Mitigating Climate Change
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Suddenly, it seems, reducing carbon emissions is at the top of every G12 government’s agenda. Timelines are being set, benchmarks are being examined, and road maps for progress are being drawn. Earlier this year, a multi-national initiative known as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), set up under the auspices of the United Nations, issued three assessment reports. The first two reports spelled out the scope of the problem and the effects climate will have on the livelihoods of people around the world. The third report presented a list of technologies that need to be developed to mitigate the effects of climate change. How society generates and uses energy heads the “to do” list, followed next by improvements to all forms of transportation. As our readers well know, nickel and nickel-containing materials playing a crucial role in reducing global emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Two feature stories in this issue shed light on nickel’s beneficial properties in this respect. Our cover story, which begins on page 6, explains how just a small addition of nickel to alloy steel improves the strength characteristics of castings that perform at low temperatures. Such attributes of nickel alloy steel are essential for the continued improvement of cost-effective wind turbines which generate an increasing percentage of the world’s electricity. In 2004, renewable sources provided just 13% of the world’s energy needs, according to the International Energy Association. Globally, wind accounted for just 0.064% of total energy production, though this amount is growing by about 18% per year. Locally the percentages are often higher: in Denmark, for example, wind accounted for around 20% of energy production. In its assessment report, the IPCC also called for cleaner, more efficient diesel transport, and in this issue we report on a development that could potentially improve the efficiency of diesel fleets everywhere. It involves the use of nickel alloy foam to fabricate catalytic converters for diesel engines. The use of nickel foam results in lower thermal mass and allows for a more flexible shape, which could lead to lower fuel consumption. These are just two of the many innovations involving nickel-containing materials that are resulting in lower emissions of greenhouse gases. Information on others can be found in our online archive. Looking ahead, we foresee that nickel-containing materials will continue to contribute to the ongoing mitigation of climate change.
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