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Impatto zero
Da Wikipedia, l'enciclopedia libera.
Impatto zero in riferimento ai problemi ambientali odierni indica un lavoro che non ha impatto sull'ambiente, che non produce emissioni di CO2, di metano o altri gas inquinanti. Con impatto zero si indica anche lo stile di vita di individui che riducono le loro emissioni a zero in vari modi:
- comperando crediti di carbonio
- acquistando macchine poco inquinanti ed efficienti ed alettrodomestici a basso consumo
- piantando alberi
- conducendo uno stile di vita in rispetto dell'ambiente ma continuando lo stesso a mantenere alto il loro tenore di vita. Sembra difficile ma non lo è.

Zero emission energy production

Current technology for power plants
Renewable energy sources, including solar power, wind power, tidal power and hydroelectric power. are often referred to as zero emission power, since their operation produce very few, or zero, emissions. On the other hand, the construction of such plants may involve emissions if the materials are created or assembled using equipment that produces emissions. For example, the production of high purity silicon for photovoltaic cells consumes large quantities of carbon, contributing to CO2 emissions, and this is also true for the production of steel and concrete for wind turbines and hydroelectric dams.
Similarly, Nuclear power plants do not emit significant amounts of pollutants during their operation, but the extraction of Uranium ore and construction of waste repositories usually involves machinery powered by gasoline. The construction of the plant itself also requires materials similar to those for renewable energy sources, though because of nuclear powerplants large output per station, less so per amount of energy produced. All in all, emissions due to the operation, fuel production and waste management from nuclear powerplants are similar in magnitude to those of the renewables.[citation needed] However, though nuclear powerplants do not emit large amounts of pollution during normal operation, they do produce large quantities of radioactive waste, which has to be stored for several centuries before it's radioactivity has decreased to that of the uranium ore ( see Nuclear waste ). There is also concern that flawed designs or operation can lead to nuclear accidents, emitting radioactive pollutants, as happened during the Chernobyl disaster.[citation needed]
Potential future technologies
Many technological improvements have been suggested to reduce emissions from various energy sources. Carbon dioxide could be captured from fossil plants and stored underground rather than released into the atmosphere ( a technology known as carbon capture and storage ). Improved efficiency for solar cells, or cells made from novel materials, could offset the emissions associated with silicon production. New reactor technology could enable nuclear reactors to produce orders of magnitude more energy without increased emissions, and recycled or new materials could reduce the emissions associated with construction of windturbines and hydroelectric dams.
Non-zero-emission future technologies
To complement today's current zero-emission technology, many new energy sources with low emissions are being researched, including among others: Wave power, Nuclear fusion and Bio fuel. These non-zero-emission technologies, despite still emitting some degree of pollution are used to bridge the gap between the highly polluting technology (coal, fossil oil, ...) and the zero-emission technology. The reason why these technologies are used is often because they are in some cases cheaper or because they can be integrated faster (less machinery to alter).
A concept like vegetable oil economy produces emissions; however, the only emissions are things that were first taken out of the atmosphere when the plants were growing. So there is no net emission.

Recycling has become an accepted and essential part of how we deal with our daily waste. But is it really worth it? And, are our efforts really achieving anything?