The Big Question is, after due thought, about my submission above, are there any useful technologies that could help to lessen our adverse impact upon the climate that have been shelved for commercial reasons? If so isn’t it time to pass legislation worldwide to make those technologies available?
Brian Churchyard
Filed under: Energy Generation Big Questions, Engineering and Technology Big Qs, Environment & Natural World Big Qs, Global Warming Big Questions, Sustainable Development Big Questions, Unanswered Big Questions
The USEFUL INFORMATION that has been shelved regarding our impact on the environment is written documentations of studies over the years which show that we are wrong about the CO2 impact being harmful. Plants use way more CO@ than humans with cars, etc. can emit. The Earth renews itself all the time and when we breathe in the O2 plants supply we breath out CO2 for the plants. The Ocean utilizes the same exchange process. So we would have to kill every plant on earth and dry up all water before we need to worry about too much CO2. When seeds fall from trees new trees grow. when we harvest trees to use, we plant others to keep the cycle going. This earth will regenrate if we just use our common sense and live our lives like we always have.
Sure, solar cell’s and windmills.
The reason they were shelved is that when almost free energy was available (oil), it was to expensive (compared with the ‘free’ oil) to keep them in business anymore. But there were thousand of windmills in the Netherlands in a small area called the Zaan, only for sawing wood (for ships) and pumping water. This was just a couple of century’s ago.
The problem is not finding enough energy, but the low costs of fossil energies.
(which can btw be solved by adding the real / hidden costs to the price).
Or we can simply wait till the dark stuff runs out, and the price will skyrocket, leading to a painful adjustment cycle, which could be quite disruptive.
@Dave Kriby: Yes it’s only a small amount compared to the natural cycles, but more then enough to have a impact. Look at it this way:
* We’ve been cutting forest in a ever expanding rate (less co2 uptake)
* We’ve been throwing more and more co2 in the air
Sooner or later this has got to have a impact.
The oceans are becoming more acidic because there is not enough uptake.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_acidification