Yesterday I visited the Cradle to Cradle lecture by Louise Vet in Wageningen, The Netherlands (info). Amongst other things, Louise showed some eye-opening pictures to show the problems are not about energy, but all about matter.
Not about energy…
As you have been reading on this blog earlier (see ‘Use current solar income’ (door Emil Möller) and Tweede kamer neemt CSP motie aan (in Dutch)), there is really no energy crisis.
Click the picture for a larger image showing how much solar energy is available. The larger red square on the left shows an area of 254 km × 254 km of hot desert that, if covered with concentrating solar power plants, would provide electricity equivalent to the current annual electricity consumption of the whole world. The smaller square (110 km × 110 km) shows a corresponding area for the European Union (when it included 25 countries). (source: http://www.trec-uk.org.uk/csp.htm)
All about matter…
The picture below is from the article ‘Earth’s natural wealth: an audit‘ published in issue 2605 of New Scientist magazine, 23 May 2007, page 34-41. Read the article, it is interesting. Click the image for a larger view.
Except from the sunlight we receive, Earth is a closed system. The resources we have are finite, and for some of them already within years.
I thought this was a nice and informative picture to share with you… Please support the Cradle to Cradle principles: ‘Waste equals food’ and ‘Use current solar income’.
