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...with Nature rather than against it. Every choice we make puts us on a new path. Sometimes we give choices great consideration and sometimes we make them with no consideration at all. Regardless, there is one universal and unyielding constant:
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Choices have consequences.
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The achievements of modern civilization are absolutely astounding! Just see it from the perspective of a person living a rather normal life in the modern world. She can wake up in a temperature controlled environment, enjoy a meal that was preserved by refrigeration and safely heated to serving temperature without fire in her living space, she has light at night, a stream of information over an internet connection that is delivered wirelessly in her space, the ability to communicate instantly over great distances, a machine to wash her clothes, another to wash her dishes, another to vacuum the floor and all of these things are under her control, maybe even from a single app! When she leaves the house it is in her own automobile that takes her great distances in minutes, distances that would taken hours by foot. At work, she is free to concentrate at her very specialized task as scientist because she has not been encumbered by building a fire for food, washing clothing by hand, washing dishes by hand, walking to a place of work. This is a level of freedom and autonomy unthinkable to previous generations. It unleashes the potential of the human mind. Let’s face it, the pronoun “she” would not have even seemed appropriate in this scenario were it not for one thing:
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Abundant Energy
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Energy has profoundly changed the way humans live. Our mastery of electrical power generation and its distribution are the crowning achievements of civilization because that power enables so many other improvements in our condition. We in the modern world enjoy a power grid that is so reliable that we take it for granted. We only notice it in its absence. We stand on this elevated ground as a consequence of our good and wise choices guided by the rational power of science.
All people everywhere on this planet deserve to enjoy the largess of this achievement. There are lives and minds that should be unchained from the ravages of: |
Energy Poverty
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We stand at a crossroad. Delivering power to modern civilization today appears to be having a profound impact on the climate and it has had an unmistakable impact on the quality of air and water that sustains all life on this planet. We are reaching a point where the liabilities of our choices to power are threatening to negate the benefits.
It is time to science our way forward again!
Even though the consequences of bad choices are dire, this is not a time to wet the bed. We do have choices, after all! We must move forward recognizing the benefits of delivering abundant power widely to many people. Retreat from this would be a poor choice. The challenge before us is to find a way to deliver even more power to more people while eliminating or mitigating the pollution and negative climatic influences of delivering that power. While there is no shortage of voices advising competing courses of action in this realm, one stands out:
Nuclear Energy from Thorium
It meets all the criteria for continued advancement of the human condition. Oil got us here, for that we are grateful, but the Exploring this is what my journey is about and this is where the bicycle enters the story...
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Hello, I’m Billy and I bicycle… a lot!
Nothing puts you in direct contact with your surroundings the way a bicycle does. You are aware of everything around you. You intimately experience the elements, the hills and, most importantly, the people on your ride. This year, I choose to embark on a bicycle trip that starts in a place that embodies energy source that lifted civilization to where it is (oil) and the energy source that will take us all where we need to go… where we want to go, and that is Thorium. The trip will end in Brussels, the heart of European Policy, at a conference where great minds converge to share ideas and progress in the field of deriving power from Thorium. Between these two points I will visit and examine places that illustrate the path we have taken to power our civilization and the path forward. I’m sharing every point along the way as a meditation on our past, present and future choices for energy and the consequences they bring.. The bicycle is a tool that slows me down and brings me into contact with the people I meet as I assemble this narrative. This trip has two objectives, discovery and communication. I know that how we choose to power civilization is of great importance. I also know that it is a matter of great contention.
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Making the right choice is paramount, but not certain.
We seem to be on a worldwide shift toward “renewable” energy as an ultimate solution to the problems of pollution and negative climate influence. In some circles that is treated as a choice made at the exclusion of all options. It is a trend driven by tribal influences on policy rather than policy informed by science. It is putting our futures in harm’s way. I want to engage people with this story so that they have the information they need to make the right choices when they play their roles in public policy, however large or small. We all have some influence.
I want us all to participate in this singularly critical choice with the greatest consideration. The best way to do that is to start with the right information and the right story, so, let’s get started! 
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