wmurphy67’s Recent Comments

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  Tech and conservation

  As I see it, we need a healthy cocktail of solutions, none of which are sufficient in themselves and few of which should be dismissed outright. There are no silver bullets (plastic bags, fusion, superconductivity, hydrogen, etc.), but pieced together it might work (including some targeted use of - yes - fossil fuels for specific applications). Burning coal may actually be an acceptable means to generate power if we can have a cradle to cradle mentality and use the CO2 emissions as a captured resource for some other type of product.

  As CO2 emissions increase in the near term and biofeedback occurs creating an acceleration effect for climate change, we also are witnessing an exponential growth of knowledge and technological advance that is unprecedented in history (see Ray Kurzweil and other futurologists - http://www.kurzweilai.net/meme/frame.html?main=memelist.h ...). I get the feeling that we are engaged in a race to the finish line between the negative ramifications of our past industrial policies and practices and emerging solutions that may assist in developing a 100% efficient system (mimicking the natural order of nothing going to waste).

  Now if we can avoid the law of unintended consequences whereby one solution (i.e. genetic engineering of microorganisms that can convert waste products to reusable inputs) doesn't create some other disastrous consequence!On British Prime Minister Gordon Brown makes ambitious climate speech posted 1 year, 11 months ago 4 Responses