PBS's outstanding documentary series FRONTLINE aired a two-hour documentary on the issue of global climate change and particularly, the American political response.
You can watch the entire thing online now on the PBS site.
The show covers a multitude of angles, looking at the many ways in which energy, and by extension CO2 emissions, is produced in America; the auto industry and regulations affecting how American transportation runs; the rise of other global centers for emissions like China and India; the possibility of developing alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, or biofuels; and above everything else, the immense challenge of making any sort of forward progress on these issues given the complexity, entrenched interests, sunk costs, and overall lack of political will for tackling this difficult issue, even as both major candidates for public office are nominally supportive of doing so.
After watching this program, I have to say I am not feeling very optimistic about our chances of undertaking the sustained effort needed to really reshape the way our society consumes and produces energy and relates to the environment and natural resources it contains. I think of myself as an environmentalist and try and conserve when I can — don't own a car, live in a walkable city, try and limit my consumption, etc — but I just don't know enough about all these factors and after watching the PBS piece feel like nobody is in any position to force all these companies and constituencies to change their habits and shift us away from an impending total environmental collapse. It's going to be very hard in another five or ten years when I have to decide whether I feel comfortable with the idea bringing a family into such a world.
Let's discuss global climate change, alternative energy options, and whether our generation has any hope of doing anything about any of this before it's too late. How green are you, D&D? How screwed are we?
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[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12
They had an article written by the team leader in Analog. It was cool.
Are we talking about the same fusion that is some sort of tiny sun surrounded by giant magnets? I'm just curious.
Shogun Streams Vidya
Well the way I phrased the question was certainly what I would call layman's terms. And thank you for answering I was not aware we were even remotely 'reasonably close.'
Shogun Streams Vidya
Unless he's talking about tokomacs, which appear to have gone out of style.
Isn't there planning for the next reactor after ITER already under way?
Currently DMing: None
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[5e] Dural Melairkyn - AC 18 | HP 40 | Melee +5/1d8+3 | Spell +4/DC 12