• Question: what is the material witch causes the most global warming

    Asked by anon-201745 to Meirin, George on 13 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: George Fulton

      George Fulton answered on 13 Mar 2019: last edited 13 Mar 2019 7:13 pm

      The processing of aluminium ore called bauxite into pure aluminium requires a process that needs a lot of electricity. Because we produce alot of aluminium and get this electricity from non-renewables like coal and gas, then making all this aluminium contributes quite a lot to global warming. This is why recycling is so important. However, even if we recycle aluminium, we still need to add in pure aluminium because aluminium gets ‘tramp elements’ stuck in it and these degrade the properties. The pure aluminium is required to clean up these elements and to dilute them.

    • Photo: Meirin Oan Evans

      Meirin Oan Evans answered on 13 Mar 2019:

      This probably depends on how you measure it.
      Water is the most abundant greenhouse gas. This means that of the gases that keep heat within the atmosphere, water is the highest percentage. Most of that water is there naturally!
      However, the greenhouse gas that humans have added most is CO2, carbon dioxide.
      This example shows the importance of measurement and not taking the first thing you hear as the whole truth, both crucial parts of science!

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