Study: Displaced Syrian Families Take Refuge Near Damascus in Feb. 23, 2015
Study: Displaced Syrian Families Take Refuge Near Damascus in Feb. 23, 2015
Study: Displaced Syrian Families Take Refuge Near Damascus in Feb. 23, 2015
the countryexperienced its driest weather on record. Rainfall andsnow totals were at their lo
west level in Syrian history.
Now,
a new study explores how rising temperatureshelped influence a series of events that likely l
ed to the countrys civil war. The findings were published in the Proceedings of
the National Academies ofScience.
Another report in the same publication tells how the crippling drought in
theAmerican state of California also appears linked to climate change.
From 2007 to 2010, Syria suffered the worst drought in its recorded history.
Colin Kelley is a climate scientist. He was the lead writer of the Syrian study.
He says crops failed and farm animals died across the country.
He says thechanging conditions forced an estimated 1.5 million people from their homes.
"And these people picked up their families and en masse migrated to
theurban areas to try and survive. They weren't thinking about the future. Theywere thinking
about the present."
Colin Kelley says many of these people fled to cities. He notes that, at
thetime, Syria already had as many as 1.5 million refugees from
the Iraq war.Temporary housing was built in Syrian communities for
the new arrivals.These communities were the same places where fighting first broke out in
2011.
Displaced Syrian families take refuge near Damascus in Feb. 23, 2015
In their report, Colin Kelley and his team suggest thedrought that led to
the unrest was made more likelybecause of climate change.
And in both California and Syria, the studies say the future looks to be warmerand drier still.
Im Jonathan Evans.
VOAs Steve Baragona prepared this report. Marsha James wrote it for Learning English.
George Grow was the editor.
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The goal is to capture 90 percent of the CO2 from the exhaust gases.
But Mr.Amundsen says the process is still costly.
"With the current state of technology it is something that
will increase the costof electricity between perhaps 30 to
40% when the technology is applied on apower plant."
Experts say the best way to store the captured gas is
to place it undergroundinto areas left empty after the removal of oil or natural gas.
But the Technology Center Mongstad does not pump the CO2
it capturesunderground. Instead, it releases the gas into the atmosphere.
Tore Amundsen says only highly developed industrial nations have the moneyto pay for
this kind of technology. So far, only Canada has
a power plant thatpumps CO2 gas underground. Other countries are building similar power
plants.
Im Jonathan Evans.
VOAs George Putic reported this story from Washington. Jonathan Evanswrote it
for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
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excess n., an amount that is more than the usual or necessary amount
exhaust n., the gases produced by an engine
power plant n., a building or factory in which electricity is produced for alarge area
solvent n., a liquid that is used to break up another substance
But the Lockheed Martin announcement has met withdisbelief. Critics say nuclear fusion as
a power sourcethat can be sustained over time will not be developedanytime soon.
But they also say that once the processis ready, it will be as huge a development as
thediscovery of electricity. Whenever it arrives, nuclearfusion promises to be
the future source of cheap andsafe energy.
About 400 nuclear power plants operate in
the world. All create heat byfission dividing atoms of heavy, radioactive elements like ura
nium andplutonium. Such plants cost a lot to build.
But they also provide a huge amountof energy. Still, their highly radioactive fuel makes the
m dangerous.
There is also the problem of what to do with still dangerous spent, or used up,fuel. Also,
the fusion plants can be used for building nuclear weapons.
Fusion provides a much safer way to use nuclear power for creatingelectricity. But it
is much more difficult to do this process, which is theopposite of fission. Both the U.S.
and European Union have beenexperimenting with fusion reactors. They say they do not ex
pect them tooperate for many years.
David Ingram leads the Department of Physics and Astronomy at OhioUniversity.
He says a fusion reactor would be a welcome development.
Scientist Ingram says fusion reactors use isotopes of the lightest element,hydrogen.
He says they make a million times more energy than released fromburning coal.
Scientists also say there would be no danger of explosions, unlike todaysnuclear centers.
The researchers also say fusion reactors could not have acore meltdown, such as those tha
t happened at the Chernobyl andFukushima reactors.
Im Jonathan Evans.
VOAs George Putic wrote this report from Washington. Jeri Watson adaptedit
for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.
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