Galileo Galilei: All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.
– By Randy Brich –
History books are filled with examples of mass mania, baseless beliefs that spread rapidly and can be destructive to individuals and society. Few are as tragic as the Sioux Ghost Dance Religion or the Salem Witch Trials. Belief in the Ghost Dance ultimately resulted in the Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890. Similarly, belief in witches resulted in the death of more than two dozen men and women in 1692.
The Sioux (Lakota) believed that by dancing the Ghost Dance, a slow methodical shuffle, their past would be restored — fallen warriors would arise, buffalo would again be plentiful and natural calamities would exterminate the whites. Similarly, Salem townspeople believed that by hanging convicted witches, their children would be cured of unknown diseases. The Wounded Knee massacre heralded the end of the Ghost Dance mania and it took a strong Governor to end the Salem Witch Trial mania.
By now you might be asking yourself, “What possible connection does mass mania have with energy?” In a few moments we will answer that question. Patience.
Over the past weekend, I traversed the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota on my hi-tech “iron horse” with a small group of adventurers, several of whom were local Native Americans. We visited important historical sites including the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre where man’s aggression against his fellow man fell into a very deep hole. Climbing out of that hole is part of what Oglala Lakota College’s (http://www.olc.edu/) first BRAVEHEART Bicycle Tour was all about.
Our Native American hosts marveled at our lightweight hi-tech steeds and, in comparison to their heavy mountain bikes, we could easily have been from another planet. Yet they completed the ride – albeit at a much slower pace – and they pummeled me with questions on everything from bicycles to nutrition to riding techniques.
My apparent ease of traveling on the hi-tech conveyance compared to their hard work pedaling heavy bikes made them wonder how I did it. I explained it was mostly by technology, which makes the effort more efficient. In other words it’s a simple matter of physics: less friction, less inertia equals more distance traveled for the same amount of work. We parted as new friends, excited by the possibility of future tours through the scenic, unspoiled landscape of the Pine Ridge Reservation.
The physics of bicycle riding is easily grasped, especially by active participants. Imagine how easy the energy dilemma could be solved if electrical energy generation and distribution requirements were as effortlessly seized. Unfortunately, electrical energy generation and distribution isn’t easy to comprehend and most Americans take electricity for granted, thinking it comes from an outlet mounted on a wall. That is not the case for our parents who grew up in rural America. They know the value of dependable, inexpensive and abundant electricity which helped make America the world leader it is today.
Yet, a modern day mania seems to be spreading uncontrollably, like a prairie grass fire before a building wind, and influencing actions that could drastically change America’s energy generation and distribution environment for a very long time. Observing the political and social discourse surrounding the belief that manmade CO^2 emissions create a warmer planet it is possible that a new mass mania has erupted in Western Society.
Concomitant with the climate craze is a heightened emphasis on green energy which could very possibly be a mania in its own right. The emphasis on green energy, primarily solar and wind, might form another economic bubble. Economic bubbles are fragile things, expanding exponentially until they reach their limit, then catastrophically exploding.
A dramatic example of the predictable life cycle of economic bubbles is the dot.com bubble – it arrived on the stock market scene in 1995, grew to a massive size and catastrophically failed in less than 5 years. This characteristic of economic bubbles could be a harbinger of things to come for the soon-to-be green.com bubble. If indeed the climate craze and the green.com bubble form as a result of mass hysteria, things could get extremely messy when the bubbles burst.
If these beliefs do indeed self destruct perhaps modern day environmentalism will end with them and objective science will usher in a new era based on logic and data. Americans could return to doing what they do best – being productive and improving the conditions on this planet for a better future for once and for all. But, the rest of the world isn’t waiting for either of these manias to fail in America.
Earlier this week Dan Yurman’s Idaho Samizat blog announced China’s nuclear intentions (http://nuclearstreet.com/search/SearchResults.aspx?q=idaho+samizdat+china+132+reactors).
“China expects to build 22 new nuclear reactors in the near-term and as many as 132 new reactors in the next two decades. The government reportedly has approved 25.4 GWe of new capacity to generate electricity from nuclear energy.”Yurman also notes, “U.S. firms want more contracts with China to build the plants. So far Westinghouse has contracts to build four 1,200 MW AP1000s.”
As the rest of the world marches confidently into the future with 52 new nuclear power reactors under construction , the U.S. appears to be headed toward a rendezvous with its past – building thousands of windmills and not one new nuclear reactor to provide the reliable, clean energy valued by other world leaders. (http://www.iaea.org/programmes/a2/).
LAST WEEK'S COULMN:
Splitting Hairs and Atoms with Randy Brich: The Great Technology Race – Part II
About Randy Brich
Randy graduated from South Dakota State University in 1978 with a M.S. in Biology. Following graduation he switched gears and began a lifelong study of ionizing radiation and its beneficial applications to humanity. During the course of his study he worked as a staff Health Physicist with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission specializing in the licensing and inspection of uranium recovery facilities. He transferred to the Department of Energy where he worked as a Health Physicist at the Nevada Operations Office and later to the Richland Operations Office specializing in environmental monitoring, dose reconstruction, worker protection, waste cleanup and systems biology.
Since then he has retired from the federal government and, after taking time out to build an energy efficient house near the Missouri River, has formed Diamond B Communications LLC. Diamond B Communications LLC uses a multimedia approach to explain complex energy resource issues to technical and non-technical audiences. He also guides for Dakota Bike Tours, the Relaxed Adventure Company, offering tours of the Badlands National Park, the Black Hills and Devils Tower National Monument.
If you have questions, comments, or know of a book that you think Randy should review Email Randy Brich>> randy@nuclearstreet.com