Living Green and how do we get there
I’m currently reading book written by Bill Gates titled How to Avoid a Climate Disaster. I chose this book because I hope to start an environmental non profit one day. The main point of the book is three things:
- We need to get to zero carbon emissions
- It will not be easy to get there
- That doesn’t mean it isn’t impossible
A good portion of the book highlights the means of energy alternatives that do not produce carbon. In this post I will talk about one of them.
- Nuclear Fusion
This is perhaps the most interesting technology we have. Nuclear fusion is combining protons and neutrons to create a different element. This is a nearly ungodly phenomenon. You might be able to see the product of this process if you look up at the sky to see the sun. This happens when you heat up particles and put them under pressure to extreme stages. A byproduct is a lot of energy that can be used to power our everday lives. The problem this source of energy is facing is stigmatization. People fear it because they think of disasters that have happened like Chernobyl. What I like about the book is the perspective it brings. Gates says fearing this promising technology would be like not buying a car because you can get into an accident. Things must be done to better the tech to avoid disasters. The first cars didn’t have seatbelts, airbag, or lights. Now they are much safer through trial and error and not giving up on it.
