Far to often I have seen the issue of tackling global climate change presented as if it were a choice between ignoring the problem and continuing to pollute and switching off the lights and returning to the stone age. That has never sat right with me. Technology is at the most advanced now that it has ever been so surely that is the way to overcome the problems being caused by the CO2 belching energy production methods of the past.
It is nice when you see something that confirms that you already believe (well, at least if you believe in some nice optimistic things). I have been sure that there would have to by technologies on the horizon that could deliver the energy that the world needs in a way that does not mess up the environment. Today I read about what looks like it is going to be a major stride forward towards making this stuff work. You can read the article I did from New Scientist here (conveniently on the public side of the pay wall).
There have been a lot of very exciting things that can be done with hydrogen. The problem has always been getting it. Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen, but splitting them takes energy, now though it can be done with a lot less. The natural world splits water to get hydrogen and oxygen all the time. Plants do this by using the sun, and soon it seems we might be able to do the same thing – ” economically viable sun-powered water splitters, and with it all the clean-burning fuel we want”. Which would be nice.
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[...] The last post I wrote about technological solutions to climate change focused on something that was only just beginning to emerge as a possibility. The problems of how to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions are with us now however, and there are a few interesting things that people are trying or thinking of right now. [...]