Green World

Hello, Today we're talking about coal and how it's used as an energy source. As you've probably already noticed we're not really big fans of coal. So this post is going to be looking into the pros and cons of coal as an energy source. General facts Coal is a black sedimentary rock, made of carbon and hydrocarbons, that is found underground. It is formed by the remains of prehistoric plants and animals being buried deep in the earth under the right pressure. Coal, therefore, takes millions of years to form. Pros There are quite a few pros to using coal as an energy source. Firstly, it's cheap with a low cost per energy unit. It is also reliable as it can be burned at all times of day, during any weather and at any time of year. This is a big advantage because a lot of renewables are weather-dependent ( solar , wind , ...). There is also currently an abundance of coal, enough to last a few hundred years. It is also e

Welcome back to Green World Today we're exploring the Mexican gulf and a rather unknown whale species called the rice's whale (Balaenoptera ricei). The name doesn't have anything to do with cooking rice, instead, it's been named after Dale W. Rice, a cetologist. Rice's whales are found in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. They were originally considered to be Bryde's whales, due to their almost identical appearance until genetic analysis in 2021 determined that they are their own species. They are still often known as Gulf of Mexico Bryde's whales. In April 2019 they were listed as endangered by the NMFS under that name before it was officially changed in August 2021. They live in waters about 100-500m deep off the coast of Florida and although their diet is unknown, suspected food contains lanternfish and hatchet fish. They do not migrate and remain in the same waters all year round. Due to being such a recently confirme

Hi everyone, Today we are going to be looking into the life of an alcon blue butterfly (Phengaris alcon). After mating, the females lay their eggs on marsh gentian, a blue-coloured wildflower. The eggs can only be laid on these flowers, as this is what the newly hatched caterpillars will eat. Although in some alp regions, they can also be found on willow gentians, a close relative of the marsh gentian. Once the caterpillars have hatched from the eggs, their main predator and danger are the ants that swarm below. But high on their plant homes, the caterpillars are safe. However, this isn't where the alcon blue caterpillars are going to stay forever. Eventually, they drop down to the ground using silk strings. With no protection, they are soon dragged off by the ants. The most amazing part is, the alcon blue caterpillars give off the same scent and chemicals as the ant larvae. So the ants take the caterpillars back to their brood chamber, wher

Hi everyone Today we have another quiz for you. This time it's about rainforests. Questions How much of the earth's surface is covered by rainforests?  a) 3%  b) 6% c) 12% What percentage of our oxygen do rainforests create? a) 20% b) 30% c) 50% True or False? The Amazon Basin stores 1/5 of the world's freshwater? How many plants used in cancer treatment can only be found in rainforests? a) 40% b) 50% c) 70% True or False? A raindrop can take 10 minutes to fall from the tree tops to the ground in tropical rainforests? If the Amazon rainforest were a country, it would be the a) ...largest country in the world b) ... 9th largest country in the world c) 10th largest country in the world How many of the flowers in the Austrailian rainforests are only found there? a) 70% b) 80% c) 90% True or False?