If we look at some of the changes in just the past 5 years, we would find that Solar panel efficiencies have already seen substantial increases. Windmills that deliver renewable energy have also shown great increases in their individual deliverable electric power.

To go back to the 1960’s, we then needed electronic components that would fit in our then smaller rockets than the Russians had, since they had already converted their military space hardware for civilian space use. They were able to get away with bulky power supplies and old vacuum tubes to run computers to guide their rockets into space, along with communications gear.

We did not have that option and had to develop the “microelectronic” technology, (which enabled us to develop the desktop computer, etc., which is now in virtually every home today), in order to perform those tasks. Some of us may remember failures upon failures. It seemed like our space program was doomed for failure, but you would never know it by looking at our space program today.

We Are Seeing Some Great Advances In Agriculture To Develop Ethanol

The initial step in the process of developing Ethanol was to use corn and convert the sugars into Ethanol. This process was quickly found to be extremely inefficient and costly, using far more fossil fuels to produce than the final product would deliver. At the same time, here in the U.S., many Universities are conducting experiments with other materials, such as “Switch Grass”, which when processed, has been found initially to deliver much higher crop of Ethanol for the amount of land used.

Experiments are ongoing to see the possibility of using a portion of the switch grass for feedstock and the rest for Ethanol production. It is hoped to create a large savings by not having to plant soybean in such a large acreage and earmark this land for future Switch Grass planting. Of course, there is still the process of converting the Switch Grass into Ethanol, which is still very costly, but much progress is being made and it is estimated that the cost will eventually be brought down far below the corn conversion process along with releasing vast acreage of land for human related crops.

What About Solar, Wind And Geothermal Renewable Power Sources?

One thing that is known for sure, i.e., the Renewable Energy industry is really geared up to lower the use of fossil fuels and is growing at an unprecedented pace. In the process, it is pushing the envelope of the technologies involved, i.e., Solar energy in all categories, Windmill energy, Geothermal, etc.

We can only hope that congress here in the U.S. works together to continue the pace. We can be assured that new technologies will evolve from these efforts and will quickly lead to the weaning of our world from the yoke of polluting energy sources. The world, we are told by top ecology experts must reverse both Global pollution and Global warming in order for this world to survive much longer into the future.

Global warming seems by some to be only a passing phenomenon. To others, it’s a well established fact. Even a few years ago, there was very little talk about this ecological dilemma. It is now seen on much of the almost daily news, in major magazines, along with the “man on the street” conservation of the day and has also been made into a movie to promote the cause and to convince the world. Of course, anyone can just stroll through one of our larger industry laden cities here in the U.S. and sometimes cut the smog with a knife. It is not as though we are not dealing with the problem, but as we manage to cut 1 or 2 percent of the previous year’s pollution level, the same city increases its industrial pollution output by 2 or 3 percent more, thus negating the efforts in those areas. Because we are a nation of easy living and comfort where many of our chores are more and more being automated for us and with it requiring a greater expenditure of energy, it seems like a never ending battle.

What about the automotive industry ?

We must all admit one thing to be a fact, the automobile for the past 100 years has dominated the american means of transportation. It has slowly increased energy consumption from the beginning to where it must now be dealt with very seriously, lowering the amount of fuel used per mile for each car on the road. We are now mixing ethanol with our present gasoline in the present amount of about 10 %, but this is certainly going to increase in the near future. This will help decrease our present oil imports, but will it help reverse the thermal increase of our exosphere , built up over the many past decades ?

There Is One Thing All Of Mankind Cannot Deny…

In the last 100 years or so, we have certainly produced more heat per day from our daily needs than at any other time in the previous history of mankind. Today, it has been calculated that our total daily consumption of energy is approximately 95 quadrillion BTU. Since the approximate weight of the earth’s total atmosphere is close to 5 quadrillion metric tons, does it take a rocket scientist to extrapolate over time the effects this could have on the total change in temperature accrued since the time of the great industrial revolution ?

Does anyone have an idea for its reversal ?

Scientists are confident that we…the world can find a working solution and that the continued increase of late in the use of Solar, Wind, Geothermal, etc., renewable energy sources will both help reverse the accrued increase in global temperature along with a corresponding lowering in the global pollution levels, which are due to the byproducts released in the production of daily energy needs. There is one absolute truth about this dilemma, i.e.,…we all have to work together to help make it normal again and not wait until a time of convenience, or there may not be any more time…then.

Is Global Pollution The Real Issue?

In the past few years, we have been told by our government and some medical experts alike, that many of the fish in our oceans and especially in our lakes and streams contain very high levels of mercury and CFL pollutants and that we should refrain from eating fish more than 2 or 3 times a week, especially those of us who might be pregnant or are planning to have children and that some species of fish such as swordfish, even less frequently. Knowing one thing, that we all have been taught for many years that, fish in general, contains very large quantities of Omega 3 oils which many expert nutritionists agree are a must in the human diet for optimal body function. Some parents decades ago made sure that their young children were given ” cod liver oil “and ate fish for this simple purpose, as their pediatricians would generally recommend. This does not require any advanced “rocket science”as it does to research whether global warming is real or not. Pollution is also inherent within all of our soils and the air we breath. It should have by now become “simple” common sense that if we let the pollution of our world continue…we will not be around to see the results of this “inconvenient truth”.

Then What Should “The World” Do?

First, we must deal with the “root” of the issue,i.e., the basic cause of pollution, in general. Promote and fund the use of only Renewable sources of energy and cut back on the continued large scale use of fossil fuel sources, such as oil and coal. Unless we all work toward using less energy in the normal processes in living and performing all of our chores and in the manufacturing of products useful in our lives, we will quickly see the deterioration of human as well as other species upon this planet. One might then ask ? What can the individual do ? A simple thing like replacing a light bulb from incandescent to CFL, thus decreasing the energy use by a factor of four for that one light bulb will certainly begin the long climb back to a more unpolluted society. Of course, it will require a “Global” effort and not just the dedicated action of a single nation or continent.