Union of Concerned Scientists
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with people across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
How Nuclear Weapons Work | Union of Concerned Scientists
Sep 29, 2016 · Each piece by itself was not enough to constitute a critical mass (the minimum amount of nuclear material needed to maintain fission)—but by colliding the pieces, critical mass was reached and a fission chain reaction occurred.. Modern nuclear weapons work slightly differently. Critical mass depends on the density of the material: as the density increases, the critical mass decreases.
Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies
Jul 14, 2008 · Solar power. Like wind power, the sun provides a tremendous resource for generating clean and sustainable electricity. The environmental impacts associated with solar power can include land use and habitat loss, water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing, though the types of impacts vary greatly depending on the scale of the system and the technology used—photovoltaic (PV ...
How Radiation Interacts with the Human Body
Oct 4, 2024 · The way radiation enters the environment or human body can affect what health outcomes researchers expect to see. Nuclear toxicologists investigate the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of radioactive materials in the environment to understand the exposure risks more fully and better predict resultant health outcomes.
Health Impacts of Radiation Exposure - Union of Concerned …
Oct 4, 2024 · Acute exposure to radiation (as in direct contact with radioactive material or being near a nuclear detonation) can result in cutaneous radiation injury (CRI), a skin burn that can occur at radiation doses as low as 2 grays (Gy) or 200 rads 2, increasing in severity as the dose increases.At the site of a nuclear detonation, humans are incinerated; people farther away can receive skin burns.
How Does the Sun Affect Our Climate? - Union of Concerned …
Jul 16, 2009 · The Sun-climate connection. The Sun is the source of most of the energy that drives the biological and physical processes in the world around us—in oceans and on land it fuels plant growth that forms the base of the food chain, and in the atmosphere it warms air which drives our weather.
Environmental Impacts of Wind Power - Union of Concerned …
Mar 5, 2013 · Wildlife and habitat. The impact of wind turbines on wildlife, most notably on birds and bats, has been widely document and studied. A recent National Wind Coordinating Committee (NWCC) review of peer-reviewed research found evidence of bird and bat deaths from collisions with wind turbines and due to changes in air pressure caused by the spinning turbines, as well as from habitat disruption.
Environmental Impacts of Solar Power - Union of Concerned …
Mar 5, 2013 · The sun provides a tremendous resource for generating clean and sustainable electricity without toxic pollution or global warming emissions. The potential environmental impacts associated with solar power—land use and habitat loss, water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing—can vary greatly depending on the technology, which includes two broad categories: photovoltaic ...
The Ozone Hole and Global Warming - Union of Concerned …
Jul 16, 2008 · Human activities cause ozone depletion and global warming. Ozone (O 3) depletion does not cause global warming, but both of these environmental problems have a common cause: human activities that release pollutants into the atmosphere altering it.. Global warming is caused primarily by putting too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when coal, oil, and natural gas are burned to generate ...
Benefits of Renewable Energy Use - Union of Concerned Scientists
Jul 14, 2008 · Less global warming. Human activity is overloading our atmosphere with carbon dioxide and other global warming emissions.These gases act like a blanket, trapping heat. The result is a web of significant and harmful impacts, from stronger, more frequent storms, to drought, sea level rise, and extinction.. In the United States, about 29 percent of global warming emissions come from our ...