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Earth

AI Predicts Canada Tourist Spots After 100 Years Climate Change

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Whilst climate change is at the forefront of most countries’ consciences, the issue is highly pressing here in Canada where we  experience climate change at twice the world’s average due to our northerly location. Do you believe in the stated extreme effects of climate change or do you believe in a milder alternative? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of this article.

With this in mind, our friends at BonusFinder Canada utilized technology to predict exactly what Canada’s most popular tourist spots could look like in 100 years time if we do not intervene and try to combat climate change. To do so, they asked OpenAI to write predictions for five top tourist hotspots (Niagara Falls, CN Tower, Notre-Dame Basilica, Hopewell Rocks, Confederation Bridge) based on factors such as global warming, overpopulation and extreme weather, and used these descriptions to generate AI images.

Niagara Falls – no intervention  

 Niagara Falls – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      Significant reduction in water flow, affecting local ecosystems and the availability of freshwater resources.

●      The falls are no longer safe to get close to due to erosion.

●      The once lush surroundings have been replaced by concrete and pollution due to overpopulation.

CN Tower – no intervention    

CN Tower – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      Toronto is now largely inhospitable due to global warming and extreme weather events.

●      Fires are not uncommon due to global warming and an abundance of refuse.

●      Toronto faces major impacts of climate change, including higher temperatures, reduced air quality, and persistent heatwaves.

Notre-Dame Basilica – no intervention 

Notre-Dame Basilica – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      Extreme weather events, including severe heatwaves, have damaged the Basilica’s exterior and interior.

●      The area surrounding the Basilica is overpopulated and increasingly inhospitable.

●      The basilica remains heavily reliant on non-renewable energy sources, worsening the effects on the environment.

Hopewell Rocks – no intervention 

Hopewell Rocks – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      The main structure of the rocks has collapsed.

●      The surrounding area is heavily urbanized and polluted.

●      The beach is now dangerous, marshy and overgrown, but still attracts many tourists when the bay is uncovered, bringing further pollution and structural damage with each passing year.

Confederation Bridge – no intervention

Confederation Bridge – positive intervention

Key changes without intervention:

●      Confederation Bridge has collapsed in areas, rendering the huge structure unusable.

●      The water around the bridge is now full of concrete, industrial waste, pollution and urban runoff.

●      Small portions of the bridge still stand in the water, serving as a reminder of our failure to act and combat urbanization and overpopulation.

For the Silo, Clara Tan.

Reviews

Purifiers Combat the Dangers of Methane and Additives found in Natural Gas

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Natural gas is an important fuel used for heating and cooling in more than half of all North American homes. But methane, the key component in natural gas, is highly explosive and can become deadly when uncontrolled. Back in 2014, a natural gas explosion in two apartment buildings in New York killed eight people and injured 70 others.

LA Gas LeakIn addition to the risk of explosion, the smell of natural gas can make many people ill. Hundreds of residents of Porter Ranch, near Los Angeles, were recently sickened by a natural gas leak from a nearby underground storage facility a mile away. The cause of their headaches, nausea and nosebleeds was mercaptan, the chemical added to natural gas that smells like rotten eggs.

What is natural gas?

Natural gas is composed primarily (95% or more) of methane, a colorless, odorless, non-toxic flammable gas. Methane is emitted from natural sources such as wetlands and also from industrial and agricultural processes.

Because methane is odorless, an additive known as mercaptan, or methanethiol, is added to natural gas to make the presence of methane detectable. Mercaptan additives contain sulfur, which is the reason natural gas smells like rotten eggs. Exposure to mercaptan can result in a variety of adverse health effects, including irritation of the eyes, skin and respiratory tract. Natural gas can also contain small amounts of potentially harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as ethane, propane, butane and even toxic compounds such as benzene and toluene.

Methane cannot be filtered. Mercaptan and VOCs can. Unfortunately, methane is not just dangerous – it’s also unfilterable. Adsorption and chemisorption, the two processes by which gas and odor air filters remove chemicals from the air, are ineffective against methane, which has an extremely low molecular weight. As a result, the only effective strategies for reducing indoor methane levels are source control/reduction and increased ventilation.

Mercaptan and VOCs, however, can be efficiently filtered with a high-performance air filtration system with a combination of high quality activated carbon and potassium permanganate – such as the IQAir HealthPro Plus or GC MultiGas (at right) room air purifier. The activated carbon provides adsorption of VOCs, and the potassium permanganate provides excellent chemisorption of mercaptan and many other VOCs, such as formaldehyde. The combination of these two filtration media is ideal.

The IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier- made in Switzerland
The IQAir HealthPro Plus Air Purifier- made in Switzerland

Importance of monitoring methane levels.

Because methane is so highly explosive, high-performance air filtration to remove the odors associated with natural gas (mercaptan) is not recommended unless sufficient monitoring with a methane detector has determined that levels are safe. Methane detectors, also known as explosive gas detectors, can be purchased at hardware and home-supply stores.

This article is brought to you by The IQAir Group, friends of the Silo who develop innovative air quality solutions for indoor environments around the globe. IQAir is the exclusive educational partner of the American Lung Association for the air purifier industry.