We Have Lift-Off: A History of Space-Based Solar Power

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A concept for a space-based solar power satellite. Image © Mafic Studio, Inc.

“It’s amazing when you think of it,” said Adell. His broad face had lines of weariness in it, and he stirred his drink slowly with a glass rod, watching the cubes of ice slur clumsily about. “All the energy we can possibly ever use for free. Enough energy, if we wanted to draw on it, to melt all Earth into a big drop of impure liquid iron, and still never miss the energy so used. All the energy we could ever use, forever and forever and forever.” So begins Isaac Asimov’s short story, “The Last Question” wherein humanity has mastered the power of the sun, putting online a one-mile Solar Station in orbit that beams sunpower down to Earth, solving all of Earth’s energy needs in one fell swoop. Science fiction was the true birthplace of space-based solar power, which found a home in the minds of science fiction writers like Asimov who used such technology liberally in their fiction.

It was not until a decade later that space-based solar power was first proposed as a legitimate scientific idea. First though, SBSP depended upon several key developments throughout the 20th century to even be considered conceptually.

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Global Warming and Wildlife in National Parks: A History of This Hot Topic

This entry was posted in Climate Change on by .
A grizzly bear gazes through vegetation in Yellowstone National Park. Photo courtesy of Madeline Hirshan.

A grizzly bear gazes through vegetation in Yellowstone National Park. Photo courtesy of Madeline Hirshan.

Climate change is a phenomenon that has been a long time in the making. The last ice age ended about 7,000 years ago. This spawned the beginning of the era of human civilization. In the past, changes in climate mostly occurred from variations in Earth’s orbit affecting how much solar energy reached Earth’s surface. More recent trends lean towards rapid changes in climate due to human induced warming. According to BBC News, the likely source of climate change occurred during the 18th century with the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Centuries of human population growth and discovery have led us to this troubling point. Investigations of “greenhouse gases” had begun as early as 1824 and research regarding their properties took place around 1861. The current state of the Earth’s climate can be attributed to numerous causes including the burning of fossil fuels which trap heat in the atmosphere and re-emit it back to the surface.

Although there are many ways in which humans have left a negative carbon footprint on this planet, many important decisions had been made in the past that have preserved the environment in some fashion. National parks were created to protect key areas from extreme human intervention. Yellowstone National Park was formed in 1872 and was placed under the control of the Secretary of the Interior. The Yellowstone Act states: “He [Secretary of the Interior] shall provide against the wanton destruction of the fish and game found within said park, and against the capture or destruction for the purposes of merchandise or profit.” The numbers of national parks have increased and continue to preserve diverse and immaculate landscapes and wildlife in addition to unique cultural and historical sites. The National Parks System of the United States currently has more than 400 locations represented in forty-nine states.

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Choking on Its Own Success: China’s Pollution

This entry was posted in Pollution and tagged , on by .

No country in history has ever risen as a major industrial power without also rising as a leader in environmental damage, leaving behind a slew of environmental chaos that can take far longer and far more wealth to remedy than its rise to power took.  The environmental damage caused by rapid industrialization of the world’s most populous nation, China – it had 1.351 billion people in 2012 – is so severe and far-reaching that its multifaceted repercussions are present not only domestically, but also internationally.  Continue reading →

Are animals in protected areas shielded from climate change?

This entry was posted in Climate Change and tagged , on by .
Bison scattered along the landscape of Yellowstone National Park. Photo courtesy of Madeline Hirshan.

Bison scattered along the landscape of Yellowstone National Park. Photo courtesy of Madeline Hirshan.

Climate change is a very current and pressing issue that is likely to have severe implications such as rising sea levels and increased extreme weather events. Humans are likely to be affected by these changes as will other animals that roam the Earth. Wildlife rely so heavily on the environment that is destined to be altered by impending climate change. They have specific needs for resources, such as food and shelter that only their environment can provide. Wildlife depend on certain temperature cues or ranges for normal life processes such as laying eggs and migrating. Global warming could possibly alter these “cues,” as well as present other challenges like changes in home ranges and mating patterns, and forest depletion due to heat stresses. Scientists are working to uncover how wildlife are responding to these environmental changes in current warming, as well as making projections about effects of increased future warming.

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The Dollars-and-Cents of Going Green

This entry was posted in Social Issues on by .

 

Photo Courtesy of Theregeneration. Solar Panels can be added to individual homes and help to significantly decrease household electricity costs. Furthermore, homes with solar panels are now selling at 3.5 percent premiums.

Science tells us that the climate is changing. The atmosphere is warming, sea levels are rising, biodiversity is suffering, and extreme weather events are occurring harsher and more frequently than ever before. Are these changes relevant to the everyday lives of the typical American household? In terms of the sustainability and the well-being of our planet and its future generations, it is without a doubt relevant, experts argue. But for many people, despite being aware of climate change, knowing about carbon emissions, and its impacts on landscapes and wildlife, there is not enough incentive to take action on environmental issues. The devastating impacts of anthropogenic climate change seem very far away. And yet, as Mindy Lubber of Forbes states, “The societal costs of inaction on the climate are immense, and the risks are rising just as surely as the seas.”

What will it take for people to stop being passive, albeit caring observers, and begin to be activists? How can people be shown that it is time for each and every individual to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint and begin to have a positive impact on the natural world? If rising sea levels, intensifying climatic events, dangers to air and water quality, and disappearance of biodiversity are not enough to incentivize people to take action, what will?

It is the dollars and cents that most people want to hear about. It is the actual, tangible, cost-benefit analyses that resonate most deeply with people who are genuinely concerned for the state of the planet, but have not yet had an incentive to turn their care into action. Brad Tuttle of Time Magazine notes that, “some people will adopt environmentally friendly practices because they want to do their part to save the earth. Others – many others – will hop on board once it’s demonstrated that doing so will save them money.”

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