How it could be done: — karl stone
If they aren't going to be used, now or in the future, how can the fossil fuels be an asset? There's no revenue stream.the solution I devised is very simple, and entirely consistent with the principles of our economic system. Basically, fossil fuels are commodities, and commodities are assets. Assets can be mortgaged - and in this way, fossil fuels can be monetized without being extracted. The money raised by mortgaging fossil fuels would first go to applying sustainable energy technology. — karl stone
This universe tends toward heat death - a million billion years from now - that's true, but we ain't staying. — karl stone
Do you think philosophy has an unhelpful tendency toward superlativism - that passes through common sense, but then just keeps on going? — karl stone
stop being a dick! — karl stone
Sorry. Didn't realize I was being a dick. Does that make it better or worse? I don't know. — TheMadFool
Anyway, the future is so difficult to predict with any degree of certainty. As someone said there are too many variables to factor in. — TheMadFool
I suggest we do what is most practical. Act locally, think globally. — TheMadFool
I would suggest that solar panels floating on the surface of the ocean, could produce electricity - used to power desalination and electrolysis, producing fresh water and hydrogen fuel at sea, collected by ship, or pumped through pipelines to shore. — karl stone
I would suggest that solar panels floating on the surface of the ocean, could produce electricity - used to power desalination and electrolysis, producing fresh water and hydrogen fuel at sea, collected by ship, or pumped through pipelines to shore.
— karl stone
May I point out that covering the oceans will prevent phytoplankton from absorbing CO2. Put your solar panels on coastal deserts instead, and use the desalinated water to irrigate inland and grow some forest. — unenlightened
As to the politics and economics, what is required is to wage a global war against CO2. Money becomes irrelevant in wartime, one does whatever it takes. — unenlightened
coastal land is valuable real estate - particularly if it's sunny — karl stone
Another quick interruption.
Having already plugged my sagely wife — Jake
Having already plugged my sagely wife above, I will now shamelessly plug my own "blowharding to save the world" thread, which can be found here. — Jake
While Karl addresses energy and water, my thread addresses another very important component of the world saving project, knowledge.
Karl argues for more knowledge to help manage energy and water resources, a reasonable enough proposition, if one limits the subject to energy and water. There are many challenges before us, and it's very understandable to attempt to leverage the awesome power of knowledge to meet those challenges. — Jake
However, when we 1) add all the knowledge growing projects together, and 2) watch as they feed back upon each other, 3) accelerating the overall pace of knowledge development, 4) we arrive at a different picture, which is.....
The solution is the biggest problem.
I know this to be a hard fact, because when I explain this blowharding theory to my wife while we're making dinner she always says, "Ok honey, I'm sure you're right." See? Proof!!! — Jake
I wonder if you're aware of Enemies of the Open Society by Popper. — karl stone
I have shown that there are legitimate limitations on the rightful authority of science, insofar as, beyond sustainability, no implication can be said to be compulsory. Does that solve your problem too? — karl stone
Do you think philosophy has an unhelpful tendency toward superlativism - that passes through common sense, but then just keeps on going? — karl stone
"Are you prepared to give up beef to save the world?" No. I'm willing apply renewable energy technology so that I can eat beef guilt free. And lots of it! — karl stone
There's another angle to beef eating which perhaps you haven't fully considered? If we are willing to torture and kill entirely innocent defenseless animals for no better reason than that they taste good, do we have the "psychological infrastructure" necessary to save the world? — Jake
As example, why would a person who smokes be motivated to protect the environment when they are busy knowingly trashing their own most personal environment? — Jake
What if saving the world is, at heart, not really a technical problem but a psychological, moral, emotional problem? — Jake
Those sound like great environmental ideas. You've shown something that hadn't occurred to me...how water, energy, and temperature can be dealt with and helped as part of the same solution method.
It all sounds very well thought-out, and perfectly plausible and possible. — Michael Ossipoff
It's hard to critique the idea, because we would need a lot of numbers and technical details to be able to evaluate it. I mean, i like the idea in theory, but have no idea how feasable it is economically and politically. — ChatteringMonkey
How much would the proces cost, say compared to more conventional means of producing energy? What about night and winter times, is battery technology sufficient to suppliment times when solar energy is low? — ChatteringMonkey
And how do you solve the political issues? Often times people just ignore those, because well unlike the laws of nature, people can just adapt their behaviour, and therefor should... but it never really happens that way. So what about countries that don't have access to the oceans, or that are situated in areas where there is not a lot of reliable solar energy? Do you think it reasonable to expect countries to just get allong, and give away energy to those that need it? — ChatteringMonkey
I think we should go nuclear again, and geothermal. Nuclear can be a temporary solution, not indiffinately ofcourse, but right now CO2 is a far bigger problem then nuclear waste. And maybe in the future we will find better ways of exploiting earth warmth, which is reliable and as good as infinite. In practice, a mix of all possible low carbon energy sources will probably be needed though. — ChatteringMonkey
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