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| Dec 15, 2009 10:39 pm |
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re: re: re: the entire fate of the Universe rests on you |
James Booth
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I posed the question ...
"Could we focus on what we do, can do, are doing ...
To make our world a better place ?"
... in an attempt to reinstate some *innovation* here.
So far, few seem to have noticed the question.
"I think the quickest way to go is natural gas."
Not sure why that was the first thing came to his mind, but in that vein, yes, nuclear is also an option
... and regardless how "unsightly" so is wind an option to meet our energy needs.
With a will to manage resources we have available to us, hydropower is still an option that can be used without inundating great swaths of land or disrupting fisheries.
From only one source, a 2006 MIT report, my understanding is that geothermal energy right now has potential to provide 13,000 zettajoules of energy.
The word "zettajoule" is not one I use, is in fact new to me, but the point being made was that 2,000 of those zettajoules are "tappable" now with current technology.
"The total energy consumption of all the countries on the planet is about half of a zettajoule a year," meaning that 4,000 years of "planetary power" is right now available from that one source alone.
Not to forget the sun's energy, solar radiation reaching Earth's surface is thousands of times more than the world's energy use and has only begun to be harnessed, for which we need better mediums of storage (a "paper" battery has recently been announced).
Perhaps energy came first to mind in answer to my question because energy is crucial to our production, food processing, transportation and more.
Possibly in answer to my question, another thread (Personal steps to clean air and CO2 reduction) was opened
... and I am sure there are other areas we can address toward "what we do, can do, are doing ... To make our world a better place"
Too often, however, it seems easier to continue keeping ourselves entertained fighting "Mr. Murdoch's War" just like we s'pose ta do.
We need to change our thinking, learn how to measure the "carrying capacity" of a plot of land, of a country, of a continent, of the entire world, in order to *know* what is truly *scarce*
... rather than rely on those who currently control resources, who decide "scarcity" by withholding what is available, who waste resources to continue failed systems which require "cyclical consumption" to keep a worn out "economic engine" running.
It is what we do as individuals that will result in the changes we REQUIRE to make our own existence - extended through our progeny - SUSTAINABLE.
When the Wright Brothers began flying, or when a horse first breathed exhaust fumes from an automobile, people were not waiting around for the "latest model" to be announced by a manufacturer.
JBPrivate Reply to James Booth (new win) |
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