artificial leaf

panasonic is working on the development of an artificial leaf but hasnt quite perfected it yet. a major component in this project is catalysts. as we know, there are excess amounts of CO2 in our atmosphere contributing to climate change and we know that plants need CO2 to carry out photosynthesis. if we could artificially replicate photosynthesis it reduce the amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and could even provide other substances like organic acids and carbohydrates. panasonics system is producing formic acid at 0.2% efficiency which is actually equal to that of plants.
http://www.earthtimes.org/energy/photosynthesis-unleashed/2146/

gas leaks in fracking

Drilling for shale gas through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, appears to cause smaller leaks of the greenhouse gas methane than the federal government had estimated, and considerably smaller than some critics of shale gas had feared, according to a peer-reviewed study released on Monday.