LETTER: Is scientific salvation around the corner?
Decades ago it was announced that cold fusion had been achieved. As it turned out, the process used in the lab could not be duplicated.
If it does work, great. We would want to expand its use worldwide. But there is a serious environmental problem it would create. Smashing hydrogen atoms together creates helium. How will we dispose of all that helium safely? We can’t just release it into the atmosphere where it would become a climate change environmental pollutant. The potential negative consequences have to be considered.
Another example of a salvation science that could save us is desalination. That could solve our potable water problems. But it creates a super salty brine byproduct that would harm the marine environment if dumped back into the ocean.