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Raymond Jepson |
4.0 / 5
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I just finished the book Smelling Land. I strongly suggest it for anyone with an interest in energy and public policy. The author, David Sanborn Scott, covers all of the hot topics today: global warming, the end of oil, nuclear power and the way forward.
Let's start at the beginning, the core reason to discuss this subject is catastrophic climate change. The author briefly goes over the well known evidence: CO2 levels are at the highest for thousands of years, climate models, ice core samples, recent climate trends, etc. However, he adds another element that I've only rarely heard. The concept of meta-stability. This is vital for understanding why humanity hasn't faced a greater climate change yet. Our planet can absorb the atmospheric addition of CO2, but only to a point. After that point, the climate will change to find a new stability. The only problem is, we don't know what that will be.
The most damning part of this book is the myth-busting. The author holds no bars as dismantles our fears of the end of oil. One dramatic diagram shows how humanity has never projected more than a 40 year supply of oil. The diagram goes back 100 years though! Another myth popped is nuclear energy. There is much to fear in an invisible force that has the power to mutate our very DNA. However, there are many baseless fears that are now accepted. Things like the danger of terrorists with "nuclear material" stolen from reactors, the danger of another Chernobyl and the general fear that man can not control this nuclear energy. The author, while acknowledging realistic concerns, manages to show how minor they really are.
Lastly, Scott shows a possible answer. This is my favorite part of the book, because the press and popular media are very good at describing crisis, but horrible at prescribing solutions. The author shows how through the use of non-fossil sources can be used to solve all of our energy needs through hydrogen. These non-fossil sources are hydraulic, nuclear, wind and solar. The author argues that we should use reliable sources, like nuclear and hydraulic to supply our electricity needs. The unreliable (in other words, not necessarily there when you need it), solar and wind, should be used to generate hydrogen. The advantage is that hydrogen can be stored to produce electricity later, or can be transported. And by transportation, I mean in cars, buses, trains and planes, as well as pipelines.
The only bad part of this book is the needless interlude in the middle of the book. It was a completely self-indulgent chapter that distracted from the otherwise finely crafted argument of the author. I almost stopped reading the book it was so unreadable and boring. So my advice to others is, skip that chapter but keep reading! It's worth it!
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