James Miller

 

Monday, October 30, 2006

Hysterical Reactions

 

My Physics teacher at Minchenden Grammar School in the eatly sixties would be incensed at all the hysterical and unscientific reactions that have been given to Professor Stern's report.

Whatever governments do and they will probably do nothing of significance, it will be the derided engineers and scientists, who get us out of this mess. Mr. Booth would have approved.

Consider :-

1. 15% of all industrial energy is used in drying. Look at how James Dyson has solved the hand dryer problem in a novel way. A school friend who is now a lecturer at Hertfordshire University knows how these technologies can be harnessed to the good of everyone.

2. The amount of full sunlight falling on a square metre can produce enough electricity to power a one-bar fire. As semiconductors improve dramatically, who is to say that India and Africa will not get much of their power this way.

3. Vehicles and trains are lard butts. Look at aircraft which are lighter, stronger and last much longer. A substantial amount of weight and consequent fuel could be saved. But vehicles just get heavier and more useless.

4. The Internet will be a key factor, meaning that many will cut out travel. It just needs bosses to stop feeling that the number of people they can see outside their office is important.

There are many other areas, where with good design and a little bit of good scientific thinking we can go a long way to saving the planet.

The trouble is we're not producing those innovative scientists. Everybody wants to be in the media.

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