Introduction
There was a time when America considered itself to be “a city on a hill,” somehow more virtuous than, and an example to, other nations. Recently we have fallen from that pinnacle in the estimation of others (if indeed other people ever did consider us to have reached that pinnacle) and in our own estimation of ourselves.
It was our own Rachel Carson who, as early as 1962, wrote her book, “Silent Spring,” warning us that we were destroying the habitats of the animals with whom we share this planet and on whom we depend.
America has become one of the world’s worst polluters. On the plus side we have many innovative scientists and entrepreneurs and, as luck would have it, English has become the “lingua franca” of science. The world looks to us for technological leadership, but inventiveness knows no boundaries, and some of the most brilliant ideas have been hatched abroad.
This report does not pretend to be comprehensive. It’s a snapshot in time of the information, articles and websites available on the internet in the year 2019. Some of the opinions expressed in these media may be incorrect, some of the ideas included may prove to be dead ends. This report is offered as an “idea starter” in the hope of inspiring others to take these ideas to the next step. Ease of use is its predominant characteristic. Readers are given only the briefest descriptions of subjects discussed and the email addresses where they can learn more.
Today, we have many environmental problems, including plastics dumped in the ocean, deforestation and ocean acidification.
Our environment, indeed the human race, is endangered by problems for which we have potential solutions:
Energy: We are presently filling our atmosphere with CO2 (carbon dioxide), which is rapidly warming our planet to the point where, very soon, it will be uninhabitable for all but the most primitive forms of life.
The IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CZL3JZGLKY
Carbon emissions: CO2 is normally absorbed by trees, which give off oxygen, but with the destruction of forests, as in Brazil, and the constant clearing of arable land, they will soon be in short supply. Add to that the burning of fossil fuel, and we will soon have warmed the planet beyond the "tipping point," 2 degrees warmer than today, which it is estimated will happen within 12 years. Scientists say that already the tropical forests give off more CO2 than they absorb. The solution may be sequestration of CO2
Climeworks - Capturing CO2 from air
www.climeworks.com
Possible actions:
Convert to sustainable energy — Solar, wind, hydro and tidal power and soon, fusion energy
Cut our carbon emissions — Convert to electric everything, including cars, ships, even airplanes
Eat more fruits and vegetables — Livestock is far too costly, takes too much land and generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas
The Monsanto Papers — Roundup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JszHrMZ7dx4 For the sake of perfect fruits and vegetables, companies like Monsanto are polluting our waterways and killing our fish and insects to the point of extinction with a product called Roundup. The active ingredient in Roudup is glyphosate, a suspected carcinogen.
Global Climate Change
https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/
Ecological Armageddon! Insects Vanish all Over the World
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAOnySPnt3E
The insect apocalypse is here
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/magazine/insect-apocalypse.html
Videos on fusion energy
ITER— the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, an international government-funded project that is expected to produce 10 times the energy going into it. It will create the power which will drive the Demo Power Plant, which will be the first fusion power plant set to be operational in the 2030’s. https://www.iter.org/
The ST-40 by Tokamak Energy in Oxfordshire, England expects to have a power station by 2030. https://www.tokamakenergy.co.uk/st40/
SPARC, a collaboration between MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems has raised $50,000,000 from ANI, an Italian oil company. They have the goal of getting a reactor online in 15 years. http://www.psfc.mit.edu/research/topics/sparc
TAE Technologies (formerly Tri Alpha Energy), based in CA, US is working on a modified pinch design, has $500,000,000 funding. https://tae.com
General Fusion Inc., based in Canada, is building a device that injects plasma into a compression chamber once a second, almost like a fusion combustion engine, and has the backing of Jeff Bezos. https://generalfusion.com/
Other websites include:
How close are we? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW_YCWLyv6A
Fusion Energy Is Coming. No, Really. Answers With Joe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZm_mpbKX5c&t=672s
Fusion Energy Explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4yWhA1mVxA
Existing technologies
There are many existing mature technologies for producing energy without the use of fossil fuels. Unfortunately, fossil fuels dominate by more than 80%.
Nuclear fission represents about 11% of energy produced worldwide. Once considered the energy source of the future, three nuclear fission disasters — Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima — have caused the public to lose confidence in nuclear fission.
Three Mile Island emitted some nuclear fallout due to the simultaneous failure of several "failsafe" devices designed to shut down the plant in case of overheating.
Chernobyl was badly designed and poorly maintained and was an accident waiting to happen.
Fukushima was a plant built on the seaside for easy access to ocean water for cooling the plant, which was a foolish idea particularly in a country prone to earthquakes and tsunamis.
A new breed of fission reactor
http://theconversation.com/nuclear-power-is-set-to-get-a-lot-safer-and-cheaper-heres-why-62207 Today there are nuclear fission designs that will not overheat or cause a nuclear accident. They are the so-called “Gen IV” designs. One of their key features are fully passive cooling systems so the reactor is never dependent on external power for safety. The reactor is carefully designed so that overheating actually reduces, rather than increases, the power output of the core. The core and cooling systems are not pressurized, and using liquids other than water for cooling prevents the risk of creating hydrogen: both of which drastically reduce the risk of explosions.
Any kind of fission reactor will be regarded with suspicion by the American public, with the result that the building of any fission reactor will probably take upwards of five years to be approved. In China, where the public has no say in what the government does, they will be more likely to build quickly. China today suffers from terrible pollution caused by the burning of coal and will be more inclined to build nuclear fission plants.
Solar power
Problems With Solar Energy – Why It Is Not More Widely Used — www.solarpoweristhefuture.com/…
Solar energy requires sunlight and lots of it, so large solar farms are only practical in southern climes and in remote places, where there is a significant voltage drop getting the electricity produced to its destination.. While it is becoming cheaper to build, it is still more expensive than fossil fuels. In addition, maintenance costs and time can add up since every inch of a solar panel must be kept clean and clear of debris for them to operate most efficiently.
Wind power
At the tipping point: 2017 wind cost analysis https://www.windpowermonthly.com/article/1455361/tipping-point-2017-wind-cost-analysis
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2017 reflected a shift from fossil fuels to renewables. Between 2010 and 2016, global coal-fired capacity added 65GW a year, the highest of any electricity-generating source. By contrast, for the 2017-40 period, anticipated annual additions of coal-fired generation are less than 20GW. Gas-fired facilities are expected to be built at a rate of just under 50GW per year, which is similar to the projection for wind. But solar photovoltaic leads the field, with an anticipated build-rate of more than 70GW a year. However, wind’s higher productivity means its electricity-producing potential is probably greater. The US Department of Energy’s International Energy Outlook suggests wind will be providing around 3 million TWh annually by 2040.
Tidal energy farm
World's first large-scale tidal energy farm launches in Scotland
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/sep/12/worlds-first-large-scale-tidal-energy-farm-launches-scotland
The launch of the world’s first large-scale tidal energy farm in Scotland has been hailed as a significant moment for the renewable energy sector. A turbine for the MeyGen tidal stream project in the Pentland Firth was unveiled outside Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. Tidal energy turbines are as yet to be proven to be effective, since in the past they have been destroyed by strong currents.