Ta for the Monbiot links, most interesting. I'm especially intrigued by the bit about how many yearsworth of photosynthesis get burned up each day. Thinking of all those molecular bonds and how long it took to trap the sunlight really brought home how all the energy we as a species expend, must come ultimately from the sun.
It got me wondering about possible methods of generating substrate for fuel cells using microbes or nanotech or whatever, and a bit of looking about the internet showed that it's a long way off, with no-one seeming to be looking beyond the opportunity to make a fast buck. It seems fuel cells, bio-diesel, biomass pellets, electric microbes, even chocolate eating, ethanol producing bacteria are all areas of growing investment.
But I'd still like to have some optimism. Maybe attempts to get people to share information will result in lots of different way to make small amounts of sustainable energy, which, when coupled with reduced energy demand, via better design, could result in humans finding one of those safe ports before the ship sinks?
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