Kolm artiklit ehk kaks probleemi ja üks unistus

Eelmise postituse kommentaarides soovitati mul kasutada raamatukogu, mida ma siis praegu ka teen. Lundist ja elust Rootsis kirjutan mõne aja pärast natuke pikemalt, kuid seniks mõned huvitavamad artiklid, mille otsa olen komistanud.

- Washington Postis ilmus hiljuti Soomet ülistav artikkel. Kuigi autorid on selgelt Soomest vaimustunud on tegu siiski realistidega, kes mõistavad, et see, mis sobib Soomele ei pruugi sobida USA'le. Õnneks tuuakse välja ka Soome lähenemise puudusi, millest kõige huvitavama oli minu jaoks:

Groupthink seems to be fine with most Finns; conformity is the norm, risk-taking is avoided -- a problem now, when entrepreneurs are so needed. I was bothered by a sense of entitlement among many Finns, especially younger people.

Sirpa Jalkanen, a distinguished microbiologist and biotech entrepreneur affiliated with Turku University in that ancient Finnish port city, told me she was discouraged by "this new generation we have now who love entertainment, the easy life." She said she wished the government would require every university student to pay a "significant but affordable" part of the cost of their education, "just so they'd appreciate it."

- Globaalne soojenemine on fakt, kuid kas Kyoto protokoll on kõige parem lähenemine probleemi lahendamiseks, eriti kui sellest on kõrvale jäetud arenguriigid nagu India ja Hiina? Ma pooldan jätkuvalt tehnoloogilisi lahendusi ja õnneks on leidlike inimesi, kes proovivad probleemi just tehnoloogiaga lahendada ja seda ehk märksa tõhusamalt kui poliitilised initsiatiivid. Laineenergia rakendamisega tuntuks saanud Stephen Salter on välja tulnud uue ja huvitava ettepanekuga - pihustada atmosfääri soola, et teha pilved heledamaks ja valgust peegeldavamaks:

Initially 500 unmanned radio-controlled boats, costing £1m each, would be deployed off the west coast of Africa and west of Peru, where the lumpy stratocumulus clouds are most prevalent.

The 70ft-tall vessels, placed 25 miles apart, would be tracked by satellite. The forward movement of the boats, driven by wind-powered rotors, would turn underwater turbines that would create a field of static electricity. Water sucked into the rotors would hit the electrostatic field, creating the fine mist of seawater.

Around the world 40,000 tons of sea spray are whipped up into the atmosphere each second. Salter believes an additional half a ton per second would have to be generated to brighten clouds by 4.5%.

Salter believes that companies could be persuaded to pay £10 per ton to the spray project to counterract corresponding amounts of their carbon emissions entering the atmosphere and creating heat.

- Kas sul vedelevad üleliigsed 100 miljonit dollarit magamistoa nurgas? Kas sina oled huvitatud väikesest kosmosereisist? Kui vastasid mõlemale küsimusele "jah", siis Space Adventures pakub võimalust teha tiir ümber Kuu!