The Future
As outlined on the civilization page
energy is the key factor in determining our future. What can be done on
this front to assure a positive future?
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Firstly the world automobile fleet should be replaced with more fuel
efficient vehicles such as hybrid vehicles.
This will eventually happen because of simple economics.
The demand for gasoline will force up the price and people will demand vehicles
that consume less. However manufacturers and governments could be preemptive in starting
this change.
More efficient ways need to be developed for harvesting energy
from plant material, such
as.
More effort needs to be made to match the sustainable production
of fuels with demand for them.
Hydrogen as a transport energy source is a myth
promoted by con artists or people who do not know their facts.
Gasoline is the ideal transport fuel.
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Secondly electricity sources that do not cause damage to the
earth should be developed, such as wind power, tidal
power etc.
Both of these solutions would decrease the amount of CO2
that mankind is presently releasing into the atmosphere. This would fit in
with the aims of the Kyoto Protocol which is
still a very timid document. It generally sets the CO2
emissions at 1990 levels and many people are under the false impression that CO2
can be successfully sequestered by vegetation
alone.
One of the most traumatic events of the twentieth centenary was the Great Depression of the 1930's.
Could we have another,
worldwide, depression? Two factors could be heading us towards this
reality. Firstly when the US dropped the gold standard it gained an
advantage that world monetary transactions were conducted in US dollars.
This resulted in the growing US trade deficient
because the US could
simply write off trade debit with US Treasury Bonds. This has resulted in
a huge debt load for the US. Secondly world wide western civilization is
becoming more energy dependant. Could this energy dependency and
consumption coupled with the above point induce
another depression?
The only future life that we
definitely know of is through our children. How we look after the Earth
will determine how they look back on us.
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