Earth 2100 by ABC
In 1990 those of us focused on sustainability knew 30% of the world’s human population was consuming 70% of the world’s resources. Today, 20 years later, another 30% of the world’s human population is starting to rapidly consume an additional 70% of the resources. That adds up to 140% and there is only 100% to go around!
What the film Earth 2100 says: is unless humanity shifts to the use of 100% “renewable resources” humanity will destroy the Earths beautiful, diverse, life filled biosphere long before the sun burns it up. The film says we/humanity must take action now to even have a chance of avoiding this disaster. When we use “only renewable resources” a carbon neutral cycle loop is created, which leaves the atmosphere as we found it, in other words atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), the most common of the green-house-gasses (GHG), stay more or less constant. The key is to, as soon as possible; stop the use of fossil fuels altogether. This is because when fossil fuels are burned GHG is added to the atmosphere and it stays there. In other words it travels as a one way street, with no return trip.
The continuing build up of atmospheric GHG creates the “greenhouse-effect” trapping the suns heat, which over time has lead to the massive climate changes that are just now starting to show themselves worldwide. Glaciers are melting in most parts of the world at a rapidly increasing rate and billions of people depend on rivers feed by these glacier systems for their food production and drinking water.
Scientists in the film also say, the Colorado River, fed by annual snow melt coming from the Colorado mountains, will see river levels drop by 2020 (just 10 years from now) to a point where Lake Mead, the largest source of drinking water for the city of Los Vegas and communities south, which includes Phoenix, may even go completely dry. How this affects the Verde Valley is; the Salt River Project (SRP), is already claiming the water rights of the Verde River, and remember Phoenix voters control the election of state judges. When Phoenix starts to run out of water from the Colorado, Phoenix will depend on the Verde River more and more.
Note: The name Salt River Project, refers to two separate entities: the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District and the Salt River Valley Water Users’ Association, a private company that serves as an electrical utility and water provider for the Phoenix metropolitan area and one of the primary public utility companies in Arizona.
In summary we need to reduce the use of fossil fuels in every way we can, which generates the one-way flow of GHG into the atmosphere and, at the same time, we need to take out of the atmosphere all of the excess GHG that we have placed there over the last 200 years! Again, if we stopped adding GHG that is only the first seemingly impossible step, the second seemingly impossible step is to take out of the atmosphere the 200 years of excess GHG that is currently up there, otherwise the current levels of global warming and disruptive climate change will continue destroying (unchecked) Earth’s biosphere.
Thinking globally and acting locally is the key; one community at a time, and all communities at the same time! “If every community would go truly green starting now,” we may have a chance to turn away from the current disruptive patterns and move towards restoring balance in Earth’s biosphere.
Sound impossible?…There is a way.
For example, take the new Bloom Energy Company: Please watch this video!
Built with patented solid oxide fuel cell technology, Bloom’s Energy Server™ is a new class of distributed power generator, producing clean, reliable, affordable electricity at the customer site.
Fuel cells are devices that convert fuel into electricity through a clean electro-chemical process rather than dirty combustion. They are like batteries except that they always run.
Bloom Energy fuel cell technology is different than legacy “hydrogen” fuel cells in four main ways:
1. Low cost materials; their cells use a common sand-like powder instead of precious metals like platinum or corrosive materials like acids.
2. High electrical efficiency; they can convert fuel into electricity at nearly twice the rate of some legacy technologies.
3. Fuel flexibility; Bloom Energy technology is capable of using either renewable fuels or fossil fuels.
4. Reversible; Bloom Energy technology is capable of both energy generation and storage. Each Bloom Energy Server provides 100kW of power, enough to meet the base-load needs of 100 average homes or a small office building (day and night), in roughly the footprint of a standard parking space. For more power simply add more energy servers.
By using clean burning bio-gas “a renewable resource” derived from green-waste and sewer sludge, to power Bloom Energy technology, (which offers the carbon neutral cycle loop) Bloom technology will power both urban communities and rural communities alike with all the electric power they will ever need 24/7, with no GHG build-up. Also notice, the electrical power will all be generated locally, which minimizes wasteful line losses.
Humanity is going to learn ….. the only way we will reverse global warming is to: “build or way out of it.” We built our way into it and we can “build our way out” and, it needs to happen right now!
Fast growing trees and food-forest-farming systems, which include; high volume algae production, will draw in carbon (in the form of CO2 as the primary food source) and, at the same time, provide massive quantities of green-waste to be turned into high quality “bio-gas,” a renewable resource, which in turn will continuously power technologies such as Bloom Energies fuel cells, which in turn generates electricity and hydrogen, (clean burning fuels) that can power whole communities!
There are lots of other wonderful green technologies already developed and more on the way every day, the key is for us to pull together and call for their use right here in our own communities. With strong local citizens support our local governments will be happy to support all good ideas, the key is to first get educated, and then to offer our government officials the support they need to call for the Greening of America and the World, one community at a time. “Think Globally, Act Locally”
Joseph Smyth has been in the profession of architecture, planning and development for over 40 years. He is recognized internationally for his creative and comprehensive work in the fields of ecologically sustainable community planning, design and development, and has delivered papers in conferences on these subjects across the U.S. and around the World including in Europe, Australia, Africa, and South America. Joseph has been a resident in the Verde Valley for 15 years. 
Recent Comments