The Climatic View

It is commonly believed, though not by all, that the Earth is warming up [e.g. increased glacial melt]. Whether this is due to a natural process or humankind's actions is an area for debate. What is more difficult to deny is the increasing level of CO2. The CO2 records show a dramatic increase in the last two hundred years or so after many hundreds of years of repeated cycles about a comparatively level value. This would imply the Earth's normal mechanisms for the sequestration of CO2 are not coping.

Increased CO2 has to lead to increased atmospheric temperatures which subsequently lead to a more energetic atmosphere and sea level rise (due to expansion, independently of increased rainfall and glacial melt).

The debate over human-kind's effect demonstrates how little we can predict the effect of such immense changes on our planet. With humankind having developed significantly through the climatically stable period of Earth's recent history, it is prudent that we attempt to re-establish that seemingly developmentally conducive state.

The necessary actions would therefore seem to be to:

• Reduce human-kind's CO2 emissions to give the Earth its best chance to recover the situation,
• Extract energy from the atmosphere, by reducing the amount of solar radiation converted to frequencies that are "trapped" by CO2 and capturing some energy from the wind,
• Using desalinated sea water for irrigation, drinking water and other purposes,
• Increase the area of the Earth that is growing plants for food, to extract CO2 without returning it upon de-composition.

Unsurprisingly, the Hydrogen Economy would address all of these points of action:

Humankind's CO2 emissions

Human-kind's CO2 emissions are a result of industrial activity and many forms of transport. Reduction of the  level of these emissions would be achieved by increasing the use of H2 as: a reducing agent, instead of coal products for example; a constituent of artificial fertilisers; a direct fuel for transport vehicles; an energy carrier for the generation of electricity.

Extraction of atmospheric energy

The wide-spread use of solar panels (photovoltaic, photochemical and photothermal) and wind-turbine based electricity generators would only capture a tiny percentage of the energy in the atmosphere. However, together they can provide much useful renewable energy and help, albeit in a small way, to offset the increased energy level of the atmosphere, by both reducing the amount of energy put into the atmosphere as well as taking some out.

As such resources are available to every part of the Earth's surface (albeit in varying amounts), the prolific use of these energy generation technologies could ensure every nation can take advantage. Nevertheless, it is likely that co-operation between neighbouring nations may well be mutually beneficial.

Use of sea-water

As sea levels rise, it seems pragmatic to try and take advantage of the change, as well as try and reverse or slow it.

Combining this desire with the technologies to extract energy from the atmosphere, areas on the main oceanic coasts, or those on coasts of seas with significant circulation with the main oceans can take-in sea-water, de-salinate it and pump it inland for irrigation and animal and human consumption. [de-salination of water from inland or predominantly locally circulating seas may detrimentally increase salinity levels.]

De-salination requires a huge amount of power, but with use of inland deserts for "solar-farms" and coastal or inland mountain ranges for wind-farms, a symbiotic relationship can be formed to not only improve the lives of the peoples in those areas but help to mitigate climatic change at the same time.

Increasing plant-growth

The sequestration of CO2 is one means to reduce CO2 emissions. However, we will struggle to meet the efficiency and power of Earth's processes. Therefore, I'd suggest we let nature do what it does and let it grow plants. We can of course then take advantage of this relationship by planting foodstuffs. This has the additional advantage that the amount of plant material left to decompose is less than was grown, resulting in a net reduction in CO2, which is captured by the plants during their growth. [This is best combined with the cessation of existing wild plant area destruction.]

Combining this activity with the processes described above results in a renewable and sustainable cycle that not only supports human activity, survival and growth but does so in a way that reverses some of the detrimental results of increased CO2 in the atmosphere. This cycle is described in the section "The Humanity View".