Black Carbon

Dear Readers/Universe/Empty Space/Lovers/Abstract Blogging World,

I wanted to take some space today to share with you about the work that I do.Through my work at the GO3 Project, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit that provides students around the world with exciting, real-world science projects that promote environmental awareness and the application of science skills, I have become deeply involved in the science of air pollution. On a day to day basis I get to focus on the measurement and sharing of air pollution data so that international students can act as citizen scientists and become increasingly aware of atmospheric environmental issues. Most specifically, I am increasingly concentrated on the science of black carbon and its effects both on the environment and human health.

Black carbon has recently become center stage in international discussions on climate change.  Studies suggest that black carbon may account for up to 25% of the observed global warming to date, and up to 40% of glacier melting.  Human health effects of black carbon include asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular problems, birth defects and premature death. Because black carbon’s lifetime in the atmosphere is only about two weeks compared to several decades for carbon dioxide, reducing black carbon emissions may be the most effective way of slowing climate change.   Due to its prominent impact on the planet (and its people), black carbon has presented me with an impassioned topic which I have built into curriculum used in schools around the world. The international reach of my curriculum is vital; air pollution knows no geographical or political boundaries – with air pollution levels in the U.S. being affected by emissions in Asia – thus the issue requires global participation.

What’s more, the issue can be easily mitigated in the communities where there are dangerous levels of carbon black; like the townships in Africa who have used slash- and-burn agriculture for generations, the villages in Peru who depend on inefficient, polluting cookstoves to feed their families and warm their homes (both major sources of black carbon).  In fact, nearly 3 billion people use rudimentary, polluting cookstoves which accounts for more than three-quarters of the world’s black carbon. Dirty cookstove smoke kills 1 person every 16 seconds and almost half the world’s population still cooks food, boils water, and warms their homes by burning wood, animal and agricultural waste, and coal in open fires or  cookstoves- not to mention how this disproportionately affects women.

Luckily, the Alliance for Global Cookstoves is busy saving our planet by bringing clean-burning, environmentally friendly cookstoves to all corners of the world. These clean-burning cookstoves mitigate black carbon emissions; not only do they improve livelihoods, empower women, and protect the environment, but they save lives as well. While this organization brings technical solutions and a sense of empowerment to rural villages around the world, as of now there is no way to monitor the improvement in these villages’ environmental quality. And, while the GO3 Project builds sophisticated black carbon monitoring instrumentation to measure black carbon concentrations in local air, we have not yet been able to distribute our black carbon package to the affected places to marry our science with the social capability for empowerment and transformation overseas.

In February, I will be going to Peru on a ten day program to bring the GO3 Project’s black carbon station to two rural schools for young women. These schools are in communities that suffer from extreme poverty and bear the brunt of environmental degradation. They have little access to health services and education. Once I’m there, I will be providing education on the science, environmental and health effects, and mitigation techniques of black carbon. I will be leading training on how to install and maintain the black carbon monitoring station, measure air concentrations, and share collected data. Together with the local women, we will install the stations and begin measuring black carbon (this data will be available on the GO3 Project’s website for the public to see).  Soon after, we will introduce clean-burning cookstoves to each community. Because the black carbon stations will be continuously monitoring the air, we will be able to see the mitigation of black carbon levels in the air after the introduction of the efficient, non-polluting cookstoves.  To see first-hand such a staggering reduction in a critically toxic pollutant will not only be eye-opening, it will be life-saving.

I am deeply honored to be working for an organization that serves as a beacon of possibility to bring air quality awareness to the corners of the world that deserve our conscious dedication. This initiative will not only significantly mitigate unhealthy levels of black carbon for these targeted communities, it will provide an experiential foundation to foster these Peruvian women’s sense of self and develop the leadership necessary to succeed in sustainable social and environmental change.  In other words, my trip to Peru will not only be providing young women with important science education that would otherwise not only be inaccessible but incomprehensible, it would be empowering their own growth and personal development as they become strong and motivated leaders in their communities.  

But it doesn’t end there- the GO3 Project hopes to bring our black carbon stations to all corners of the world, and build the first ever international database of black carbon pollution. If you’re interested in sponsoring a school or donating any amount of time or money (from one hour to one dollar!) we would be honored to accept your gift as part of this amazing and necessary work. Together we can drastically cut black carbon emissions, bring environmental awareness to international schools and rural communities, and SAVE THE WORLD!

If this article touched you please visit our site or email me at kali@go3project.com