Erudite. Only wind and water energy is cleaner than nuclear energy

Electricity or electric current is a directionally moving stream of charged particles, such as electrons. Also called electricity is the energy obtained as a result of such a movement of charged particles, and the lighting that is obtained on the basis of this energy. Electricity travels at a speed of 300,000 km / h.

Interesting facts from the history of electricity

• It is impossible to name someone who can be considered the discoverer of electricity, since from ancient times to the present day, many scientists study its properties and learn something new about electricity. The first who became interested in electricity was the ancient Greek philosopher Thales. Aristotle studied some eels, which struck enemies with an electric discharge. The Roman writer Pliny studied the electrical properties of resin ... However, scientific discoveries and technical inventions that paved the way for the practical use of electricity for human needs appeared much later - at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries.
• For the first time, data on people who received electric shocks appear in ancient Egyptian texts in 2750 BC. The sources of current were electric fish, which use electric discharges to protect themselves from enemies, search for food under water and get it. These fish include eels, lampreys, electric rays and even some sharks. The South American electric eel can generate voltages up to 1200 volts at 1.2 amps.
• The term "electricity" was introduced by the English scientist William Gilbert in 1600 in his essay "On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies and the Great Magnet-Earth."
• In the dictionary of the Russian Academy of the 1794 edition, electricity was described as follows: “In general, this means the action of a very fluid and thin substance, with its properties very different from all known liquid bodies; having the ability to communicate with almost all bodies, but with others more, with others less, moving with immense speed and producing very strange phenomena by its motion ”.
• The device, considered the first battery, was found in Egypt and consisted of a copper cylinder and an iron rod embedded in it. Liquid was poured into the cylinder, but the rod did not touch the walls of the vessel.
• Probably one of the first electrical circuits was a living electrical circuit made up of 180 Louis XV soldiers holding hands, who shuddered from the discharge of the Leiden Bank that passed through them during an experiment at the king's court.
• In England, a commission was established by Parliament in March 1879 to put an end to the ridiculous rumors spread by the opponents of electricity - the gas companies. The inquiry was carried out in accordance with all the rules of the judicial investigation. The defendant was electricity.
• In the 18th century, after several sad incidents associated with lightning strikes in Italy, frightened Europeans began to attach lightning rods everywhere, even hats and umbrellas equipped with lightning rods appeared.

about alternative energy sources

• Iceland is the leader in the production of electricity per capita, moreover, almost all of it (99.5%) is generated from environmentally friendly renewable natural sources, 90% of houses are heated by hot water from geothermal sources, and in the capital, roads and sidewalks are always free from snow and ice, since they are heated by pipes with hot water laid under them, by the way, this is the only country in Europe that fully supports itself with bananas grown in greenhouses.
• In just three days, the sun sends to the Earth as much energy as is contained in all explored reserves of fossil fuels, and in 1 second - 170 billion J. Most of this energy is dissipated or absorbed by the atmosphere, especially clouds, and only a third of it reaches the earth's surface ...
• At the beginning of the 20th century, power plants used oil or coal as fuel.
• To reduce the cost of generating electricity, Russian engineer Robert Klasson decided to use peat. In 1912, in a peat bog near Moscow, construction began on the world's first peat-fired power plant. The station "Elektroperechaya" (today GRES-3 in Noginsk) was put into operation in 1914.
• Hydropower and alternative energy sources are becoming more and more relevant. Combustion of oil and coal is associated with high costs, while the use of water, wind and solar energy does not require fuel costs - funds are spent only on construction and repairs.
• Indian scientists have invented batteries that contain fruits and vegetables. The inside of the battery contains a paste made from processed bananas, orange peels and other vegetables and fruits, which contains electrodes made of zinc and copper. Four of these batteries can power a wall clock, an electronic game or a pocket calculator. The novelty is designed mainly for residents of rural areas, who can harvest their own fruit and vegetable ingredients to recharge the batteries.
• Japanese scientists have developed a unique technology that allows not only to use ocean water to generate electricity, but also to desalinate it.
• A device for generating electricity from human blood is being developed in Japan. It turns out that the body of each of us produces energy from the glucose contained in the blood, with which it would be possible to light a 100 W light bulb. This unconventional method of electrification will allow scientists to "charge" medical devices implanted directly into the human body or "feed" implanted organs.
• In the United States, a technology is being developed that will allow electricity to be generated by stepping on special plastic inserts in shoes. The heel generator will be simple to operate: when a person walks or runs, the pressure of his legs on the inserts causes them to contract and stretch, and generate a small amount of electricity. A simple walk will give one to three watts. The generator can be connected to an energy storage battery. It is quite enough to listen to the radio or CD-player.
• The world's first nut-shell propulsion system opened at Gympie, north of Brisbane, on the southeast coast of Australia.
• In Pennsylvania, a dairy farm uses cow dung for energy. Six hundred cows, which produce 18,000 gallons of dung daily, help the farm save $ 60,000 a year. Waste is used to generate electricity, fertilizer and heating fuel.
• The Watt Club in Rotterdam, The Netherlands uses vibrations from people on the dance floor to create a light show. The vibrations are picked up by "piezoelectric" materials.
• A third of the energy produced in the world comes from nuclear power plants in the United States. France ranks second in terms of energy production; it produces three quarters of all energy at its nuclear power plants.
• The world's largest wind farm is the Abilene, Texas Wind Power Center. 400 turbines, located on 80-meter towers on an area of \u200b\u200b238 square kilometers, generate a total of 735 megawatts of electricity.
• Large tidal power plants operate in France and Norway.
• Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, gets its main electricity from wind farms.
• The earth's crust contains only 2% of the total heat of the planet, but even this 2% is enough to provide mankind with inexhaustible energy.
• The largest GeoPPs (geothermal power plants) have been built in the USA and the Philippines. They represent entire geothermal complexes, consisting of dozens of separate geothermal stations.
• The world's first large wave power plant with a capacity of 2.25 MW began operating in 2008 in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Portuguese town of Agusador.
• In 2014, the largest solar power plant, Ivanpa, was commissioned in the United States in the Mojave Desert in California. Its capacity is 392 GW (one percent of the amount of electricity generated in the US. The US plans to transfer almost a third of its electricity production to renewable sources by 2020. And already in 2014, Germany produced more electricity from solar energy than from gas.
• Scientists at the University of California recently developed transparent panels based on relatively inexpensive plastic. The batteries draw energy from infrared light and can replace conventional glass panes.
• There are power plants that store and use lightning energy. One of the first companies to use energy from storm clouds was the American company Alternative Energy Holdings. She proposed a way to use the free energy by collecting and utilizing it arising from the electrical discharges of thunderclouds. The experimental setup was launched in 2007 and was called the "lightning collector".

1. Every second, the Earth receives 170 billion watts from solar flares

The sun generates a tremendous amount of energy. Thanks to her, vital processes occur on Earth, like the water cycle. More than 170 billion watts of solar energy "crashes" into the earth's atmosphere every second.
To compare this incredible scale, imagine that the average smartphone consumes about two thousand watts per year. The sun is sending a billion times more energy into the atmosphere every second!
Not all of the solar energy that reaches the atmosphere reaches the Earth's surface. The atmosphere absorbs and reflects some of the energy back into space, while clouds also reflect and absorb energy.
In fact, only 50% of the solar energy passes through the atmosphere and reaches the Earth's surface. And this is very good, because if the Earth's surface reached 100 percent of the solar energy, then our life would be radically different from the present.

2. When we eat fruits and vegetables, we get calories from the Sun

Plants can also tell us some pretty interesting facts about solar energy. For example, we use them without even knowing that plants are another source of solar energy. It turns out that solar energy plays a very important role in the process of photosynthesis, generating the oxygen we need.
The chemical reaction of photosynthesis converts air, water and other nutrients so that plants, flowers and tree leaves can grow. When we eat fruits and vegetables, we are consuming calories that were created by the energy of the sun. So when we eat vegetables, we actually get energy from the sun. This is one of the amazing solar energy facts that tells us that we are using solar energy even when we are not aware of it.
People eat meat from animals, which in turn eat food made from plants. The energy that we get by eating meat comes from the energy that "accumulates" in animals from plants. This is another amazing fact about solar energy - even when we eat meat, we get energy from the sun.

3. Vitamin D is created in our body by solar energy

Humans, like plants, also use solar energy as vitamins.
But unlike plants, we are not so dependent on this energy. However, our body needs solar energy to carry out various chemical processes. For example, to produce vitamin D in the body.
Human skin contains a certain type of cholesterol that converts a pre-type vitamin into vitamin D, which protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation. Previously, the "vitamin preparation", with ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, enters the liver, which ultimately produces vitamin D, which is so necessary for the body.

4. The first solar power plant was built in 1912

Solar energy participates in the water cycle in nature. The sun heats the water on Earth, and this causes evaporation, which converts into precipitation in the form of rain or snow.
When water and other liquids are heated by solar energy, they undergo changes and turn into gas. For water, this gas is vapor. As early as 1897, Frank Schumann created a system that uses the energy of the sun to power a small engine. His later systems improved and used water to power a full-size steam engine.
In 1912, Schumann patented his system and built the first solar energy plant in Egypt. This is one of the most important facts in the history of solar energy use. The Schumann power plant was capable of generating 45-52 kilowatts, and was the first large-scale commercial use of solar energy. This is a small scale by today's standards, but it gave rise to the widespread use of solar energy. This fact inspired future inventors to move on.

Solar thermal energy is a type of technology that is capable of heating water and then harnessing its changes to power a machine. Schumann turned out to be a visionary who showed everyone that solar energy can be used when the reserves of coal and oil on Earth are exhausted.

5. A cool drink on a hot day is passive solar technology

There are two main types of technologies used to capture and harness solar energy: active and passive.
Active solar technologies such as solar panels harvest solar energy and convert it into electrical energy. Active solar technology supplies energy for its use.
Passive solar technologies aim to reduce the use of energy from other sources. It can be something simple. For example, the roof of a house with a special reflective coating to reduce the amount of incoming energy. This is necessary to cool the house in summer. Passive solar technologies work by reducing the amount of energy. Even a cool drink on a hot day is a type of passive solar technology.

6. Solar panels use photons to create excitons and electron fields

When people think of solar energy, they often think of solar panels. These panels contain "solar cells", also known as photovoltaic cells, which cause the photovoltaic effect.
Photovoltaic effect is the tendency of certain materials to be excited by photons in solar energy. Different materials have different properties when excited by the energy of the sun.
Also, special materials are used to make solar cells generate excitons in an excited state. The presence of the latter causes a flow of electrons. Later, with the help of a solar battery, this flow is converted into electricity, which we consume.
The first solar panels could not convert solar energy into electricity. They were only 1-2% efficient, while modern batteries in laboratories are 40% more efficient.

7. Solar energy can purify water using UV radiation

Another amazing fact about solar energy is that it can be used to purify water. This property of solar energy was known to the ancient Greeks, and was also practiced by Persian alchemists in the 1500s.
The process of purifying salt water using solar energy is called solar desalination. There is another way that uses solar energy to purify water called solar distillation. Solar distillation removes many types of contaminants from water. An example is the standard cycle of the water cycle in nature.
As a miniature example, you can take a cardboard box and place it over a hole previously dug in wet soil. The water that, when evaporated, ends up on the surface of the box will be clean and drinkable.
Another option for water purification is ultraviolet radiation. It is harmful to many microbes and bacteria.

8. Solar energy is the only source of renewable energy

Solar energy is life-giving for everything that surrounds us. If people switch to solar powered sources, the use of the electrical grid will be significantly reduced. The point is that the power supply is generated by burning coal. And this process contributes to climate change, which leads to global warming.
Solar energy is one of the best sources of renewable energy. Some argue that it is the only source of its kind. Much of the infrastructure in the developed world is built on fossil fuels. Therefore, the transition to using solar energy as the main source of energy will require significant efforts.
The economic benefits of using solar energy are clear. Fuel prices are increasing and the cost of making more efficient solar panels is decreasing.

9. Gravitational energy from the Sun holds the solar system

Perhaps the most mysterious of the solar energy facts relates to the gravity that the sun emits. Thanks to gravity, all planets and other objects maintain their orbits in the solar system.
Gravitational energy is one of the least studied forces in the universe. While the Sun emits light and solar energy to the Earth, it also pulls the Earth towards itself with its gravitational field.
If you think about it, it turns out that solar energy is responsible for more than just the water cycles that fuel life on Earth. Solar energy created the conditions for life on Earth when the solar system was just formed.

Solar energy is becoming more and more important in human life. Scientists see it as renewable energy sources that do not harm the environment, as well as great benefits for human health.

Nuclear energy in the world is increasingly condemned, there are many different myths and legends about it, not to mention the gossip that arose after the Chernobyl disaster. Of course, it cannot be said that the use of nuclear energy is absolutely safe, however, as in any energy field, there are pluses and minuses here. You will learn more about this on the site http://www.biblioatom.ru/, which will tell the story of the creation of Rosatom "from and to", and today we will reveal to you 15 interesting facts about this industry.

1. The phenomenon of radioactivity was discovered in 1898 by Henri Becquerel. At first, it was believed that the detected radiation is emitted by an atom, and only later it became clear that their source is the atomic nucleus.

2. Nuclear power plants are very expensive. The average operating time of a nuclear power plant is forty years, during this period of time, in addition to the cost of construction, a small amount will be added to the cost of electricity, which will be used to decommission it.

3. Each inhabitant of the Earth as a result of the impact of the natural background radiation receives an average of 300-500 millirems (mrem) per year. For example, watching TV for three hours every day gives 0.5 mrem, and dental x-rays - 3000 mrem.

4. There is an opinion that people who live near nuclear power plants are much more likely to get sick with leukemia, this fact has not been proven and this is essentially not true. This disease is the same often found anywhere in the world, and its outbreaks occur both near nuclear power plants and in any resort town with excellent ecological conditions.

5. The world's first nuclear power plant was built in 1954 in Obninsk (Kaluga region). It was equipped with a 5 MW AM (Atom Mirny) uranium-graphite reactor. This nuclear power plant has worked trouble-free for about 50 years.

6. It is believed that wind or wave energy is actually more environmentally friendly. This is also a controversial issue, since wind farms are often built along the banks of water bodies, which is already upsetting the ecological balance. The production of such plants has a rather strong impact on the environment, and in order to generate the same amount of energy as at nuclear power plants, it will take just a huge number of these installations.

7. It is often said that the supply of uranium will soon run out on Earth - this is a lie. There is 600 times more uranium on our planet than gold! It will last for another five hundred years. And when it ends, scientists can easily process thorium and convert it into uranium, and the reserves of this very thorium are three times greater than uranium.

8. In Russia, nuclear power plants generate about 16% of all electricity. Moreover, in the European part of the country, their share in the total output is 20%, and in the North-West - 39%.

9. There is often debate about the cost of atomic energy. Ten percent of the cost of this energy is the price of uranium, its price is quite stable, unlike oil or gas. Today, the price of nuclear energy is more expensive only than the price of gas, but at the same time it is twenty times cheaper than the energy of windmills.

10. Nuclear energy in 2000 was the first industry in Russia to reach the pre-perestroika level of production. Since 1998, the country's nuclear power plants have provided an annual increase in electricity production by an average of 7 billion kWh.

11. An interesting myth is that it takes a long time to build a nuclear power plant: On average, the construction time takes about 5 years. For stations of similar power, this is not such a bad result)

12. The largest nuclear power plant in the world belongs to the United States. There are 104 power units in operation with a total capacity of about 100 GW. They provide 20% of electricity production.

13. People are scared the longest by the fact that these plants generate gases that harm the environment. But according to recent calculations, they emit and contain less carbon compared to solar or hydropower. Also, they talk about radioactive waste, which very soon will have nowhere to go! But in fact, such stations generate a small amount of waste, while the storage facilities are replenished every 20-40 years.

144. France is the world leader in the use of nuclear power plants. Its 58 power units generate about 80% of all electricity. Moreover, their total capacity is less than that of the American ones - about 70 GW.

15. After the tragedy in the United States on September 11, 2001, when planes crashed into the twin towers, there were fears of a repetition of similar events. Of course, the existing nuclear power plants fell under the object of potential risk. After careful and comprehensive research, it was concluded that no transport or passenger aircraft is capable of causing serious damage to such stations. Moreover, modern nuclear power plants are equipped with additional protection systems.

Throughout the year, we looked through various media and selected interesting ecofacts. At the end of the outgoing year, we present to your attention these amusing facts.

The energy spent on two searches for information on Google is enough to boil water in a kettle.

Currently, a single innocuous search query on Google costs our planet 0.2 grams of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Few? And if you consider that more than half a billion people use the services of the Google search engine every month?

12% of the entire surface of the Earth has the status of a reserve.

For each new car, 0.07 hectares of land must be allocated for the construction of roads and parking lots.

The advanced fishing fleets, accounting for only 1% of the world's fishing fleet, account for 50% of the world's fish.

Over the past 30 years, fish consumption in China has increased sixfold.

63% of all agricultural land on the planet is subject to erosion.

Each year, the total area of \u200b\u200bdeserts expands by 27 million hectares. Because of this, humanity loses 25 billion tons of fertile soil annually. The area of \u200b\u200bland that becomes unsuitable for agricultural production every year is equal to all of Australia's wheat fields combined.

Every year humanity consumes the products of the Earth's biosphere at an incredible amount of 33 trillion dollars (at the 1997 exchange rate). This figure exceeded the world gross domestic product of 1997 by 1.8 times.

Approximately 28 percent of all methane emissions associated with human activities are emitted by bacteria that produce methane in the gastrointestinal tract of cattle, sheep, goats and other livestock.

In 1800, only 3% of the world's population lived in cities. In 2008, the number of urban residents amounted to 50% of all humanity. In 2030, 60% of all people on Earth will live in cities.

The current population of the Earth is 6.8 billion people. Every day the number of earthlings increases by 218,030 people. Scientists predict that 9 billion people will already live on Earth by 2040. The most populous countries are China (1.33 billion), India (1.16 billion), USA (306 million), Indonesia (230 million), Brazil (191 million).

Only 10% of the Earth's surface is located more than 48 hours from the nearest major city. The most remote corner of the Earth is Tibet.

Sending spam annually uses 33 billion kWh of electricity, which is accompanied by the emission of about 17 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (like three million cars). This amount of consumed electricity is enough to supply 2.4 million homes.

Today, information technology is already contributing 2% of CO2 to the Earth's atmosphere, exceeding the carbon dioxide emissions of the entire aviation industry. By 2020, the Internet is expected to account for 20% of all CO2 emissions.

On average, 9% of all fresh water is withdrawn from the environment by mankind. This figure varies in different parts of our planet. So in North America, 8.4% of all fresh water is withdrawn from water bodies, in Asia - 18.5%, Europe - 6.4%, Latin America - 2%, Africa - 5.6%.

1,664 cubic meters of fresh water a year is consumed by the average North American. Asia is in second place in terms of water consumption, here the average inhabitant consumes 644 cubic meters of fresh water per year. World average water consumption is 626 cubic meters of fresh water per person per year.

1000 liters of water is required to grow a kilogram of wheat.

15,000 liters of water are required to produce one kilogram of beef. The average person in the US and Europe consumes 5,000 liters of water a day by eating meat. While for drinking and hygienic needs it consumes "only" 100 - 250 liters of water per day.

2,400 liters of water is used to produce a single hamburger. The main sources of water consumption in the preparation of a hamburger are growing wheat and livestock.

70-80% of all fresh water consumed by people is spent in agriculture. Extremely inefficient use of water in the agricultural sector of production is inherent in all countries of the world. 30% of the water used in agriculture can be saved by improving irrigation systems alone.

The energy consumption of the global Internet is growing by 10% per year.

According to the famous Harvard biologist Wilson, about 30,000 species of living organisms disappear from the face of the Earth every year. By the end of this century, the Earth will have lost about half of its current biodiversity.

Every year 10 million children die on Earth, 200 million children under 5 years of age are developmentally delayed, 800 million people fall asleep every night hungry, 1.5 billion people do not have constant access to clean drinking water.

The human race is only 200,000 years old, but during this time we have managed to change the face of the planet. Despite our vulnerability, we have penetrated into all spheres of living organisms and captured huge territories.

On the planet, one in four of us leads a lifestyle characteristic of the human race 6 thousand years ago and there are 1.5 billion such people, more than the entire population of rich countries taken together.

Over the past 60 years, the population of the Earth has almost tripled, and more than 2 billion people have moved to cities. Every week more than a million people join the population of cities around the world.

Every sixth person in the world lives in dangerous and unfavorable conditions for health.

To grow 1 kilogram of potatoes, you need to spend 100 liters of water, 1 kilogram of rice - 4000 liters of water, 1 kilogram of beef - 13000 liters of water.

Modern agriculture produces twice as much food as people need. More than 50% of the grain sold worldwide is used for livestock feed or biofuel.

80% of all extracted natural resources are consumed by 20% of the world's population, the mighty of this world. Moreover, most of the resources are mined in developing countries, however, exactly half of the poor around the world live in resource-rich countries of the world.

Even before the end of this century, irrational development of deposits will lead to the fact that almost all of the planet's mineral reserves will be depleted.

Since 1950, the volume of international trade has increased 20 times. 90% of the trade turnover is carried out by sea. About 500 million containers are transported by sea every year.

The world spends 12 times more money on armaments than on aid to developing countries.

Our way of development did not ensure the achievement of our goals. In 50 years, the gap between rich and poor has grown more than ever. Today, half of the world's wealth is concentrated in the hands of 2% of the population. 1 billion people worldwide suffer from hunger.

Since the middle of the last century, fishing catches have increased fivefold from 18 to 100 million metric tons of fish per year. Thousands of fishing trawlers ravage the oceans. 3/4 (75%) of fish resources are depleted or endangered. Most of the large fish disappeared forever, since regular catches did not leave them a chance to leave offspring. At the current rate of change in living conditions, all fish populations are under threat of extinction. Nevertheless, fish is still included in the main diet of one in five people on the planet.

500 million people live in deserts, more than the entire population of European countries combined. 5,000 people die every day from drinking contaminated drinking water. 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water.

Due to the withdrawal of river water for irrigation of fields across the planet, every tenth large river no longer flows into the sea for several months a year.

The water level in the Dead Sea, devoid of the Jordan River runoff, which is taken to irrigate fields, drops by 1 meter annually.

By 2025, water shortages could affect about two billion people.

Wetlands make up 6% of the planet's surface. They are the natural filter of the planet. Over the past century, half of the planet's swamps have been drained.

Primitive forests are the habitat of 3/4 of the planet's biological species. Over 40 years, the area of \u200b\u200bthe Amazonian rainforest has decreased by 20%.

13 million hectares of forest disappear from the face of the Earth every year.

Every fourth species of mammals, every eighth species of birds and every third species of amphibians is endangered. Currently, species of living organisms are dying out 1000 times faster than the natural rate.

The thickness of the northern polar cap has decreased by 40% in 40 years. According to the most optimistic estimates, this cap could completely disappear by the summer of 2030. According to the most pessimistic estimates, this will happen in a couple of years.

The average temperature over the past 15 years has reached its highest point.

The concentration of carbon dioxide in the past hundreds of thousands of years has never been as high as it is now.

By 2050, a quarter of all living organisms will be threatened with extinction.

Greenland's ice contains 20% of the planet's fresh water. If they melt, the sea level will rise by about 7 meters.

As a result of global warming, the level of the world's oceans in the 20th century rose by 20 centimeters.

70% of the world's population lives on the coastal plains. 11 of the 15 largest cities in the world are not located on the coastline or in river deltas.

30% of the planet's coral reefs have disappeared.

80% of the glaciers of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa have disappeared. The same fate awaits the Himalayas. All the largest rivers of Asia originate in the Himalayas, on the banks of which hundreds of millions of people live.

By 2050, the number of climate refugees could reach 200 million.

The amount of carbon dioxide "frozen" in glaciers is 1.5 billion, which is twice the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere.

Arctic ice has become 70 centimeters thinner in 5 years.

In 2002, the total carbon dioxide emissions caused by the operation of all data centers on the planet were estimated at 76 million tons. This amount is expected to triple by 2020.

5 tons of cosmetics (sunblock, skin care, lipstick, eye shadow) are annually in the oceans. The female body absorbs 2.5 kg of cosmetics per year.

Every year, about 125 million workable phones are thrown into landfills in the world, which are simply boring for their owners.

More than 90% of the total river water intake in the region is spent on irrigation of agricultural fields in Central Asia.

By 2050, the volume of the river flow of the Amu Darya will decrease by 10-15%, and the Syr Darya by 6-10%.

Over the 20th century, the area of \u200b\u200bglaciers in Tajikistan has decreased by 20-30%, and in Afghanistan by 50-70%.

The frequency of natural disasters on the planet in the period from 2000 to 2006 increased by 187% compared with the previous decade.

Over the past 5 years, the air temperature in Tibet has risen by 1.5 degrees. Over the past 20 years, the mass of mountain glaciers in Tibet has decreased by 8%.

By 2030, the world's population will increase by one third to 8 billion. Population growth will lead to an increase in demand for food by 50%, water by 30%, and energy by 50%.

The surface area of \u200b\u200bthe Earth is 148,940,000 km2, of which 18,617,500 km2 (12.5%) is inhabited by people.

Over the past 110 years, there have been 11 winters in Russia when temperature deviations from the average multi-year norm exceeded 2 degrees, 9 of them over the past 30 years. In 1968 there was only one winter when the temperature was below the long-term average temperature.

Bacteria make up 2 to 5 kg of your body weight!

Five hundred million wealthy people in the world (7% of the total population of the planet) are responsible for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. 50% of the world's poor are responsible for only 7% of global emissions.

An enterprise where a thousand people smoke loses about 500 thousand euros per year.

Artisanal gold mining is the source of 30% of the world's mercury pollution.

Groundwater pollution poses a potential pollution threat to 97% of all free fresh water resources of the planet.

Indoor air pollution (various allergens, bacteria, dust, toxic waste from plastics, cigarette smoke, etc.) in the world constantly affects about a billion people.

Metal production is the source of 6% of all carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere of our planet.

Radioactive waste and uranium mining are the source of millions of liters of highly hazardous waste into the environment.

Untreated wastewater has a profound impact on the health of 2.6 billion people.

Air pollution in cities on Earth is responsible for 865,000 deaths a year.

85% of the 8 million tons of lead annually found in the natural environment was contained in rechargeable batteries and batteries.

Breathing in the polluted air of Cairo during the day is tantamount to smoking 20 cigarettes a day.

Water pollution is responsible for the death of 14,000 people a day on Earth.

60% of acute respiratory diseases are associated with unfavorable environmental factors of the environment. They are responsible for the death of 2 million children a year.

Recent studies have found that 40% of deaths worldwide are associated with air, water and soil pollution.

Every day, two million tons of human waste end up in natural water bodies.

The production of plastics is growing by 9% every year.

Every year 260 million tons of plastic products end their life in the oceans. All this plastic trash is carried out into the oceans by rivers, streams and sea waves from land.

Snow on Kilimanjaro will completely disappear by 2033.

According to Rospotrebnadzor, 28% of the Russian population uses "hard" water for drinking purposes.

By 2012, bluefin tuna may cease to exist as a species.

As a result of melting permafrost, the area of \u200b\u200bRussia is reduced by 30 square kilometers every year.

According to the UN report at the conference on climate change in Copenhagen, by 2050 the acidity of the world's oceans will increase by 150%, which will cause irreversible changes in marine ecosystems.

Electricity is common to most people on the planet today. Nobody thinks about how it appeared, and what efforts thousands of scientists had to make for this. This is an incredibly interesting topic because the first mention of the effects associated with electricity was found many years before our era. We have analyzed many sources and highlighted interesting facts about the history of electricity, which we will present below.

1. Electric shocks were previously an attraction... In the 18th century, electricity seemed like something supernatural, and everyone wanted to feel it for themselves. The first were scientists who carried out experiments and disfigured their business and health. Later, ordinary people began to visit the attraction, which consisted of an electric shock, and it was in incredible demand.
2. In the 18th century, electricity was obtained from cats.... Everyone knows that rubbing wool or silk creates electricity. In ancient times, this was not enough, and they decided to get it from dead cats. A special device was created that made it possible to receive electricity in any volume. But for this it was necessary to charge it, which was done by rubbing against the animal's fur.

   

3. Electric shocks at the beginning of the twentieth century tested the courage of men... A woolly centipede was used to join the men's club. Men sat on it and received an electric shock to the genitals, which allowed them to join the community. It cost $ 52.

   

4. They made money by passing electricity through people... Does the body conduct electricity? They tried to find out with the help of a child suspended from a rope and an electrified stick. They rubbed it on the legs and fiery flashes appeared on the face, as eyewitnesses say. This experiment grew into an idea and a way to make money.

   

5. An electric bed was used to improve the intimate life.... In the 50s of the 18th century, a bed was actively sold through which electricity was passed. In an ad for James Graham, it was stated that this is a "divine bed" and with the help of discharges it will help stimulate couples who have lost interest in each other.
6. Electricity showers used in medicine... They tried to cure various diseases with the help of a special shower, but this device did not use water, but electricity. A person sat on a certain apparatus, and the transmitter from above fed him "healing" waves.

   

7. There is an eternal light bulb in the USA... In one of the fire departments there is a light bulb that has been burning for over 100 years. This handmade product has been in use since 1901 and the secret to its durability is that the light bulb almost never turns off.

   

8. The first arc lamp was invented in 1806 by Humphrey Davy... The light coming from the lamp was too bright and impractical. Moreover, it required a large power source, so it was not used in everyday life.

   

9. A current was used to control the horses... The first vehicles powered by electricity appeared in the 19th century. But they were moved by a horse, which received constant electric shocks. Another sadistic invention was the electronic whip.

   

10. Lightning rods were previously installed on hats and other accessories... In the 18th century, there was a large number of fires and other incidents due to lightning strikes. Panic fear led to the installation of lightning rods on hats, umbrellas and other items.

    

11. The electric brush fought against baldness... It has been used and touted as an excellent remedy for dandruff, baldness and other problems. In fact, there was nothing electric in them, and the ends of the brush could be simply magnetized.

    

12. Lighting streets with electricity began in England... The first street illuminated by electricity appeared in 1879. Mosley Street is located in the town of Newcastle upon Tyne.

    

13. The first electric home appliance - a sewing machine... It was invented in 1845 by Elias Howe. Later, the kettle, toaster and more were invented.

    

14. Lightning temperature can reach 30,000 ° C... This is an incredible figure that exceeds the surface temperature of the sun by almost 5 times.

    

15. The first electric fish appeared around 3000 BC. e. For them, the current was a means of protection. In ancient Rome, it was recommended to touch such fish to fight gout and migraine.