Thorium – one great solution to our CO2 problem

Imagine a world with safe, CO2 free energy that’s available 24/7. Science fiction? No, science fact. In the 1950’s and 60’s, scientists explored designs for a Thorium-based nuclear reactor. Unlike today’s uranium-based reactors, a thorium reactor is unpressurized (can’t explode), has minimal waste, and inherently safe, with the fuel draining into a storage tank if power is lost. Here’s a quick TED talk video that explains this technology more:

So, why was this promising technology abandoned in the 60’s? To understand this, you need to understand our society at the time. We were in the midst of the Cold War, and, well, one byproduct of uranium-based power plants is plutonium, which makes great bombs. Thorium reactors didn’t. End of story.

One other great part about thorium, is that it’s currently considered a waste byproduct when mining for rare earth minerals, and is incredibly abundant on this planet. This is not a difficult fuel to obtain.

More info at Treehugger, Smartplanet’s coverage on Japan’s efforts here, and more discussion of the safety of thorium here. Lastly, there’s a great website on this topic, appropriately named EnergyFromThorium.com.

The following video is much longer but delves into Thorium reactors in more detail if you’re interested:

July 24, 2012

26 states are natural disasters due to drought

26 states have been declared natural disasters due to drought. Crops are withering. While it’s not possible to tie one year of weather to climate change, this is just another data point in a continuing trend, one that’s going pretty much as climate scientists have been predicting. Another result has been the wildfires in Colorado. Increased rainfall in the Pacific Northwest. These are, most likely, not ‘abnormalities’, but rather the new norm…and we’re nowhere near predicted levels of global climate warming, that’s still decades away (or more, if we don’t find a way to drastically cut CO2 levels). If we were to slash CO2 emissions to zero this year (great TED talk from Bill Gates here on that topic), much of this could be held at the levels we see now (except that sea level rise would continue for quite some time). The chances of that happening are zilch, I’d say. Expect weather extremes to get worse, and be ready to adapt the best you can.

July 23, 2012

Futile fight for network privacy

Businesses are fighting a losing battle in the attempts to secure their corporate networks. Email and web browsing, firewalls, USB drive attacks, and now, this innocent-looking power strip / surge suppressor. It’s essentially a Trojan horse, housing a computer with every networking technology you can think of (ethernet, wifi, bluetooth, cellular), and loaded with software tools necessary to identify network weaknesses and penetrate most any network. Good luck, IT managers…you’re going to need it as more and more devices like these proliferate.

California leads the way on labeling GMO

This fall, voters in California will decide whether or not food that has been manufactured with genetically modified organisms should be labeled as such (it’s Proposition 37, for you Californians). Considering that polls are finding around 90% of the public supports this, expect this to pass, but also expect it to be challenged in the courts as corporate profits would be impacted by such a law (well, assuming that people don’t want to eat food with GMO, that is). If this passes, you can also expect other states to start following California’s lead with laws of their own, though really, given the size of California’s economy, merely enacting such a law there will have a ripple effect nationwide.

Caffeine in the ocean

Here’s a nice reminder of how our actions influence the environment around us. Researchers at Portland State University found high caffeine levels in the ocean off the Oregon coast, which is attributed to human activity. Remember, this ecosystem we live in is complex and connected…our actions can have far reaching impact.

You can read more about this study over at phys.org.

July 19, 2012

The end of tooth decay and cavities?

Imagine a world where tooth decay was a thing of the past, without having to resort to extreme levels of brushing and flossing. We’re close to that point. A new molecule has been discovered that kills the bacteria responsible for causing tooth decay. This could potentially be added to chewing gum, candy, anything really. Human trials are starting soon, and under a best-case scenario, this could be on the market in a little more than a year.

Exxon CEO acknowledges global warming link

Rex Tillerson, the CEO of ExxonMobil, acknowledged that burning fossil fuels is warming the planet, but says we’ll be able to adapt. While I agree with that statement, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to have to adapt to a changing and warming planet, I like Earth the way it is now! We currently have the technologies needed to enormously decrease CO2 emissions and decrease global warming. We do not need to depend on adapting to a changing environment, we can instead prevent it from changing in the first place!

I do agree with much or most of what Tillerson goes on to say, about how the public is illiterate in science and math, and the press is lazy. I just disagree about the idea that depending on adaptation to a warming planet is an acceptable path to follow. I live in Colorado, where we are ‘adapting’ to what climate scientists have been predicting – erratic precipitation amounts, warmer temperatures, which right now means I’m living in the path of the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history. Yes, we can adapt, but I’d prefer a Colorado with a more stable climate, please!

Asteroid detection

Our species is so incredibly vulnerable to, and unprepared for, asteroid impacts. While our ability to divert them is certainly lacking, what’s worse is our inability to reliably detect asteroids in time to possibly devise a means of deflecting or destroying them before they hit this planet. Most recently, a 500m wide asteroid was detected a mere four days before it zoomed past our planet. It wasn’t going to hit us, but was close enough to be of concern, but we never saw it coming. Efforts are being made to improve asteroid detection, but considering the damage that they can and, historically, HAVE done to this planet, I fear we’re not doing as much as we should (and could).

June 25, 2012

Self-watering earthenware planter

The idea behind self-watering planters is pretty simple – they’re basically pots that hold extra water, designed to provide water as needed to the plants without drowning their roots. Usually, however, they’re made from cheap plastic, or else are DIY adaptions of ceramic pots. Here’s a cool one though from from designer Joey Roth, made from unglazed earthenware. The center column holds the water, and since the pot is porous, water can seep out as needed into the surrounding soil. Simple, eco-friendly, and looks great too. Available for $45 preorder at this website. Apart from decorative purposes, one great use for this would be as a small herb garden!

(via CoolHunting)

June 22, 2012

Peak coal – costs are rising

Coal has long been considered ‘cheap electricity’…nothing could really compete with it, cost-wise. While that still may be the case, we’re really, really close to the point of ‘peak coal’, where supply cannot meet demand. More specifically though, it’s a problem of ‘cheap’ supply. There’s still a lot of coal out there, but it’s far away from the population centers that need it. It’s gotten bad enough that the idea of shipping coal from the US to China is even being taken seriously. That transportation cost adds to the cost of the coal, so much so that in some places, like India, investments strategies are shifting from coal to wind and solar energy projects. Transportation costs, fueled by oil, will only rise as we near Peak Oil as well. The US will have no choice but to follow this shift away from coal, the question is, though I fear that shift will happen too late to prevent significant global warming.

Read more over at Bloomberg.com if you’re interested.

June 21, 2012