The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor 9

[CajunCenturion]

Thank you.

Good Luck
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As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

 

[gwolf]

I have tried to crack this "technology saving the world" question for more than 20 years. I conclude that it can't. I think rb1957 summarised it well with: "i think we'll push past the limits of the biosphere and suffer the consequences"

I am now convinced that this process cannot be stopped. It will be interesting to see what happens.

gwolf.

 

[VisiGoth]

If there are a billion international taxpayers paying for $13b, that is $13 each.

GregLocock is correct, that is peanuts.

The first world will be paying for an investing in big ideas that will bring the third world into the first.
Also, how about the list of contributing countries putting a combined effort into solving the problem instead of fighting each other over the scraps. I think that is a more beautiful interpretation of what is happening.

 

[BillPSU]

gwolf
With an unlimited supply of energy the biosphere can be made larger. What's the biggest cost of desalination? Energy. Fusion makes unlimited water from the ocean feasible.

What does it take for plants to grow? Light, water, dirt, carbon dioxide, and some minerals. Think of multi-story concrete growing houses. Light from fusion energy, water from desalination, dirt we can get, CO2 we got plenty, and minerals we have plenty. Control the growing conditions inside and crop yields would also go up. We could also put these structures in the most inhospitable places in the world and turn desert land into a growing factory.

The biggest problem with fusion is the demand for lots of consumable fuels would drop and the people holding the current energy stocks would suddenly find the profits drying up and stock prices falling.

 

[gwolf]

I have a design which I have chosen to share publicly rather than patent. I give this invention for free for the good of all mankind. Links at the end of this posting will hook you into detailed design specs. Go use!

My device is solar powered. It is powered by a large solar array and it converts minerals in the ground and gases in the air into a very useful product. This product can be burned to produce more power, processed into petroleum, worked with minimal effort into a strong, light, versatile building material, and finally can be used for food. This machine is self-replicating and requires minimal maintenance, it is also completely non-toxic and CO2 neutral (if burned). Some people call them trees.

gwolf.

 

[gwolf]

p.s. These machines cost about 5$ to make and install and will yield about $50-$1000/year in useful product depending on what version of the machine you choose and how long you let it run for. Lead time for the simplest units is about 10 years, 50 for the more sophisticated ones and 100-300 years for the A+ grade stuff.

Even on the most pessimistic financial estimates this is a really good return.

 

[cadcamguy]

UNLengineer.. would that be Uni. Ne. Lincoln? If so we need to hook up.. being a Ne. person myself

 

[moltenmetal]

Humans are like any living thing: they grow until limited by a limiting resource, whether that be a nutrient, space in a niche, or a waste product. In our case, technology has helped us remove one limiting resource after another. But it can't help us with our biological drives to procreate. Ultimately it may be our waste products which limit us.

"Development" has tended to limit population growth somewhat. But it has also caused resource consumption to explode. Fewer people, but more consumption per person, still equals environmental disaster.

Is energy the only limiting factor? If we have limitless energy will we be home free? Depends on your values, I guess.

Personally, I see the evil as being the whole definition of "economic growth". Economic growth is a pyramid scam- a geometric series, fundamentally unsustainable. It rewards consumption, which is the very thing we've got to get a handle on if we're going to survive as a species. The sooner we learn to live without "economic growth", the better off we'll all be.