Shortages are not in short supply these days, here in the USA: we have a shortage of credit, a shortage of jobs, a shortage of budget revenue, and a shortage of good will from around the world. But one thing not in shortage is advice for the incoming President.
It seems everyone is offering a "Memo to Barack Obama" promoting his or her favored cause.
Alright then, here is ours, in two parts.
Part One was posted previously, on November 21. It was titled "The Magnitude of Risk" and contained a seven step plan to confront global warming and climate change. First on the list was a targeted effort to develop molecular manufacturing, combined with an equally well funded and strongly emphasized effort to research and understand all the implications of the technology.
In today's Part Two of our Memo to Barack Obama, we have simplified the advice to three short sentences, following an introductory statement:
Dear Mr. President-Elect,
In addition to tackling the current economic crisis, managing two overseas wars, overhauling the broken health care system, and restoring confidence in the agencies and departments of the Executive, we urge you not to ignore the looming danger of climate change caused by global warming.
We know you have pledged to make this a top priority in your new administration and we trust you to do so. Amid the many challenges you will face, nothing is likely to have a more lasting effect on the citizens of the United States and their descendants, all the people of the world and their descendants, and indeed the Earth itself in all its beauty and the fragile balance of its ecosphere.
Action is required now. Not in 2015 or 2020, but immediately, starting on January 20, 2009. We believe the most crucial objectives can be summarized in three major points:
- Drastically reduce energy production from fossil fuels as quickly as possible
- Launch a crash program to develop clean and efficient alternative energy sources
- Get every major country in the world on board
Inaction could be fatal, literally, to many members of our species and to thousands of other entire species. We know you know that.
Fortunately, solutions are available. Both existing and emerging technologies can be brought to bear and make a huge impact on the problem. Our area of specialty—advanced nanotechnology—offers especially promising opportunities for greenhouse gas reduction, climate change mitigation, and sustainable energy generation.
We promise to support your efforts and those of other world leaders who are willing to take the tough stands and to do what's right even when it may not be easy or popular. We think you are that kind of leader and we ask you to reward our belief in your ability to take on this greatest of all challenges.
With sincere best regards,
Mike Treder
Executive Director
Center for Responsible Nanotechnology
Bonus for blog readers! Here is some news about a new (at least to me) source of energy that might be applied to point two above:
The new device, which has been inspired by the way fish swim, consists of a system of cylinders positioned horizontal to the water flow and attached to springs. As water flows past, the cylinder creates vortices, which push and pull the cylinder up and down. The mechanical energy in the vibrations is then converted into electricity. . .
The scientists behind the technology, which has been developed in research funded by the US government, say that generating power in this way would potentially cost only around 3.5p per kilowatt hour, compared to about 4.5p for wind energy and between 10p and 31p for solar power. They say the technology would require up to 50 times less ocean acreage than wave power generation. . .
Michael Bernitsas, a professor of naval architecture at the University of Michigan, said it was based on the changes in water speed that are caused when a current flows past an obstruction. Eddies or vortices, formed in the water flow, can move objects up and down or left and right.
"This is a totally new method of extracting energy from water flow," said Mr. Bernitsas. "If we could harness 0.1 per cent of the energy in the ocean, we could support the energy needs of 15 billion people. In the English Channel, for example, there is a very strong current, so you produce a lot of power."
IEET Blog