1. Artificial Intelligence
Of all the stuff that the world has to look forward to, none is more promising or dangerous as AI. Pop culture has conditioned us to think AI is the first stage in the two-part process of human extinction. But it may not be so. AI simply may rescue us all.
Artificial intelligence is better at recognising cancer than human physicians. It can sequence DNA quicker than humans. It’s helped find chemicals for manufacturing new drugs. The potential advantages truly stretch across practically every sphere of human activity and can result in everything being simpler, quicker, and more efficient. Or it’ll turn on us and murder us all. We’ll see.
2. Mycelium
Star Trek: Discovery placed a lot of confidence into something called the mycelium network, a subspace fungal network linking the whole universe. It seems completely ridiculous but, of course, it’s based on the real world mycelium network that exists not in space but on Earth. And, as it happens, mycelium is really wonderful.
We already witness the advantages from fungus all the time; penicillin came to us owing to fungus. Also, many excellent cheeses and simply plain mushrooms we eat. But there’s a lot more that fungus can do with amazing ramifications. One of the major is as a construction material.
Today, concrete accounts for 8% of CO2 emissions. Mycelium bricks, manufactured from mycelium and agricultural waste like corn husks, are equally as sturdy and inherently fireproof. They also self-repair and create significantly less trash. Plus, they are biodegradable if you ever need to take a structure down.
3. Graphene
Graphene is an exceedingly basic substance. It’s pure carbon, with the atoms bound together in a hexagonal lattice.While it may not seem like much, the ramifications for what graphene may achieve for the planet are amazing. For instance, how about energy from thin air? Graphene membranes are able to filter hydrogen atoms and take away their electrons, creating electricity from ambient air. If this technology is perfected and scaled out, an electric automobile might power itself merely by running out in the open.
The filtering ability may be used to more than simply air. Graphene is able to filter water, both salt and freshwater, to generate clean drinking water. Water molecules flow through, but the graphene is able to trap contaminants and salt molecules, suggesting the possibility for broad clean drinking water throughout the globe is significantly greater.
4. Passive House Technology
Passive House, commonly known by the cooler German term PassivHaus, is a method used to the construction of buildings that offers several amazing advantages. It’s a manner of constructing a house to be energy efficient that is almost bafflingly successful. It may cut heating and cooling energy by up to 90%. Reduced energy prices clearly save you money as a homeowner, but in turn mean we require less energy overall, which decreases dependency on greenhouse gas-producing energy sources so it’s a net gain for the globe and everyone in it.
The primary disadvantage of Passive House tech, which has been available for quite a few years but still isn’t taking on successfully outside of areas like Germany, is that people simply don’t think it’s possible. Tell someone they can heat their house with no energy and they don’t buy it. But the procedure entails the utilisation of things like heat exchanges, triple glazed windows, and what they term “mega insulation.” It’s a process of creating a house from the ground up, rather than something you apply to an existing home, although improvements may be performed to particular structures.
A well designed Passive House doesn’t really need a heating system. A heat exchange for air and windows are able to meet practically all heating demands. A little heater may be utilised if the weather becomes too chilly. The outside or envelope of the structure, the windows, the insulation and the ventilation system must all fulfil strict criteria. When they do, the efficiency of the system is maximised, and it works, as has been proven out in thousands of houses constructed to the standard.
At 90% reduced energy use for heating and cooling, the Passive House idea might substantially cut energy consumption and waste creation if it was widely implemented.
5. Carbon Capture
You’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase “carbon footprint” at some time, generally in the context of lowering it. Your carbon footprint refers to the quantity of greenhouse gasses that we create with our regular activity. Reducing it will help preserve the globe, they claim, but let’s be honest. At a grassroots level is a wonderful notion, but large firms need to be the ones taking the lead since huge corporations are inflicting the most harm. It’s a little dishonest to expect the ordinary Joe to pick up the responsibility of rescuing the earth without the support of large polluters decreasing their footprints. Enter carbon capture technology.
Carbon capture works by collecting the carbon dioxide generated as industrial waste. It may also be plucked from the air. From there you have a couple of alternatives which are usage or storage. If storage is the intention, the CO2 is concentrated and then stored, often deep below in ancient aquifers or depleted oil and gas reserves. It makes sense in a manner as most of those reservoirs undoubtedly contributed to the formation of CO2 in the first place.
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