Our Culture will Collapse by 2030. (146)

Summary

The article predicts a potential cultural collapse by 2030 due to environmental degradation and resource depletion, but suggests a remedy through the discovery of natural hydrogen and advances in hydrogen storage technology.

Abstract

The text warns of an impending collapse of civilization by 2030, citing a projected reduction in global population due to decreased birth rates, shortened life expectancy, and increased mortality from environmental disasters and disease. It highlights the urgent need to halt the escalation of Earth's average temperature by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and gas, and transitioning to clean energy sources. The author emphasizes the necessity of maintaining current energy consumption levels during this transition, despite the challenges faced by developed countries, including job shifts due to the decline of fossil fuel industries and the rise of AI and autonomous vehicles. These changes are expected to lead to increased social costs and decreased tax revenues. The article also mentions the prohibitive cost of switching to electric energy and the potential of small nuclear reactors as an alternative, despite concerns over fuel availability. A promising solution is presented with the discovery of a 200-year supply of natural hydrogen and a new material developed by Korean researchers that can store hydrogen at twice the density of its liquid form. This could facilitate a smoother transition to hydrogen-based energy for various applications, from transportation to heating systems.

Opinions

The author predicts a significant decline in the global population by 2098, attributed to environmental and health crises.
There is an urgent need to address the pollution of Earth's atmosphere to prevent a rise in average global temperatures above 3°C.
The current rate of fossil fuel consumption is unsustainable, and a shift to non-polluting renewable energy sources is imperative.
Developed countries are identified as the biggest polluters and will face significant challenges in transitioning their workforce away from fossil fuel industries.
The rise of AI and autonomous vehicles will lead to job displacement and increased unemployment in developed nations.
The cost of transitioning to renewable energy sources is estimated to be between $60 to$ 90 trillion, a sum that is currently unattainable.
The discovery of natural hydrogen and advancements in hydrogen storage technology offer a potential solution to the energy crisis.
The transition to hydrogen-based energy systems requires aggressive action to avoid the worst outcomes of environmental degradation.

Our Culture will Collapse by 2030. (146)

A ray of hope.

Accept the probability that as things are today, in 75 years, earth’s population will be 6 billion humans, down from 8 billion, due to reductions in birth rates, reduced longevity and deaths from famines, disasters and disease. Half of marine life will be extinct and most of the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn will no longer be suitable for agriculture or grazing due to a lack of rain and fresh water for irrigation. The other major reality is we must stop, or at least slow the pollution of Earth’s atmosphere to prevent our average temperature from rising above 3C degrees. We can’t go on consuming 108 million barrels of oil, 8 — 11 million metric tons of *coal and billions of Cu. ft. of *gas EVERY DAY. *(estimated)

We must replace the present sources of energy with non-polluting renewables e.g. solar, wind and thermal sources such as nuclear. Understand that our civilization must maintain our current energy level while changing over. While the developped countries use the most energy, they have also been the the biggest polluters. Their workers will undergo the greatest shift in manpower utilization as millions of jobs change from fossil fuel based industries. Knowledge base jobs will be reduced by AI, and driving jobs replaced by fully autonomous vehicles. Their unemployment rates will rise steadily year over year requiring their governments to spend increasing amounts on social costs while their tax revenues are diminished. “Natural” disasters will increase in ferocity and cover larger areas. The costs of restoration after events will devastate their budgets. Which brings me to the biggest problem we face, we don’t have enough money to go electric, even if all the homes and commercial structures put solar panels on their roof. Wind is a helpful addition, but limited and costly at a $1 million each, per tower. The newly developed small nuclear reactors which could be built in 4 — 5 years, if the licensing blockade could be streamlined, would cost $3 — $5 billion a piece for the thousands of them that we would need. I doubt there is even sufficient fuel. Replace all the trains, boats, planes, trucks and cars with EV’s, plus millions of boilers and furnaces, building thousands more charging stations and 1,000’s of additional miles of copper transmission lines, it will all cost upwards of $60 — $90, trillions that we don’t have.

There is a possible remedy, however. In 2023, we discovered 5.5 Trillion tons of pure natural hydrogen, in multiple locations of the world, that would be about a 200 year supply.

Korean researchers have created a material that stores hydrogen at double the density of its cryogenic liquid form. “Our innovative material represents a paradigm shift in the realm of hydrogen storage, offering a compelling alternative to traditional approaches,” — Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST),

Internal Combustion Engines, in cars and trucks, short — flight planes, boilers and furnaces can burn H with only minor modification. The newly discovered concentrated form will serve in the larger aircraft. Several small cities in England have tested H in their municipal distribution system with only minor retrofitting.

That’s a ray if hope, but we must embark on implementing a very aggressive plan of action if we are to mitigate the worst outcome.

Have a nice day. We