The only solution is to significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels. Electric cars, other means of power. Expensive in the short term, but clearly the only way we ever get this monkey off our back.
Electric cars don’t really solve the problem because you still have to generate the electricity somehow. And every source of energy has its own drawbacks.
Well, geothermal, for example. Geothermal has low emissions, takes up less land per kilowatt generated than any other power source, is extremely reliable, is practically inexhaustible and relies on technology already available. The biggest downside is the high upfront cost: you have to drill down three or four miles to put a plant in an area that is not geologically active.
Or thorium to uranium breeder reactors. Thorium is much more common than uranium, and while it isn't fissile, Th-232 can be bred to U-233, which is fissile. The uranium only exists in gaseous form, and the reactor is never shut down for refueling, so the material can’t be used for weapons. All of the thorium and fissile uranium is consumed, and the resulting waste (non-fissile) uranium and plutonium is much safer to handle than the waste from conventional nuclear plants. The technology needed was successfully tested in the 1960s.
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On the other hand, none of the alternatives seem all that great, either.
The only solution is to significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels. Electric cars, other means of power. Expensive in the short term, but clearly the only way we ever get this monkey off our back.
Electric cars don’t really solve the problem because you still have to generate the electricity somehow. And every source of energy has its own drawbacks.
Well, you're Mr. Cheerful. :-)
In any event, we know at least that oil isn't sustainable long-term. There just isn't enough of it.
We either find other ways or we lose civilization.
I am somewhat pessimistic about this because what I feel are the best options aren’t even being discussed.
Well? Don't leave us hanging.
Well, geothermal, for example. Geothermal has low emissions, takes up less land per kilowatt generated than any other power source, is extremely reliable, is practically inexhaustible and relies on technology already available. The biggest downside is the high upfront cost: you have to drill down three or four miles to put a plant in an area that is not geologically active.
Or thorium to uranium breeder reactors. Thorium is much more common than uranium, and while it isn't fissile, Th-232 can be bred to U-233, which is fissile. The uranium only exists in gaseous form, and the reactor is never shut down for refueling, so the material can’t be used for weapons. All of the thorium and fissile uranium is consumed, and the resulting waste (non-fissile) uranium and plutonium is much safer to handle than the waste from conventional nuclear plants. The technology needed was successfully tested in the 1960s.
Why has no one mentioned Unobtanium?
We were waiting for you to do it.
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