Comments on: Science fiction, or the future of clean energy – what is nuclear fusion?

By: Nuclear power faces uncertain future after Japan crisis — Transition Voice

Nuclear power faces uncertain future after Japan crisis — Transition Voice — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 04:08:52 +0000

[...] Under scrutiny, it doesn’t look like a particularly thought-through solution. At current rates of use we only have around 59 years of uranium left. Nuclear fusion would solve that problem, but that’s still in the realms of science fiction. [...]

By: Byron Smith

Byron Smith — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 17:27:59 +0000

Thanks – a very helpful intro to point people to.

By: Stefan Thiesen

Stefan Thiesen — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:20:47 +0000

Nuclear fusion won’t help to solve the underlying issue of economic growth and energy coupling. If we had limitless amounts of CO2-free energy and would follow through with a path of perpetual exponential economic growth, the Earth would at one point suffocate from our heat exhaust, the point being that ultimately economic growth and energy consumption remain coupled for physical reasons, no matter how efficient the technology becomes. The incentives in our economic system also do not encourage efficiency – on the contrary. Ultimately it is impossible to envision a sustainable economic system that is based upon the perpetual exponential growth requirement. Any efficiency or energy revolution then will only buy some time, postpone the collapse, but never solve the main problem.