[Shutsanonofre] Fusion reactors: Not what they’re cracked up to be

Sat Dec 17 18:30:00 EST 2022

I think we need to legislate the GHG reducing measures that are described I the attached file. 

Likewise, for other categories of GHG emissions. My focus is cars. 

My idea for legislation is in the CADEM Platform, highlighted in red:

>From the 2020 California Democratic Party (CDP) Platform

*	Work to ensure that all graduating high school students are climate literate, including knowing

*	reasons for anthropogenic climate change and its potential for harm
*	the difference between climate stabilization and destabilization
*	climate-stabilizing greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets

*	the basis for those targets, and 
*	the measures needed to achieve them; and

*	the primary categories of emissions, including the most problematic category: cars and light-duty trucks 

*	Demand a state plan specifying how cars and light-duty trucks can meet climate-stabilizing targets by defining enforceable measures to achieve necessary fleet efficiency and per-capita driving limits

*	Demand Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) driving-reduction targets, shown by science to support climate stabilization
*	Work for equitable and environmentally-sound road and parking operations; smart growth; “complete streets”; teaching bicycling traffic skills; and improving transit, from local systems to high-speed rail 
*	Support the design and implementation of a single, environmentally-sound technology system that will collect and distribute fees for the use of roads, parking, and transit that is both economically fair and convenient and protects user privacy and the interests of low-income users 
*	Work for the electrification of all trucking and transit systems
*	Work to ensure that freeway expansion projects are subordinate to more sustainable alternatives that will result in more jobs and growth.

From: Michael Gordon <mlgordon3 at gmail.com> 
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2022 6:25 PM
To: mike_bullock at earthlink.net
Cc: Alice McNally <alimcnally8 at gmail.com>; Ray Lutz <raylutz at citizensoversight.org>; shutsanonofre at citizensoversight.org
Subject: Re: [Shutsanonofre] Fusion reactors: Not what they’re cracked up to be

If we have eight years to do something dramatic on climate I believe there needs to be a concerted full court press to defang the oil lobby. That also implies doing away with oil company subsidies. That also implies confronting campaign finance reform among other things.

If we did a root cause analysis - even a simple ‘5 Whys’ activity I bet it would reinforce above.

Whoops. Forgot we have republicans in office. Get your Arakis gear ready!

Michael 

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 15, 2022, at 6:17 PM, mike_bullock at earthlink.net <mailto:mike_bullock at earthlink.net>  wrote:

Human survival requires that we avoid climate destabilization. Our first-occurring climate-stabilization requirement is for 2030. We must achieve a specified reduction in our emissions by the end of 2030. We should have a plan to achieve that reduction and we should be executing that plan.

Since fusion will not help us by 2030, it is another dangerous distraction. One might think that since our survival hangs in the balance, we would be interested in the details. 

We seem to be interested in the distractions.

Quotes from the Secretary General of the UN:

1.	We have a Code Red Climate Emergency
2.	We are solidly on a path to an unlivable planet
3.	We are driving towards Climate Hell with our foot on the accelerator
4.	We are dangerously close to the point of no return

From: Shutsanonofre <shutsanonofre-bounces at citizensoversight.org <mailto:shutsanonofre-bounces at citizensoversight.org> > On Behalf Of Alice McNally
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2022 10:31 AM
To: Ray Lutz <raylutz at citizensoversight.org <mailto:raylutz at citizensoversight.org> >
Cc: shutsanonofre at citizensoversight.org <mailto:shutsanonofre at citizensoversight.org> 
Subject: Re: [Shutsanonofre] Fusion reactors: Not what they’re cracked up to be

Thanks Ray,

We would all love to see Clean, unlimited energy, but as the saying goes, “Fusion will always be 20 years away and will always be”.

Here is another article from Nirs of interest. https://www.nirs.org/one-small-step-for-nuclear-fusion-no-giant-leap-for-climate-action/?eType=EmailBlastContent <https://www.nirs.org/one-small-step-for-nuclear-fusion-no-giant-leap-for-climate-action/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=0bd31f12-8c1f-4776-8d2e-0603ab1049cc> &eId=0bd31f12-8c1f-4776-8d2e-0603ab1049cc

A

On Dec 14, 2022, at 7:33 PM, Ray Lutz <raylutz at citizensoversight.org <mailto:raylutz at citizensoversight.org> > wrote:

Fusion reactors: Not what they’re cracked up to be

https://thebulletin.org/2017/04/fusion-reactors-not-what-theyre-cracked-up-to-be

This is an article from about 5 years ago, but it is good to keep these concerns in mind.

The recent news about the "breakthrough" where a net positive power output was achieved is far from being a reality or "sustainable". It was only for a brief billionth of a second, and there is a lot of fudging to make it seem that this would produce a net power output. Plus, there are many problems. 

I'm not against working on this, but it is still pie in the sky. We should work harder and not divert funding from renewable power sources, that reduce the net heat in the environment, whereas these power plants, if we have them, would still have the problem that they are adding a lot of energy to our environment. So then, a great amount of this power would need to be used to cool the planet. In contrast, solar and wind removes energy from the environment.

Also, these power sources suffer from the same issues as nuclear fission plants. They are very complex, big projects that do not fit well within our free-market optimization system. Solar panels are small and relatively easy to mass produce, and they are being improved all the time through this competition. Meanwhile, we have the same nuclear power plant designs that have known big problems that are not corrected because it costs too much to do so.

Thus, this seems like a cheeseless rathole to me.

--Ray

-- 
-------
Ray Lutz
Citizens' Oversight Projects (COPs)
http://www.citizensoversight.org <http://www.citizensoversight.org/> 
619-820-5321

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