Global warming solutions

A grade seven student at The Winchester School in Jebel Ali, Mishal Faraz, wants to find an environmental solution by sending her experiment to space. “I would definitely like to pursue an experiment which has relevance in relation to mitigating some of the threats that our planet is facing. One of the most harrowing one is that of the carbon emissions — the gases released as a result of human activities. To narrow it down, I’ve particularly been interested in methane, a gas which is more than 20 times more potent when it comes to trapping heat. This gas is primarily released when food and other commodities rot,” she said.

“There are so many questions I would love to find answers to. Is the rising use of preservatives and additives in food material, the use of pesticides and chemicals magnifying the problem? Can the gas itself be countered with an element which will alleviate its heat trapping tendencies? Essentially my experiment would focus around understanding this gas in isolation.”

She said her experiment can improve life on Earth as mitigating the heat-trapping nature of these gases will be a “huge leap for mankind”.

“Global warming is of the greatest threats our planet is facing at the moment. The process is slow but extremely frightening at the same time. If global warming is not looked upon as an emergency, it would, maybe centuries later, lead us to a planet which is too hot to sustain life, submerged in water and enveloped in toxic fumes,” she added.