Global Warming...Solved.

It's been a big issue. Al Gore has gotten pretty rich and famous because of it. It's caused a lot of consternation and debate. And it has been the source of endless fascination for me in my blogs. But, friends, the global warming problem has finally been solved.

It's time to turn that CO2 into baking soda.

What??

Skyonic, a new company run by Joe Jones out of Texas, is leading a breakthrough technology in keeping CO2 emissions out of the air from power plants. They use the "Skymine Process" to address:

...the significant issue of climate change through the mineralization of CO2 as carbonate compounds. SkyMine™ is a post-combustion carbon capture and sequestration technology that works with any large-scale stationary CO2 emitter (e.g.- coal, natural gas or oil fired power plant). The process is effective, ecologically and thermodynamically sound, and can be done profitably. Since the technology can be retrofitted to existing facilities or designed into new ones, it addresses both the current problem of climate change, and the future demand for cleaner energy to support development.

Sodium bicarbonate (better known as baking soda) is the primary byproduct of this process. As Skyonic says on its website, the Skymine Process is effective and can be done profitably. This solves the economic issue with cleaning up pollution (people can make money off of the CO2??). It also helps reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere significantly.

Currently, Skyonic is developing a large system that will be able to consume the waste of a 500 megawatt power plant (in 2009). Imagine what could happen if this was copied all across the U.S. and the world?

First of all, the environmental benefits could be enormous. If the widespread implementation of this system allowed humans to cut down on carbon emissions to the point that they did not reach 500ppm, we might be able to stop the Arctic ice from turning to slush and raising the sea level 20 feet. Or so they say. I'm not sure who "they" are, or how grounded that science is. It's interesting how hard it is to get a firm or definitive, scientific answer on the subject.

I like the idea behind greener-tech. But will economists? Or lawmakers? Or politicians?

Back to the idea of baking soda, the soda that is created is actually cleaner that food grade baking soda. Could this become a specialty item? Not if the Skymine Process becomes widespread. What would happen to the tons and tons of baking soda? It would most likely be reduced to landfills, where it would sit inert and harmless, as opposed to its more vicious airborne cousin, CO2.

I know I've asked this before (maybe not in these words in my blog), but does this greener-earth idea coincide with God's plan for the universe and the expansion of His Kingdom? I don't know. What I do know is that the heart of man is wicked (Jer. 17:9; at least before one is saved--according to John Elderedge--and likely others) and wants to get the best for himself. This includes energy producers, but it also includes consumers--you and me--who often ignore the fact that we leave the lights on, take long showers, and don't buy energy star appliances (or CFLs!!!) all the time. Are we contributing to the demise of our world? Maybe. But is our world supposed to be turned into a paradise, or is it okay to let it burn because God is going to remake it anyway? What about the concept of being good stewards?

I think that the steward argument is the strongest for why we ought to take care of the world. 1) It's not ours to begin with. 2) Our children and their children on down will inherit this world (barring a speedy second coming) and what we do today determines our legacy. 3) Jesus says that if we are faithful and true in a few small things, He will trust us with many, greater things. 4) We still have to live in the world. You don't throw trash around in your house and leave it all over the place, do you? Why should you do that in the world? Is it not God's domain that we are told to tend, subdue, and cultivate?

Taking Every Thought Captive,

Zachary

P.S. Here's the article if you're interested in a further read: http://www.news.com/Can-baking-soda-curb-global-warming/2100-13838_3-6220127.html or see skyonic's website at http://skyonic.com/index.php