerous valuable products in order to obtain the necessary funds to develop hydrogen energy regeneration processes and products, but I always was met with negative results. Some of my proposed products were later produced by several companies. While I continuously advocate and work toward a better future for the USA and better global relations, little or nothing is being done. Our USA defense budget for 2010 has been estimated to cost $704 billion, but to date I have not received any consideration or funding for several energy products such as the capture and containment processes of carbon dioxide from coal electric power plants, oil refineries, chemical plants and cement plants; or the vaporization of gasoline/oil for internal combustion engines, or vacuum chamber concrete wall construction for the housing and construction industry, or for saving energy with vertical shaft lime kilns et cetera. Instead, our government wants to circumvent my proposed designs for carbon capture of coal electric power plants, and is considering providing funding to some companies and corporations. But time after time my appeal to our government and leaders to maintain sane policies to avoid our own economic destruction was ignored, but instead ways and means are approved that cause our economic collapse with fraudulent housing mortgage schemes, the elimination of our own industries, including overseas manufacturing to escape domestic environmental laws and penalties, the importation of cheap, poor quality products, and the borrowing of trillions of dollars while the government is not able to make the interest payments on these huge loans, and to date we have amassed over $127 Trillion in public and private debts and in unfunded liabilities. In spite of all this, I continuously berate our great leaders in government to fund my energy research and new products so that this country can regain its independence from foreign financial control, but to date our government is opposed to any of my concerns, and our government is still on the path of global domination. It is impossible for me to get a meaningful response for a sensible energy evaluation, or government consideration toward funding my energy projects, but without hesitation, our senators just approved a defense bill amounting to $636 Billion, and the 2010 defense appropriation bill is estimated to cost $704 Billion. I have consistently specified proprietary and intellectual property rights, and our government is enjoined from funding other parties, businesses, companies entities or institutions of my disclosed products by any means and ways in the USA and foreign countries. After contacting President Obama and Vice President Biden, the White House Cabinet, federal departments and agencies, and most senators and congressmen of the USA several times, and by their own actions our government has determined by not responding to my requests for funding my research of my proposed products including hydrogen energy regeneration systems and processes, then hereby abrogate any rights or technological claims thereof, including such as national security claims. Therefore, I am seeking the necessary funding from other sources, foreign countries and governments, with appropriate offers of manufacturing and marketing rights, especially from the European Union and other Regional Economic Organizations, such as ASEAN, AU, EEA, SAARC and the Arab League. Enclosed is my latest correspondence with the Dept. of Energy, the President and Vice President with additional information about BlackLight Power and Dr. Mills, who have recently conducted research on hydrogen energy. This is worthwhile energy reading material. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY UNSOLICITED PROPOSAL PROGRAM FOR HYDROGEN ENERGY REGENERATION SYSTEMS Attn: Mr. John N. Augustine, Mail Stop 021-107 October 20, 2009 Unsolicited Proposal Manager U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory 626 Cochrans Mill Road P.O. Box 10940 Pittsburgh, Pa. 15236-0940 E-mail: John.Augustine@netl.doc.gov Copy to: The Hon. President Barack Obama The Hon. Vice President Joseph Biden Mr. Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy The Hon. Senator John Kerry The Hon. Senator Jeff Merkley Mr. Augustine, you state: "It doesn't appear that you have a technology of your own." Response: Perhaps you could enlighten me as to who would possess this technology. If my disclosure submittal is not my own, then who could it possibly belong to, since I have previously requested federal R Manfred Zysk, M.E., Canby, Oregon - USA