Those are certainly post-apocalyptic possibilities that would trigger a late-night insomniac’s nightmare, but I wouldn’t be building a bomb shelter and hoarding Aqufafina just yet. There are options. It’s not like the earth is going to dry up, but it may cause a shift in demographics. And we’ve already seen major impacts. Mass desalination is already a thing in some parts of the world, though it’s not free, and does require a significant investment in infrastructure. We’d just have to ensure that the most vulnerable populations have access to the critical services they need most…which ain’t exactly our strong suit.
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I’m kinda curious how that would work.
There are a number of companies in the space, but here is an overview.
It takes a lot of electricity, so it isn’t “efficient” in the sense that charging a battery for an EV would do more work, but it delivers zero sulphur fuel. At least one process uses only air and electricity, getting water vapor from the air. In the more distant future, I can see vintage racing and similar, but the aviation industry is already investing and American Airlines has already signed a contract with a provider. They need FAA approval, though.
Our the earth cooks us all to death before it becomes a dire situation.
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It’s possible to build enough PV and battery to do it. Add in hydro, wind, geothermal and SMRs and we could achieve “superabundance” of electricity. Iceland is a leader in aluminum smelting not because they’re convenient or a major depository of bauxite, but because electricity there is almost free.
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Ah…synthetic fuels. I know there is a lot going on in those spaces. I read “gasoline from air” and was thinking “just how much petroleum do you think there is in air”?
Direct carbon capture from air has always been a challenge too, but there are technologies progressing on that, essentially using salt water as a sink for direct air capture.
And hydrogen as a fuel is a big push.
Lots happening on the renewable fuels front.
Am I taking it too far to say that cold fusion would be the most significant technological advancement possible at this point?
Climate change and water availability are inextricably linked. The major issue with rising temperatures is not the rise in temperature, per se, it’s the change in the amount of fresh water required, and its redistribution, if that makes sense.
I’m no expert, but cheap and efficient batteries would also be a game changer.
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It would certainly be a game changer, though there is no shortage of heat on the earth that would make electricity virtually “free”. Like anything, it comes down to infrastrucuture how much you want to pay in taxes.
I really think so. Fusion is the energy of the future, and always will be.
Technological breakthroughs aren’t necessary at this point. Solar + battery is already the cheapest new capacity to build. It is cheaper to build solar + battery than to operate many existing FF plants. It’s simply a matter of scale. Better batteries are a big deal too, cheaper for grid scale storage and lighter for everything else. Battery electric planes are viable at 300 or so WH / Kg. At a KWH/Kg, virtually any application including intercontinental travel will be cheaper with electric.
Electric is just a better, more efficient way to move things. Period.
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Modern ICE engines are superb but can’t beat 95% efficiency and maximum torque at any RPM. There’s a reason why diesel-electric tranes are hybrids, the electric motor is just that much better.
The biggest issue is how water rights are managed…or not, as is usually the case.
The poster child for this is the almond agricultural complex in California, where farmers can have as much free water from the aquifer that they can reach by drilling directly down from their property. They use this free water as a means to undercut the world for the cost of almonds, and hence have cornered nearly 100% of the global market.
Every refinery, petrochemical or nuculer plant is located next to a water source; typically a good-sized river. They use the water for various versions of “FOC”, while routinely polluting the water for the rest of us. Industrial works of all kinds spew billions of tons of shit into the air we breath, and screamed to all ends of the earth when asked simply to measure how much of that shit was carbon.
Until businesses are required to pay for the resources they use and the resources they damage, we will continue to deplete or destroy our precious worldly fluids all in the name of CEOs’ bonuses, politicians’ campaign donations and judges’ private jet vacations.
End of rant.
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I don’t know what everyone’s water bill looks like, but it’s not entirely accurate to say industry doesn’t pay for water usage, and it’s certainly inaccurate to suggest they don’t pay when they damage resources.
Electricity generation accounts for about 50% of all water usage, and all other industrial activity combined are about 5% (which is sort of in the name of charging your Tesla and the latest Apple gadget). But the amount of industrial water usage has steadily declined by about 25% over the last 10 years, mainly due to reductions of usage in electricity generation.
I’m not saying that it’s entirely free, but when a single patty of beef requires 660 gallons of water to come into being, and McD’s then cook it, put it in a bun with some lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup and mustard, wrap it in custom packaging and sell it for 99¢, it’s fair to say that someone isn’t paying the same rate for their water as you and I.
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I use this logic all the time to defend the price of gasoline. If you knew how many hours of labor and the sheer infrastructure and capital investment it took for that gallon to go from fluid in a rock 10,000 ft below the ocean floor to your car’s tank, you’d be shocked it was only $3.
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Bananas from central America, picked last week, in your shopping cart for 60 cents per pound.
Yeah, but they won’t be ripe until next week. Don’t get me started on the fact that if I want to eat a banana I have to plan two weeks in advance. At least if I want a burger I can get it the same day.
And yes, I know bananas are not the point of any of this, it just pisses me off. I like bananas, dammit!
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I haven’t see anyone ask “if we don’t have water, how do we make our food?” question yet.
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