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Carbon dioxide is widely known as the culprit of global warming. Most in the green movement try to reduce their carbon emissions, buy offsets, and, ultimately, hope to be carbon neutral. However, carbon dioxide is not the only compound that contributes to climate change. Methane has long been known to be a dangerous contributor and now a new menace has been discovered.
Scientists have recently been able to precisely measure the amounts of nitrogen trifluoride in the atmosphere and the results are alarming. Produced during the manufacture of liquid crystal displays and thin-film solar panels, nitrogen trifluoride is many times more potent that carbon dioxide or even methane. Research shows that nitrogen trifluoride in the atmosphere is it is 17,000 times more effective at warming the atmosphere than equal amounts of carbon dioxide. Despite its potency, the new research backs previous reports that claimed the compound played a small role in global warming, accounting for only 0.04 percent of the total effect.
Still, the concentration in the atmosphere has increased 30-fold since 1978, a rate that has generated concern among climate change experts. In addition to this increase, the overall quantity, though still small, is more than four times what was previously thought.
So, what are we supposed to do about this new danger to the atmosphere? Ray Weiss, the scientist who led the study, suggest that "from a climate perspective, there is a need to add nitrogen trifluoride to the suite of greenhouse gases whose production is inventoried and whose emissions are regulated under the Kyoto Protocol, thus providing meaningful incentives for its wise use."
For more environmental news, check out Focus Earth: November 1, 2008 Nitrogen Trifluoride and Cleaning Up After the Election.
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