Lena's Curation Project

Protecting the planet with educational and technological advancements from the 21st century!

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Links to the units!

Biology

Physics

Chemistry

Earth and space science: Climate change

For original content, hit Made by me!

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Introduction

When choosing a topic for this project, I was not going to choose a rudimentary, one word “theme”. In my opinion, a majority of the course has been discovering and explaining current technological advancements from the four different units of study. I chose a topic of high interest to myself; one that is current, of high urgency, and additionally holds an important role in our everyday lives. Thus, I chose the theme of “protecting the planet with educational and technological advancements from the 21st century”. Climate change and the topic of protecting our planet from mostly human-induced problems is an issue that has the potential to positively, or negatively, determine the future of our ecosystems and future generations of living organisms. With humans potentially being the most destructive, yet adaptive and “intelligent” species on the planet, it is up to us to conserve the environment that other creatures cannot advocate for.

When selecting media for my curation project, I wanted to select items that hold value to not just Canadians, but all humans living unsustainably, plus industries such as the fishing, energy, and manufacturing industries. Additionally, I wanted to promote sustainable resource management and the awareness of the current climatic situation. I also chose media that would appeal to younger viewers, especially the memes and the implementation of climate science (and related topics) into the educational curriculums of all provinces and territories within Canada. Organizationally, I included hashtags below each post, and also provided links on the home page to each category. My curation project clearly defines the roles that each unit of study has in protecting the Earth, whether it be through education or technology. Viewers can easily make connections between the units and understand the benefits of science and its applications in our lives.

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This is a meme generated by me. Although technology and proper climate education can, and most likely will, create more awareness of the current situation of the planet, it will be obsolete unless people actually take action and cease to rely and believe that the actions and innovations of others will solve all the problems. Whether it be through grassroots efforts like simply changing home appliances to energy efficient ones to developing technology to replace the usage of crude oil, protecting the planet requires a group effort from humanity to reverse the unsustainable choices of those in past generations and the natural factors that simply need to be reduced. With the addition of new technology and the implementation of awareness for young Canadians from an improved academic curriculum, the following quote holds true:

“Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success.” - anonymous

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Climate Change Can Be Reversed by Turning Air Into Gasoline

Atmospheric chemists and researchers at Harvard University found a way to turn excess carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere into gasoline. Air is sucked into containers and exposed to an alkaline liquid (a strong base), neutralizing the acidity of the CO2. The liquid (saturated with CO2) is brought into a factory, where it undergoes several chemical reactions to separate the base from the acid. The carbon dioxide is then combined with hydrogen and forms fuels such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The atmospheric chemistry profession in this technological advancement helps remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and prevents and slows the rapid warming and changes in earth’s climate.

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Here's what Canadian kids are learning about climate change

The Canadian government has actively implemented climate change in each of their provincial curricula. All 13 provinces and territories of Canada reference climate change in a mandatory class, and nearly all of them examines the human causes of climate change, including the burning of fossil fuels. For senior grades, most ministries also offer specialized courses in environmental science, sustainability, or resource development that were not available years ago. This advancement in education allows the future generation of Canadians to be more mindful of their actions and understand the true urgency and importance of climate change and protecting the planet. Additionally, climate science and education provides employment opportunities for Canadians, with teaching opportunities within grade schools to universities and workplaces. 

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In the past few decades, humanity’s dependence on the dwindling oil supply has driven research into alternative, sustainable replacements. Plant-based plastics have been a key contender to solving this problem. Any biological matter - even waste crops, wood, and food - can be used to create the material. The Green Chemistry Centre of Excellence at the University of York has been working with the plastics industry to create the plastic, which can be used to make fibers for clothing, as well as films and containers for liquids and foods. Aside from sustainability, the large quantity of oxygen within the plastics will allow them to have high, but controlled biodegradability, in which conventional plastics do not.

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This is a meme I created with an image from the 2018 movie “Bird Box”. Although climate change and our planetary issues are clear and problematic to most, many people still remain skeptical and apathetic to the rising issue that will affect generations to come. Social media has become a huge ally to climate change, with the majority of content being shared supporting the scientific consensus, according to new research from the Oxford Internet Institute. Social media can spread awareness and tip the scales in terms of public opinion, and cause those in power to think more about climate change and its implications on national and international affairs.

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Micro plastics are often mistaken for food by marine animals and can block the digestive system of animals and become embedded in tissue. They are passed across the food chain, and some find their way to humans. Using the dye “Nile red”, fluorescence microscopy, and image analysis software, researchers from the UK have improved the identification of various types of plastic and waste particles, which frequently occur in oceans. They also discovered an increase in micro plastics with a decreasing particle size. This data collection method could help scientists get a better scope of the amount of plastics in the ocean and lead to the development of improved technologies to remove the plastics. 

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Scientists Accidentally Created a Plastic Bottle-Eating Mutant Enzyme

In 2016, Japanese scientists discovered a bacterium eating plastic at a waste dump. The researchers then modified the enzyme to see how it had evolved, but recent tests showed they had accidentally made the molecule even better at breaking down the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic used for bottles, and named the improved substance PETase. While the plastic can’t be completely eliminated, PETase can break plastic bottles down to their original elements, which can then be recycled. This development in technology can remove the tonnes of plastic waste being sent to landfill and left in oceans, and can additionally make the digging of crude oil for plastic production obsolete. 

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Photocatalytic clothing

Chemist Tony Ryan and clothing designer Helen Storey devised a new way to remove pollutants from the air - catalytic clothing. The catalyst will be applied to clothing and when exposed to light, harmful airborne pollutants will be broken down -  effectively purifying the air around the wearer. The product is to be sold as a laundry additive that can be put in a washing machine during a standard washing cycle. This development in technology can remove at least 20% of the nitric oxide within a region (with 250,000 people wearing it) and may be able to remove a large quantity of one of the most harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. 

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Companies such as Vision Homes Inc. build energy efficient homes that meet the Energy Star standard. The homes are at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to previous standards. The new certification includes effective insulation, high-performance windows, proper build quality/construction, efficient temperature control, and finally, advanced lighting and appliances. For example, compact fluorescent bulbs and LEDs have longer lifetimes and are additionally more efficient at converting energy to light than conventional traditional incandescent light bulbs. The building of these energy efficient homes also provides employment opportunities for house planners, construction workers, and private contractors. The jobs can indirectly help conserve energy (while reducing the need for electricity), help consumers save money, help lessen pollution, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to energy production.

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Lab-Grown Meat

In 2013, a $300,000 patty made from lab-grown meat was shown to the world, and since then, start-up companies have refined and cut the costs of growing meat in labs. The meat is made by first taking a stem cell sample from an animal and then by differentiating it into muscle cells. According to one company, one tissue sample from a cow can yield enough muscle tissue to make 20,000 pounds of meat. Also known as clean meat or cultured meat, the production could eliminate unethical treatment of animals that are raised for food and could also reduce the environmental costs of meat production, such as water/resource consumption and land usage.

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A scientist working on plants that fight climate change just won a $3 million prize

Joanne Chory was awarded one of the 2018 Breakthrough Prizes in life sciences for the research she’s done for the past 30 years to find new ways to grow stronger plants. Her team’s carbon-capturing plant idea is based on a polymer called Suberin, that can store and retain carbon for hundreds of years in soil without biodegrading. The plant could purify the air and add more oxygen to the atmosphere, while being flood and drought-resistant, and perhaps even stress and pathogen-resistant (based on her previous works). Chory is a plant biologist and geneticist, and uses profession to contribute to the prevention and perhaps reversal of climate change. The occupation and research in the field is becoming increasingly important as humanity experiences the effects of a changing planet.

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Climate change: How do we know?

Several earth-orbiting satellites and ice cores drawn from around the world reveal the impacts of climate change and human activity on the planet. The technology enables scientists to analyse the data and trends, collecting many different types of information about our planet and its climate on a global scale. Collected over many years, it reveals unprecedented rates of warming since the mid 20th century. This information could be vital to those who develop technologies to combat climate change, and could be used to predict future carbon dioxide, greenhouse gas levels, etc. 

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A new way to trap light

Physics researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed a modification to an age-old piece of technology - mirrors. The development represents a new kind of mirror which essentially has perfect reflectivity and a wide variety of applications, namely its uses in lasers, fibre optics, and solar energy production. The “perfect reflectivity” can increase green energy generation compared to photovoltaics, since it can produce energy even in low sunshine. This could spark greater energy production within the solar power industry, and could shift our reliance on the burning of fossil fuels to green energy.