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davieG

Technology, Science and the Environment.

By davieG, in General Chat

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leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted (edited)
36 minutes ago, Otis said:

The phased transfer is already happening. I don't see how lobbying MPs will speed up technological advances. We need to start building reliable energy sources ie. Nuclear. 

There's a couple of ways:

 

- more government attention because it's on the minds of the electorate means more government spending which could well mean faster development and implementation

- MP's are more likely to go for faster implementation if they know their constituents are behind such things, eg. next to no NIMBY's.

 

Obviously agree with the second sentence wholeheartedly, we should have started on Gen III/IV and fast breeder tech implementation a decade ago. Now will have to do.

Edited by leicsmac
  • Like 1
Jon the Hat

Jon the Hat

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60984663

 

This is cheery. But it's the world as it is.

If they are right then it is inevitable that we go over the 1.5 degrees.  It will take some of the more severe outcomes to move the needle, and even then we have proven quite adaptable to millions dying of Covid without changing much.

Edited by Jon the Hat
leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

If they are right then it is inevitable that we go over the 1.5 degrees.  It will take some of the more severe outcomes to move the needle, and even them we have proven quite adaptable to millions dying of Covid without changing much.

I would agree - I simply can't see the kind of changes that need to be done being done in the timeframe specified here.

 

Over at least 2 degrees increase it is then, with all the consequences that will entail. We'd better be ready.

Jon the Hat

Jon the Hat

Posted
Posted
30 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

I would agree - I simply can't see the kind of changes that need to be done being done in the timeframe specified here.

 

Over at least 2 degrees increase it is then, with all the consequences that will entail. We'd better be ready.

We won't be, but we will cope no doubt.  As you have said many times before, it is the poorer nations who will struggle.

leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted
30 minutes ago, Jon the Hat said:

We won't be, but we will cope no doubt.  As you have said many times before, it is the poorer nations who will struggle.

Possibly.

 

Or possibly the pressure caused by reduced resources (look how much people go nuts about a relatively smaller supply issue right now) ends up in conflict and the gun and the bomb finishes what nature started.

 

What's really frustrating is that taking that chance, as it seems to be inevitable now, was so needless in the first place. We have had all the tools in place to prevent it turning out this way, we as a species just lacked the will.

leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

I love those guys  :D

I intend to one day work for this company - or do something just like they do.

 

They are an ideal of science communication.

  • Like 1
foxes21

foxes21

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 05/04/2022 at 01:18, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60984663

 

This is cheery. But it's the world as it is.

 

We really needed to make the move to nuclear years ago and also bring in a hemp revolution. Our move to green energy is inevitable and extremely important but there’s also some issues we should be aware of. Hopefully we will progress in our developments later down the road & technology such as the molten salt battery for storage will be the norm. Some of the current issues with the switch to green technology (1):

 

- An unprecedented increase in global mining for minerals, many of which aren't renewable

- The reliance on slave/child labour for materials such as cobalt (2).
- Countries such as America are dependent on imports for 17 key minerals

-a single electric car battery requires the extraction of 500,000 pounds of precious materials from the earth.

- Oil and coal are needed to produce materials like plastic and batteries for green tech.
- By 2050, solar panels much of which is nonrecyclable, will double the tonnage of today's global plastic waste, plus 3 million tons per year of unrecyclable plastics from worn out turbines.

 

Protests in Siberia (3) against the opening of Australian Government backed lithium mines are well justified. If the mines were to open, it would turn the local villages into toxic polluted hell holes.

 

Big oil coined the phrase 'carbon footprint' (4) to put blame on the individual. We will be tracking our carbon but will the global elite be doing the same? The world's richest 1% cause double the co2 emissions of the poorest 50% (5). 
 

Whilst we're making all these sacrifices switching to green energy, will Elon Musk stop flying around in his private jet every day? Will companies stop polluting our rivers, will Nestle stop draining our lakes, will the royal family stop heating their giant mansions, will politicians stop insider trading of weapon manufacturer Lockheed and end their war mongering? The U.S Military emits more co2 than many industrialised nations. 

 

If we really want to save the planet, we need to acknowledge the global elites pollution and consumption levels are a giant issue and obstacle to reaching the required temperature.

 

The greatest technology in existence is created by nature, not by humans ;). Which brings me to the hemp revolution (6), which I mentioned earlier. Hemp has been used by humans for thousands of years and is possibly the greatest plant based resource available. Just 1 acre of hemp can absorb 15 tons of carbon and industrial hemp can absorb more co2 per hectare than any forest and is an ideal carbon sink. It's rapid growth makes it one of the fastest co2-to-biomass conversion tools available.

 

Hemp is also a carbon negative crop, as it absorbs co2 whilst it grows and the soil it leaves behind is great for agriculture and growing food, meaning it could easily be implemented into the crop cycle. It also has 25,000 uses (7) in todays modern society, you could for example replace plastic with hemp bioplastic. Henry ford (8) originally intended for cars to be built and run on hemp. Hemp is even great for absorbing toxic substances from agricultural waste and was even used in the clean-up of Chernobyl (9).

 

Peat (10) is another natural phenomenon we should be looking into. The successful management of peatlands could provide us with the perfect carbon sink storage, they already contain 25% of global soil carbon - twice as much as world's forests and only occupy 3% of global land area. Rebuilding our peat lands is essential. We can also do a better job of managing forests in places such as Australia, California and tropical locations such as Thailand, where forest fires are prevalent. Instead, we're cutting forest management budgets in these areas (in comparison to what it was 10+ years ago). 

 

Blame mustn't just be directed to the individual, nor should the necessary changes have to fall only on our shoulders. The people in control also have to follow suit otherwise our efforts will be for nothing.

 

 

 


 

References:

 

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

 

 

Edited by foxes21
  • Thanks 1
leicsmac

leicsmac

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, foxes21 said:

 

We really needed to make the move to nuclear years ago and also bring in a hemp revolution. Our move to green energy is inevitable and extremely important but there’s also some issues we should be aware of. Hopefully we will progress in our developments later down the road & technology such as the molten salt battery for storage will be the norm. Some of the current issues with the switch to green technology (1):

 

- An unprecedented increase in global mining for minerals, many of which aren't renewable

- The reliance on slave/child labour for materials such as cobalt (2).
- Countries such as America are dependent on imports for 17 key minerals

-a single electric car battery requires the extraction of 500,000 pounds of precious materials from the earth.

- Oil and coal are needed to produce materials like plastic and batteries for green tech.
- By 2050, solar panels much of which is nonrecyclable, will double the tonnage of today's global plastic waste, plus 3 million tons per year of unrecyclable plastics from worn out turbines.

 

Protests in Siberia (3) against the opening of Australian Government backed lithium mines are well justified. If the mines were to open, it would turn the local villages into toxic polluted hell holes.

 

Big oil coined the phrase 'carbon footprint' (4) to put blame on the individual. We will be tracking our carbon but will the global elite be doing the same? The world's richest 1% cause double the co2 emissions of the poorest 50% (5). 
 

Whilst we're making all these sacrifices switching to green energy, will Elon Musk stop flying around in his private jet every day? Will companies stop polluting our rivers, will Nestle stop draining our lakes, will the royal family stop heating their giant mansions, will politicians stop insider trading of weapon manufacturer Lockheed and end their war mongering? The U.S Military emits more co2 than many industrialised nations. 

 

If we really want to save the planet, we need to acknowledge the global elites pollution and consumption levels are a giant issue and obstacle to reaching the required temperature.

 

The greatest technology in existence is created by nature, not by humans ;). Which brings me to the hemp revolution (6), which I mentioned earlier. Hemp has been used by humans for thousands of years and is possibly the greatest plant based resource available. Just 1 acre of hemp can absorb 15 tons of carbon and industrial hemp can absorb more co2 per hectare than any forest and is an ideal carbon sink. It's rapid growth makes it one of the fastest co2-to-biomass conversion tools available.

 

Hemp is also a carbon negative crop, as it absorbs co2 whilst it grows and the soil it leaves behind is great for agriculture and growing food, meaning it could easily be implemented into the crop cycle. It also has 25,000 uses (7) in todays modern society, you could for example replace plastic with hemp bioplastic. Henry ford (8) originally intended for cars to be built and run on hemp. Hemp is even great for absorbing toxic substances from agricultural waste and was even used in the clean-up of Chernobyl (9).

 

Peat (10) is another natural phenomenon we should be looking into. The successful management of peatlands could provide us with the perfect carbon sink storage, they already contain 25% of global soil carbon - twice as much as world's forests and only occupy 3% of global land area. Rebuilding our peat lands is essential. We can also do a better job of managing forests in places such as Australia, California and tropical locations such as Thailand, where forest fires are prevalent. Instead, we're cutting forest management budgets in these areas (in comparison to what it was 10+ years ago). 

 

Blame mustn't just be directed to the individual, nor should the necessary changes have to fall only on our shoulders. The people in control also have to follow suit otherwise our efforts will be for nothing.

 

  Hide contents

 


 

References:

 

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

 

 

Firstly, thank you for the depth of your post. I have three points to offer:

 

- Renewable tech does come with its own set of waste problems, yes. However, for all that, over the lifetime of use they are still much better in that regard than fossil fuels. Unless there's a third option that would allow us to maintain our current level of living? Which brings me to...

 

- Yes, consumerism, especially by the very upper echelons of the world's population, is a problem too. Getting that to be drawn down far enough to really matter, however, would be politically and logistically tricky, to say the least. Why not continue developing and instead make tech both better and more efficient/green so as to bring those people that really need it up to a better standard of living? Or do a bit of both? Also, practically, regressing technologically would be a fatal decision for humanity, for reasons that I explained around 50 pages back in this thread. I'll copypasta here if needed.

 

- With respect to "natural" solutions as stated here, I'm certainly prepared to entertain the idea that they have some merit, but I think I would need to see some serious peer-reviewed literature proving that they could do all the heavy lifting on their own before I was convinced that they could. Again, perhaps a two-pronged approach involving using these and more advanced tech would be the way forward. Conservation of existing natural sources like forests and peat bogs is of course a no-brainer.

  • Thanks 1
Dahnsouff

Dahnsouff

Posted
Posted
On 07/04/2022 at 17:46, foxes21 said:

....

 

The greatest technology in existence is created by nature, not by humans ;). Which brings me to the hemp revolution (6), which I mentioned earlier. Hemp has been used by humans for thousands of years and is possibly the greatest plant based resource available. Just 1 acre of hemp can absorb 15 tons of carbon and industrial hemp can absorb more co2 per hectare than any forest and is an ideal carbon sink. It's rapid growth makes it one of the fastest co2-to-biomass conversion tools available.

 

Hemp is also a carbon negative crop, as it absorbs co2 whilst it grows and the soil it leaves behind is great for agriculture and growing food, meaning it could easily be implemented into the crop cycle. It also has 25,000 uses (7) in todays modern society, you could for example replace plastic with hemp bioplastic. Henry ford (8) originally intended for cars to be built and run on hemp. Hemp is even great for absorbing toxic substances from agricultural waste and was even used in the clean-up of Chernobyl (9).

 

…

These are great points, hemp has a legislative issue currently, as even modified crops to not allow for its recreational use are still heavily licensed I thought?

yorkie1999

yorkie1999

Posted
Posted
On 20/04/2022 at 16:09, The Bear said:

Yeah it's a crazy scale when you think of the energies and technology involved just to get to the next step up. 

It's all lip service and we're years away from the next step. Take electric cars for example, by 2030 we're supposed to be stopping the sale of petrol cars, where is the infastruture to replace them? we're talking 7 and a half years away! Neighbour of mine has a merc electric and had to have the road and his garden dug up to provide a feed as he lives in a semi and semi's and terraced houses are on a loop so every one of those will need a seperate supply, why don't you do the rest of the street while you're here was the question, it's on a need to use basis was the answer. How they going to provide for terrace houses , you can't have extension cables running across the path cos it's not exactly safe is it, apparently some clot has decided the solution is to use lamposts ffs! queens road in hinckley has 8 for 200 terrace houses so that's a bummer before we even start, not unless everyone has an extension cable and they all wait in an orderly fassion...as if. Everyone is coming up with bright ideas, but nothing is happening and it won't, and the reason is because it will always be the next governments problem.  

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