| Crude oil prices have reached $140. The US dollar has | | | | Fortunately, there are many alternate approaches for |
| lost hugely against the Euro and the Canadian dollar. | | | | generating electricity that will not emit greenhouse |
| Petroleum prices will continue their unstoppable surge, | | | | gases. |
| which is driven by steadily increasing demand, Wall | | | | Surprisingly, there seems to be only one single |
| Street speculation, and OPEC refusal to meet | | | | concept, which has the potential to produce sufficient |
| demand. | | | | substitute supplies of liquid transportation fuels. This |
| Present and previous US administrations have made | | | | concept is the conversion of biomass into liquid |
| no serious efforts to develop effective | | | | petroleum substitutes. Unfortunately, early in 2008, |
| countermeasures. The attempt of the Bush | | | | this concept has been discredited by the ill conceived |
| administration to gain control of oil in the Middle East | | | | production of fuel ethanol from food crops. |
| has failed. Highly subsidized US ethanol production | | | | Conversion of biomass into fuel is the one and only |
| from corn has not made a dent in petroleum | | | | option, which we may be able to develop to maturity |
| demand, but has led to a huge rise in worldwide grain | | | | in the next thirty years. We must learn how to use |
| and food prices. | | | | sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and fertilizer and |
| Instead, the administration and many politicians are | | | | convert them into biomass. Categorically, food crops |
| demanding energy conservation and a failing "Cap and | | | | are not suited for conversion into fuels. Food crops |
| Trade" permit system. Drilling for oil in Alaska and | | | | have been selected, domesticated, and bred to |
| offshore is another request by oil lobbyists. | | | | provide storable, tasty, and nutritious foods. Energy |
| Countermeasures have not contributed anything to | | | | crops must be selected based on entirely different |
| produce supplies. However, ill conceived solutions | | | | properties. Energy crops must have very high energy |
| have made many politically connected people very | | | | content, must provide very high crop yields, and |
| rich. Greed has trumped patriotism! | | | | must grow very fast. This means that we must find |
| For more than twenty years, politicians, industry, | | | | and further breed plants with very high energy yields; |
| media, and citizens are discussing the issue of oil | | | | i.e. plants with the highest production of energy per |
| imports and their pernicious effects on the US | | | | acre per year. |
| economy. In May 2008 the US imported 14.2 million | | | | Nature has been converting sunlight into biomass for |
| barrels of crude oil per day. At $140 per barrel the | | | | millions of years. In fact, the Earth's generous fossil |
| USA gives away roughly $2 billion every single day to | | | | fuel reserves are nothing else but biomass converted |
| foreign nations! In addition, a substantial amount of | | | | into coal, petroleum, and natural gas. All we have to |
| refined fuels is imported. This means that the US is | | | | do is to imitate nature's example. Obviously, there |
| approaching a shameful threshold, when it pays $1 | | | | must be a major obstacle. We do not know exactly |
| trillion dollars for foreign fuel imports annually. These | | | | which processes nature used to make petroleum. |
| huge funds could do wonders for the US economy, if | | | | And we have a major handicap to overcome. We |
| they would be spent on energy supplies produced by | | | | are allowed only hours for conversion. Nature may |
| our own industry, inside the US. | | | | have taken her time and may have used thousands |
| The US has a severe energy problem. It possesses | | | | or even millions of years for the same conversion. |
| huge reserves of coal and oil shale. However, coal, oil, | | | | We have learned the hard way that the conversion |
| and natural gas emit large amounts of greenhouse | | | | of food crops into liquid fuels creates market forces, |
| gases when burned. Fossil fuel combustion is the | | | | which cannot be controlled unless the world installs |
| cause of global warming. We cannot dare to continue | | | | huge regulatory bureaucracies. Instead, we must use |
| the continuing the use of fossil fuels for more than a | | | | a concept for producing petroleum substitutes that |
| couple of decades. Otherwise, too much carbon | | | | cannot be manipulated. |
| dioxide will accumulate in the Earth's atmosphere and | | | | Most sunshine reaches Earth near the equator in |
| will lead to an acceleration of global warming. Global | | | | tropical and sub-tropical regions. Numerous arid |
| warming is responsible for climate change and for | | | | regions, without sufficient precipitation, are located in |
| mounting damages to nature, worldwide assets, and | | | | these lands, too. By placing large, industrial scale |
| people. Melting of glaciers and ice in the Polar Regions | | | | biomass plantations into these areas, we prevent the |
| is already a growing and unstoppable threat. | | | | abuse of fertile lands for food production. We can |
| Electricity and liquid transportation fuels are the | | | | also prevent the further deforestation of rain forests |
| lifeblood of our economies. Economic growth is not | | | | and the abuse of other, primeval lands. |
| possible without plentiful, affordable, and secure | | | | Water is the commodity that is missing in these |
| energy supplies. Economies will fail when supplies of | | | | areas. Lack of water is the reason these lands are |
| petroleum become scarce, when global warming | | | | arid. Therefore, we must use seawater and use heat |
| keeps inflicting damages, and when petroleum prices | | | | from the sun to produce desalinated freshwater. |
| keep continuing their skyward move. | | | | Finally, the US must establish an autonomous agency |
| Are there any solutions that can be developed and | | | | with the mission, program, and budget to make the |
| implemented before petroleum is depleted and | | | | US independent of foreign oil imports! The energy |
| before global warming exceeds the 3 to 4 degree | | | | industry does not have the means and incentives. |
| Celsius global warming threshold? | | | | |