New technology seems the most likely way to better use renewable resources. Some of the new technologies being pursued now should be considered. Some of the most prominent technologies include hydrogen-powered vehicles, desalination of water, and nuclear fusion. Advances in these fields hope to go a long way in solving the resource crisis.
Hydrogen-powered vehicles are not a new idea. Because hydrogen burns so cleanly, producing only water as an emission, it has long been considered to be an ideal fuel. The first hydrogen fuel cell was invented in 1839, over 170 years ago (Wise). Since this technology has been around for so long and since hydrogen is so clean, then why has it not yet stepped up to take the place of petroleum as the main fuel source for transportation? To be frank, hydrogen has several problems. Because hydrogen is not actually a fuel itself but a way to store and transport energy, it takes energy to make it. The two most widely used methods of hydrogen production are steam reformation and electrolysis. Steam reformation uses heat and pressure to separate methane into hydrogen and carbon dioxide. This process uses a fossil fuel to create the hydrogen and produces CO2. Electrolysis separates hydrogen from oxygen by passing an electric current through water. This process is clean at the point of production, but requires electricity which must be generated at some point and usually with fossil fuels. (Wise)
Because hydrogen usually requires the use of fossil fuels somewhere in its production, it is cannot be a replacement of these resources, but there are some benefits to using hydrogen. Because CO2 yielded in hydrogen production is all released at a single location it is easier to capture and store. This ability to store CO2 is a crucial part of switching to hydrogen because currently transportation in the U.S. consumes more than 40% of all fuel used in the country and produces about one third of all CO2 emissions globally ("2008 Report"). Also, with further research into renewable resources such as wind and solar energy, hydrogen production could very possibly be made with almost no carbon emissions ("2008 Report").
While the reliance on fossil fuels and their decreasing supply is a great concern for sustainability, the supply of clean water is also a major concern for many areas today and will be for future generations. Today, about one third of the world's population lacks adequate water for agriculture and economic development ("Clean"). Because of this severe shortage, over one billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2 billion people do not have adequate sanitation. Around 6,000 children die daily from diseases carried in their dirty water or caused by lack of water ("Clean"). There are many organizations trying to solve this water crisis, but some new technologies are needed to assist in this.
One such technology is ready and available now. Through a process called desalination, salt is removed from sea water to produce clean, drinkable water. This desirable result is obtained using a few different processes including reverse osmosis, thermal distillation, electrodialysis, and vacuum distillation (Ayhan). There are many desalination plants all over the world with the majority being in the Far East where clean water supply is very limited. There is at least on desalination plant in every state of the U.S., but desalination makes up only about 0.01% of the nation's potable water supply ("2008 Report"). This process, while very helpful, has not yet reached its full potential. The process currently requires a lot of energy, but there are many studies looking for better, more efficient way of taking the salt out of seawater. It is also possible to supply the power need through renewable resources such as solar or wind generation which makes the process more environmentally friendly ("2008 Report").
The final technology that will hopefully ultimately lead to sustainability over the next century is nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion involves the joining of two atoms of hydrogen which produces helium and massive amounts of energy. Fusion cannot yet be used as a commercial power source because there has been no way found to contain the enormous amounts energy it produces. It is believed that, once started, a fusion reaction will be self sustaining and only require the addition of fuel ("Nuclear"). This means that theses massive amounts of energy can be produced using a "limitless" resources ("2008 Report"). Another positive result of fusion is that the radiation that is produced as waste from the reaction lasts less than one hundred years ("2008 Report"). This is a big step forward from fission, whose wastes can last hundreds of thousands of years.
How sustainable the rest of humanity's time on earth is will probably be heavily impacted by the implementation of renewable energy into everyday life. Ways must be found to provide energy to a growing population with a limited and quickly depleting supply of fossil fuels. Also, in order to support all of these people, clean water must be conserved and reused or made more plentiful. These goals may be possible to meet with the technologies earlier mentioned. Hydrogen is a clean burning fuel that can be used for transportation, and water desalination could provide clean, drinkable water for much of the world's population, but both of these technologies might depend on nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion would be able to replace fossil fuels for almost all needs of energy supply. It's almost limitless supply and incredible ability to produce energy could be the key to sustainability.
Thomas Moore
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Israel Dunmade
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