Eye of Modok

I’m surprised, yet not surprised that I missed this. Since October 18th, YouTube has been banned in China, joining the list of other staple sites enjoyed throughout the Western world that have been found to influence Chinese citizens in a manner deemed contrary to “supporting a harmonious society”.

Actually, I rarely use YouTube anymore, partially because I simply haven’t had the time nor inclination, but also because since it was bought up by Google, much of the content I was interested in has vanished. Of course, much of the content that I’m interested in is probably the kind of stuff most governments in the world would rather not have too many people see, but at least in the US, fringe-level conspiracy stuff (however factually-based it may be) is no threat due to the perceived lack of credibility of the sources, especially compared with the clout enjoyed by the media giants, who of course have all of our best interests in their hearts, as is easily discerned from their fair and un-biased coverage of the truly important things that matter. The governing forces (if not the government) are mostly content to let the “market” decide on whom to believe - pretty easy to manage when most of the media is controlled by the very same crooks/banking interests who took overt control of the government when they established the illegal Federal Reserve Bank.

So, it will be disappointing that I can’t use the YouTube servers to store my family videos anymore, but, alas, I’ll survive.

The InterAcademy Council has just released a new report, commissioned by the governments of Brazil and China, that indentifies a detailed scientific consensus framework for directing global energy development. The report, Lighting the way: Toward a sustainable energy future, lays out the science, technology and policy roadmap for developing energy resources to drive economic growth in both developed and developing countries, while also securing climate protection and global development goals.

From a briefing to the Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology, Sergio Machado Rezende, on Oct. 16 in Brasilia:

Lighting the way establishes the best practices for a global transition to a clean, affordable and sustainable energy supply in both developing and developed countries. The report addresses incentives that can accelerate the development of innovative solutions, provides recommendations for financial investments in research and development, and explores other transition pathways that can transform the landscape of energy supply and demand around the globe.

In addressing mitigation of the environmental impacts of energy generation and use, Lighting the way will inform global action on climate change, such as implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, agenda-setting for the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, and ongoing multinational talks on future global action to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Lighting the way also confronts the unequal access to energy experienced by the one-third of the world’s population without access to basic energy services, and makes recommendations for addressing this disparity as well as for promoting national and global energy security.

For those who are familiar with these issues, the approaches suggested are not necessarily earth shattering, but the fact that they are backed by solid scientific data, and that the report was sponsored by some of the highest ranking authorities in government and academia lends it some solid weight.

The report calls for action on three fronts:

Could Space Solar Power be a practical method of dealing with the huge worldwide energy demand in the future? A recently published report by a US government funded commission addresses exactly this question.

From the Forward of the report:

Preventing resource conflicts in the face of increasing global populations and demands in the 21st century is a high priority for the Department of Defense. All solution options to these challenges should be explored, including opportunities from space.

In March 2007, the National Security Space Office’s Advanced Concepts Office presented the idea of space?based solar power (SBSP) as a potential grand opportunity to address not only energy security, but environmental, economic, intellectual, and space security as well. First proposed in the late 1960’s, the concept was last explored in the NASA’s 1997 “Fresh Look” Study. In the decade since this last study, advances in technology and new challenges to security have warranted a current exploration of the strategic implications of SBSP. For these reasons, my office sponsored a no?cost Phase 0 Architecture Feasibility Study of SBSP during the Spring and Summer of 2007.

Unlike traditional contracted architecture studies, the attached report was compiled through an innovative and collaborative approach that relied heavily upon voluntary internet discussions by more than 170 academic, scientific, technical, legal, and business experts around the world. I applaud the high quality of work accomplished by the team leaders and all participants who contributed in the last six months. I encourage them to continue their work in earnest as they move beyond this interim report and seek to answer the question of whether SBSP can be developed and deployed within the first half of this century to provide affordable, clean, safe, reliable, sustainable and expandable energy for mankind.

This interim assessment contains significant initial findings and recommendations that should provide pause and consideration for national and international policy makers, business leaders, and citizens alike. It appears that technological challenges are closing rapidly and the business case for creating SBSP is improving with each passing year. Still absent, however, is an appropriate catalyst to stimulate the various interested parties toward actually developing a SBSP capability. I encourage all to read this report and consider the opportunities that SBSP presents as part of a national and international debate for action on how best to preserve security for all.

As is often the case, the comments section is more interesting than the actual post. The poster “Coyote” gives great responses to most of those who challenge the feasibility of the project or espouse alternative technologies.

However things shape up, it will be interesting to keep tabs on the developments.