Reach to the Sun to Save the Koala

It was once believed that dilution is the solution to pollution.

In fact, many still believe this when it comes to burning the carbon fuel of coal and oil for power.

With the decision by the Australian Government to put a price on carbon as a pollutant in the air, the tide is now turning as the World is beginning to wake up to the fact that too much carbon in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2) is a toxin to the whole planet.

It is now known that higher levels of CO2 in the air changes plant biology, as vegetation has more carbon to feed on.

This effect is making the gum leaf tucker of the Australian koala more toxic and less nutritious, threatening our unique cuddly marsupial with extinction through malnutrition and death by starvation.

With CO2 set to rise in the air as the Earth heats up, as we keep burning more carbon fuel and as the Arctic permafrost melts releasing a lot more CO2, the threat to the koala is increasing year by year.

What can we do?

We could build protected environments sealed off from the atmosphere, with reduced levels of CO2 in the air, in which gum trees are grown producing leaves that koalas can survive on.

If warnings about ocean acidification come true, algal blooms in dying oceans will release toxic hydrogen sulphide gas that can kill life on land and destroy the ozone layer and human communities may also need to be located in protected environments for survival.

We describe this option as an Earth oasis, which may also serve as arks for life, until we make our Earth safe again.

Another approach would be to mine excess carbon from the air as a resource, but as this would take a huge amount of energy, we would need to build many more power stations.

Solar power stations are the best option of all, as our star is an unlimited energy-well that will last as long as the Sun shines.

The best location for solar power stations is in space, where the Sun never sets and the radiant energy is much stronger beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Solar power stations in space (SPSS) were first proposed by Dr Peter Glaser in 1968 and have been the subject of innumerable studies since, but unfortunately, we chose to drill ever deeper into the belly of the Earth for energy and now, like the canary in the coal mine, the koala is set to pay the price as a species.

Japan has been exploring the SPSS option for some years and in 2009 the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in California engaged Solaren to design a system, with many communities now searching for ways to step back from oil, coal and after the recent catastrophes in Japan, also nuclear.

Should Australia follow suit to build SPSS to access this totally green, clean and unlimited energy supply, with which we could lead the world in mining excess carbon from the air as a resource and also have the power to turn the carbon into a wide range of products?

With unlimited access to stellar energy, we could also desalinate any volume of ocean water and pump this liquid gold to any location, such as the Murray-Darling Basin where towns are fighting to survive as less rain falls in a changing climate.

We could turn the deserts green.

How would we pay for this investment in the future of our nation and the survival of the koala?

The Australian Government could invest our resource bonanza in building SPSS and open a whole new future for the lucky country.

With SPSS, industry could also be launched beyond Earth and orbital space settlements built that offer a new option for the future of humanity.

This investment would begin creating sustainable employment from the very moment a decision is made to invest in this key to the future, as well as Australia becoming a leading space-faring nation and inspire a whole new generation of our youth to look to the stars.

Australia could lead the way in building SPSS, but it may take a collaboration of many nations to open this future, shifting our world from an Earth-bound house-of-cards carbon economy to a Solar Civilization that will last as long as the Sun shines.

By working with all nations to access the unlimited energy-well of our star, we will be able to win back a safe planet, send poverty into history and look toward a new era of peace on Earth.

By reaching to the Sun for energy, we can save the koala, save the Earth and create an amazing future for all Earth’s children.

How soon should we start?