People all around the world are protesting against climate change. It is a topic that has dominated most political debates but somehow, we are falling short of measures to take action.&nbsp;

The United Nations has called a global outlook towards climate change bleak. Expressing its concern, UN said that drastic action is the only way to avoid the worst effects of climate change.&nbsp;

An annual nations environment program report states that countries have collectively failed to stop the growth in Global GHG emissions, meaning that deeper and faster cuts are now required.

Let's look at more startling findings of the report.Greenhouse gas emissions surged to a record level last year.

The report names the united states as one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.Brazil and Japan have fallen short of their own targets of limiting the emission of greenhouse gases.&nbsp;

Nations must halve their 2018 pollution levels by 2030 to meet the Paris agreement goal of limiting heating to 1.5 degrees celsius.

Let's look at how G20 countries have performed so far in reaching their goal of 2050 emission plans.&nbsp;G20 countries constitute 78 per cent of global emissions.&nbsp;Several plans have not been acted upon by the G20 countries.&nbsp;

In 2009, G20 nations agreed to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies, none of the countries has set a deadline for doing so.&nbsp;

Despite scientists' pleas to zero-out emissions, none of the G20 countries has managed to plan out a timeline for achieving it.&nbsp;They are not doing enough towards reducing emission levels.

The latest report has concluded that many countries are not on track yet. In fact, some countries have not even set their goals high enough.&nbsp;

Phasing out of coal has been emphasized upon. Investment in nature is also crucial as it will give us the opportunity to provide a buffer.&nbsp;

The report also said that if we work in these 10 years, we will get time from nature.

Remember, this report is one of the several studies released ahead of the UN Climate talks which are going to take place in Madrid next week.&nbsp;

The talks are aimed at spurring world leaders to act on limiting climate change.

People all around the world are protesting against climate change. It is a topic that has dominated most political debates but somehow, we are falling short of measures to take action.

People all around the world are protesting against climate change. It is a topic that has dominated most political debates but somehow, we are falling short of measures to take action. The United Nations has called a global outlook towards climate change bleak. Expressing its concern, UN said that drastic action is the only way to avoid the worst effects of climate change. An annual nations environment program report states that countries have collectively failed to stop the growth in Global GHG emissions, meaning that deeper and faster cuts are now required. Let's look at more startling findings of the report.Greenhouse gas emissions surged to a record level last year. The report names the united states as one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.Brazil and Japan have fallen short of their own targets of limiting the emission of greenhouse gases. Nations must halve their 2018 pollution levels by 2030 to meet the Paris agreement goal of limiting heating to 1.5 degrees celsius. Let's look at how G20 countries have performed so far in reaching their goal of 2050 emission plans. G20 countries constitute 78 per cent of global emissions. Several plans have not been acted upon by the G20 countries. In 2009, G20 nations agreed to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies, none of the countries has set a deadline for doing so. Despite scientists' pleas to zero-out emissions, none of the G20 countries has managed to plan out a timeline for achieving it. They are not doing enough towards reducing emission levels. The latest report has concluded that many countries are not on track yet. In fact, some countries have not even set their goals high enough. Phasing out of coal has been emphasized upon. Investment in nature is also crucial as it will give us the opportunity to provide a buffer. The report also said that if we work in these 10 years, we will get time from nature. Remember, this report is one of the several studies released ahead of the UN Climate talks which are going to take place in Madrid next week. The talks are aimed at spurring world leaders to act on limiting climate change.

Greenhouse gas levels hit new ‘record high’: United Nations report

The US Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday plans to roll back regulations that limit leaks of potent <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/earth-at-risk-of-falling-into-irreversible-greenhouse-state-scientists-warn-157546">greenhouse gas</a> methane from pipelines and wells, even as some industry players opposed the move.

It is the latest in President Donald Trump's long battle against <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/climate-apartheid-between-rich-and-poor-looms-united-nation-expert-warns-230621">environmental protection </a>rules, coming weeks after his administration made fundamental changes to a widely popular wildlife protection law and re-authorized the use of "cyanide bombs" to kill animals that prey on livestock.

"EPA's proposal delivers on President Trump's executive order and removes unnecessary and duplicative regulatory burdens from the oil and gas industry," said the agency's head, Andrew Wheeler, a former fossil fuel lobbyist.

"The Trump Administration recognizes that methane is valuable, and the industry has an incentive to minimize leaks and maximize its use," he added.

The rules would likely go into effect next year after a non-binding public comment period.

The EPA said the proposed amendments would save the oil and natural gas industry $17-$19 million a year, for a total of $97-$123 million from 2019 through 2025.

But oil giants, including BP, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell, called for the current rules, introduced by Trump's predecessor, former president Barack Obama, to be maintained.

Shell has pledged to reduce its methane leaks to less than 0.2 percent by 2025, its US president, Gretchen Watkins, said in a statement shared with media on Thursday.

"Despite the administration's proposal to no longer regulate methane, Shell's US assets will continue to contribute to that global target," she said.

Watch- G7 Summit: World leaders to talk on Climate Change

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Asked about this opposition from the very sector the regulation was supposed to be benefiting, EPA official Anne Idsal said: "They're not the only ones within that particular space. You've got small and midsize companies as well.

"We don't preclude anybody from going above and beyond," she said.

Like carbon dioxide, methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change.

But its potency in trapping heat is about 84–87 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year-period, falling to 28–36 times greater over 100 years, according to United Nations figures.

The US Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday plans to roll back regulations that limit leaks of potent greenhouse gas methane from pipelines and wells, even as some industry players opposed the move.

The US Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday plans to roll back regulations that limit leaks of potent greenhouse gas methane from pipelines and wells, even as some industry players opposed the move. It is the latest in President Donald Trump's long battle against environmental protection rules, coming weeks after his administration made fundamental changes to a widely popular wildlife protection law and re-authorized the use of "cyanide bombs" to kill animals that prey on livestock. "EPA's proposal delivers on President Trump's executive order and removes unnecessary and duplicative regulatory burdens from the oil and gas industry," said the agency's head, Andrew Wheeler, a former fossil fuel lobbyist. "The Trump Administration recognizes that methane is valuable, and the industry has an incentive to minimize leaks and maximize its use," he added. The rules would likely go into effect next year after a non-binding public comment period. The EPA said the proposed amendments would save the oil and natural gas industry $17-$19 million a year, for a total of $97-$123 million from 2019 through 2025. But oil giants, including BP, ExxonMobil, and Royal Dutch Shell, called for the current rules, introduced by Trump's predecessor, former president Barack Obama, to be maintained. Shell has pledged to reduce its methane leaks to less than 0.2 percent by 2025, its US president, Gretchen Watkins, said in a statement shared with media on Thursday. "Despite the administration's proposal to no longer regulate methane, Shell's US assets will continue to contribute to that global target," she said. Watch- G7 Summit: World leaders to talk on Climate Change × Asked about this opposition from the very sector the regulation was supposed to be benefiting, EPA official Anne Idsal said: "They're not the only ones within that particular space. You've got small and midsize companies as well. "We don't preclude anybody from going above and beyond," she said. Like carbon dioxide, methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global climate change. But its potency in trapping heat is about 84–87 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year-period, falling to 28–36 times greater over 100 years, according to United Nations figures.

US rolls back regulations on industrial methane leaks

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ten-sailors-dead-after-2-ships-catch-fire-near-crimea-indian-crewmen-may-be-among-casualties-191893">Ten sailors dead after 2 ships catch fire near Crimea; Indian crewmen may be among casualties&nbsp;</a>

Ten sailors have been found dead and 14 rescued after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea.&nbsp;

Indian crewmen may be among the dead.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/world-on-course-to-miss-its-best-chance-of-preventing-runaway-climate-change-study-191884">World</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/world-on-course-to-miss-its-best-chance-of-preventing-runaway-climate-change-study-191884"> is going to miss its 'best chance' of preventing runaway climate change: Study</a>

The world is on course to miss its "best chance" of preventing runaway climate change by ensuring global greenhouse gas emissions peak in 2020, researchers warned Tuesday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-govt-shutdown-enters-2nd-month-tuesday-no-quick-end-in-sight-yet-191897">US govt shutdown enters 2nd month Tuesday, no quick end in sight yet</a>

The United States on Tuesday enters the second month of a partial government shutdown over a lack of congressional funding, with no quick end in sight to the historic crisis weighing on the nation's economy and morale.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cbi-director-nageswara-rao-transfers-20-officers-191880">Interim CBI Director Nageswara Rao transfers 20 officers</a>

In a major reshuffle, interim CBI Director Nageswara Rao has transferred around 20 officers, including the investigation officer of the 2G scam case, Vivek Priyadarshi.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/in-china-air-pollution-is-driving-happiness-levels-down-191887">In China, air pollution is driving happiness levels down</a>

Eye-watering, throat-scratching air pollution is a major driver of big city blues in China, according to a study published Monday that matched social network chatter with fine-particle pollution levels.&nbsp;

Ten sailors dead after 2 ships catch fire near Crimea; Indian crewmen may be among casualties Ten sailors have been found dead and 14 rescued after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea.

Ten sailors dead after 2 ships catch fire near Crimea; Indian crewmen may be among casualties Ten sailors have been found dead and 14 rescued after two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait near Crimea. Indian crewmen may be among the dead. World is going to miss its 'best chance' of preventing runaway climate change: Study The world is on course to miss its "best chance" of preventing runaway climate change by ensuring global greenhouse gas emissions peak in 2020, researchers warned Tuesday. US govt shutdown enters 2nd month Tuesday, no quick end in sight yet The United States on Tuesday enters the second month of a partial government shutdown over a lack of congressional funding, with no quick end in sight to the historic crisis weighing on the nation's economy and morale. Interim CBI Director Nageswara Rao transfers 20 officers In a major reshuffle, interim CBI Director Nageswara Rao has transferred around 20 officers, including the investigation officer of the 2G scam case, Vivek Priyadarshi. In China, air pollution is driving happiness levels down Eye-watering, throat-scratching air pollution is a major driver of big city blues in China, according to a study published Monday that matched social network chatter with fine-particle pollution levels.

News brief: Big stories of the day

As climate change drives up temperatures, Earth comes ever closer to dangerous &#39;tipping points&#39; that could accelerate global warming beyond our capacity to reign it in, scientists warned at UN talks in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/climate-change-imperils-one-in-four-natural-heritage-sites-report-24124">Bonn</a> Monday.

&quot;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/if-asia-leads-on-climate-the-world-will-follow-24082">Climate change</a> is here. It is dangerous. And it is about to get much worse,&quot;&nbsp;said Johan Rockstrom, executive director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

&quot;In the last two years, evidence has accumulated that we are now on a collision course with tipping points in the Earth system.&quot;

Think of someone leaning back on two legs of a chair, suggested Sybren Drijfhout, a professor at the University of Southampton.

&quot;The tipping point is when you&#39;re exactly in between two states,&quot; he said. &quot;A tiny perturbation&quot; - a gentle shove - &quot;will make the system tip over.&quot;

In relation to climate change, these invisible thresholds are a point-of-no-return beyond which lies a world that could fall rapidly and seriously out of balance.

Some <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/world-carbon-emissions-on-the-rise-again-study-24098">scientists</a>, for example, have concluded that the planet&#39;s surface has already warmed enough - 1.1 degrees Celsius (2.0 degrees Fahrenheit) on average - in the last 150 years to lock in the disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet, which holds enough frozen water to lift global oceans by six or seven metres.&nbsp;

It may take 1,000 years, but -&nbsp;if they are right -&nbsp;the ice sheet will melt no matter how quickly humanity draws down <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-government-files-plea-in-ngt-seeking-changes-in-its-previous-directions-24100">the greenhouse gases</a> that continue to drive global warming.

Other scientists say that threshold is higher, perhaps 1.5 C&nbsp; or 2.0 C. But all agree that there is a point of no return.

Rockstrom and other scientists identified a dozen tipping points - keyed to different temperature triggers - in a briefing paper presented at the 196-nation, 12-day UN talks, which run through Friday.

The danger, if they kick in, is that change could become abrupt and irreversible, at least on a timescale measured in thousands, or tens of thousands, of years.

An increase of 1-3 C could provoke the loss of Arctic summer sea ice; irreversible melting of parts of the Greenland Ice Sheet; loss of many warm-water coral reefs; and the disappearance of many mountain glaciers.&nbsp;

Earth getting in the act&nbsp;

A temperature rise of 3-5 C would likely turn large swathes of the Amazon rainforest into savanna; slow down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a deep-sea current which regulates weather on both sides of the northern Atlantic; and affect the intensity and frequency of El Ninos.&nbsp;

On the plus side, it could also green the Sahel region of northern Africa.

If the thermometer goes up beyond 5 C - unlikely but not impossible - the world would see the melting of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, lifting seas tens of metres; and the loss of Arctic winter sea ice.

It would also melt the permafrost, which traps at least nearly twice as much carbon as is contained in the atmosphere.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Right now, the scientists point out, humanity is having a very hard time dealing with the amount of CO2 and methane - the two most important greenhouse gases -- we have already released.

If Earth itself gets into the act, that task could quickly become overwhelming.

&quot;It is important to remind everyone of the very reasons why tens of thousands of people are meeting in Bonn,&quot; said Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and co-author of the briefing.

&quot;It is because of the unprecedented risk to humanity due to global warming, as revealed by science.&quot;

This hard reality, he added, may force us to reconsider the &quot;culture of short-term convenience and consumption&quot; that has emerged since the middle of the 20th century.

As climate change drives up temperatures, Earth comes ever closer to dangerous 'tipping points' that could accelerate global warming beyond our capacity to reign it in, scientists warned at UN talks in Bonn Monday

As climate change drives up temperatures, Earth comes ever closer to dangerous 'tipping points' that could accelerate global warming beyond our capacity to reign it in, scientists warned at UN talks in Bonn Monday. "Climate change is here. It is dangerous. And it is about to get much worse," said Johan Rockstrom, executive director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre. "In the last two years, evidence has accumulated that we are now on a collision course with tipping points in the Earth system." Think of someone leaning back on two legs of a chair, suggested Sybren Drijfhout, a professor at the University of Southampton. "The tipping point is when you're exactly in between two states," he said. "A tiny perturbation" - a gentle shove - "will make the system tip over." In relation to climate change, these invisible thresholds are a point-of-no-return beyond which lies a world that could fall rapidly and seriously out of balance. Some scientists, for example, have concluded that the planet's surface has already warmed enough - 1.1 degrees Celsius (2.0 degrees Fahrenheit) on average - in the last 150 years to lock in the disintegration of the West Antarctic ice sheet, which holds enough frozen water to lift global oceans by six or seven metres. It may take 1,000 years, but - if they are right - the ice sheet will melt no matter how quickly humanity draws down the greenhouse gases that continue to drive global warming. Other scientists say that threshold is higher, perhaps 1.5 C or 2.0 C. But all agree that there is a point of no return. Rockstrom and other scientists identified a dozen tipping points - keyed to different temperature triggers - in a briefing paper presented at the 196-nation, 12-day UN talks, which run through Friday. The danger, if they kick in, is that change could become abrupt and irreversible, at least on a timescale measured in thousands, or tens of thousands, of years. An increase of 1-3 C could provoke the loss of Arctic summer sea ice; irreversible melting of parts of the Greenland Ice Sheet; loss of many warm-water coral reefs; and the disappearance of many mountain glaciers. Earth getting in the act A temperature rise of 3-5 C would likely turn large swathes of the Amazon rainforest into savanna; slow down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), a deep-sea current which regulates weather on both sides of the northern Atlantic; and affect the intensity and frequency of El Ninos. On the plus side, it could also green the Sahel region of northern Africa. If the thermometer goes up beyond 5 C - unlikely but not impossible - the world would see the melting of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, lifting seas tens of metres; and the loss of Arctic winter sea ice. It would also melt the permafrost, which traps at least nearly twice as much carbon as is contained in the atmosphere. Right now, the scientists point out, humanity is having a very hard time dealing with the amount of CO2 and methane - the two most important greenhouse gases -- we have already released. If Earth itself gets into the act, that task could quickly become overwhelming. "It is important to remind everyone of the very reasons why tens of thousands of people are meeting in Bonn," said Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and co-author of the briefing. "It is because of the unprecedented risk to humanity due to global warming, as revealed by science." This hard reality, he added, may force us to reconsider the "culture of short-term convenience and consumption" that has emerged since the middle of the 20th century.

Climate change pushing Earth towards 'tipping point': Report

UN&nbsp;Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Argentina and other large&nbsp;nations&nbsp;to&nbsp;ratify&nbsp;the&nbsp;Paris&nbsp;climate&nbsp;accord&nbsp;at a Buenos Aires conference on Monday, and Argentina&#39;s foreign minister said she hoped the country would do so by the end of the year. 
 
In December 2015, some 195 countries reached an agreement in&nbsp;Paris&nbsp;that obligates states to take concrete measures to curb emissions that contribute to&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change. But the pact will not go into force&nbsp;until it is ratified by 55 countries representing 55 per cent of global greenhouse emissions. 
 
As of now, only 22 countries have done so, many of them small, vulnerable island&nbsp;nations&nbsp;that account for a negligible percentage of emissions. 
 
Ban urged China and the&nbsp;United States, the world&#39;s top two greenhouse gas emitters, to&nbsp;ratify the deal, and also pushed Argentina, Latin America&#39;s third&nbsp;largest economy, to do the same. 
 
&quot;When we add up the two countries&nbsp;greenhouse gas emissions, it comes to almost 40 per cent&quot; of global emissions, Ban said of the&nbsp;United States and China. 
 
&quot;So 55 per cent may not be difficult to achieve, and I urge Argentina to&nbsp;ratify&nbsp;as soon as possible.&quot; 
 
In response, Argentina&#39;s foreign minister, Susana Malcorra, who is running to replace Ban as UN&nbsp;secretary-general, said the&nbsp;accord&nbsp;has already been approved by one chamber of Congress and she hopes Argentina will have it ratified by the next major UN&nbsp;climate&nbsp;summit in December. 
 
At the event in Buenos Aires, Ban also thanked Argentina for a recent commitment to take in 3,000 refugees from various war-torn locations. 
 
&quot;This kind of solidarity, sign of humanity, should be emulated by many people around the world,&quot; Ban said. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Paris accord that obligates states to take concrete measures to curb emissions will not go in force unless ratified by 55 nations

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged Argentina and other large nations to ratify the Paris climate accord at a Buenos Aires conference on Monday, and Argentina's foreign minister said she hoped the country would do so by the end of the year. In December 2015, some 195 countries reached an agreement in Paris that obligates states to take concrete measures to curb emissions that contribute to climate change. But the pact will not go into force until it is ratified by 55 countries representing 55 per cent of global greenhouse emissions. As of now, only 22 countries have done so, many of them small, vulnerable island nations that account for a negligible percentage of emissions. Ban urged China and the United States, the world's top two greenhouse gas emitters, to ratify the deal, and also pushed Argentina, Latin America's third largest economy, to do the same. "When we add up the two countries greenhouse gas emissions, it comes to almost 40 per cent" of global emissions, Ban said of the United States and China. "So 55 per cent may not be difficult to achieve, and I urge Argentina to ratify as soon as possible." In response, Argentina's foreign minister, Susana Malcorra, who is running to replace Ban as UN secretary-general, said the accord has already been approved by one chamber of Congress and she hopes Argentina will have it ratified by the next major UN climate summit in December. At the event in Buenos Aires, Ban also thanked Argentina for a recent commitment to take in 3,000 refugees from various war-torn locations. "This kind of solidarity, sign of humanity, should be emulated by many people around the world," Ban said. (Reuters)

UN chief presses large nations to ratify Paris climate accord at earliest

Scientists have found a way to convert carbon dioxide into a usable energy source with the help of sunlight, just like plants convert the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere into sugars that store energy.&nbsp;One of the chief challenges of sequestering carbon dioxide is that it is relatively chemically unreactive. 
 
&quot;On its own, it is quite difficult to convert carbon dioxide into something else,&quot; said Larry Curtiss, from the US Department of Energy&#39;s Argonne National Laboratory. 
 
Researchers used catalysts to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. Although carbon monoxide is also a greenhouse gas, it is much more reactive than carbon dioxide and scientists already have ways of converting carbon monoxide into usable fuel, such as methanol. 
 
&quot;Making fuel from carbon monoxide means traveling &#39;downhill&#39; energetically, while trying to create it directly from carbon dioxide means needing to go &#39;uphill,&#39;&quot; said Peter Zapol, from the Argonne National Laboratory.&nbsp;Although the reaction to transform carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide is different from anything found in nature, it requires the same basic inputs as photosynthesis. 
 
&quot;In photosynthesis, trees need energy from light, water and carbon dioxide in order to make their fuel; in our experiment, the ingredients are the same, but the product is different,&quot; said Curtiss. 
 
The setup for the reaction is sufficiently similar to nature that the research team was able to construct an &quot;artificial leaf&quot; that could complete the entire three-step reaction pathway. 
 
In the first step, incoming photons, packets of light, are converted to pairs of negatively-charged electrons and corresponding positively-charged &quot;holes&quot; that then separate from each other.&nbsp;Then, the holes react with water molecules, creating protons and oxygen molecules.&nbsp;Finally, the protons, electrons and carbon dioxide all react together to create carbon monoxide and water. 
 
&quot;We burn so many different kinds of hydrocarbons, like coal or oil or gasoline, that finding an economical way to make chemical fuels more reusable with the help of sunlight might have a big impact,&quot; Zapol said. 
 
The study also showed that the reaction occurs with minimal lost energy; the reaction is very efficient.&nbsp;&quot;The less efficient a reaction is, the higher the energy cost to recycle carbon dioxide, so having an efficient reaction is crucial,&quot; Zapol said. 
 
According to Curtiss, the tungsten diselenide catalyst is also quite durable, lasting for more than 100 hours, a high bar for catalysts to meet.&nbsp;The study appears in the journal Science.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI)

The researchers in their study also showed that the reaction occurs with minimal lost energy, and is very efficient

Scientists have found a way to convert carbon dioxide into a usable energy source with the help of sunlight, just like plants convert the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere into sugars that store energy. One of the chief challenges of sequestering carbon dioxide is that it is relatively chemically unreactive. "On its own, it is quite difficult to convert carbon dioxide into something else," said Larry Curtiss, from the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory. Researchers used catalysts to convert carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide. Although carbon monoxide is also a greenhouse gas, it is much more reactive than carbon dioxide and scientists already have ways of converting carbon monoxide into usable fuel, such as methanol. "Making fuel from carbon monoxide means traveling 'downhill' energetically, while trying to create it directly from carbon dioxide means needing to go 'uphill,'" said Peter Zapol, from the Argonne National Laboratory. Although the reaction to transform carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide is different from anything found in nature, it requires the same basic inputs as photosynthesis. "In photosynthesis, trees need energy from light, water and carbon dioxide in order to make their fuel; in our experiment, the ingredients are the same, but the product is different," said Curtiss. The setup for the reaction is sufficiently similar to nature that the research team was able to construct an "artificial leaf" that could complete the entire three-step reaction pathway. In the first step, incoming photons, packets of light, are converted to pairs of negatively-charged electrons and corresponding positively-charged "holes" that then separate from each other. Then, the holes react with water molecules, creating protons and oxygen molecules. Finally, the protons, electrons and carbon dioxide all react together to create carbon monoxide and water. "We burn so many different kinds of hydrocarbons, like coal or oil or gasoline, that finding an economical way to make chemical fuels more reusable with the help of sunlight might have a big impact," Zapol said. The study also showed that the reaction occurs with minimal lost energy; the reaction is very efficient. "The less efficient a reaction is, the higher the energy cost to recycle carbon dioxide, so having an efficient reaction is crucial," Zapol said. According to Curtiss, the tungsten diselenide catalyst is also quite durable, lasting for more than 100 hours, a high bar for catalysts to meet. The study appears in the journal Science. (PTI)

Scientists find new way to turn carbon dioxide into fuel

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