Winter of the Genomes by Larry Kilham

Author:Larry Kilham [Kilham, Larry]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Futurebooks.info
Published: 2014-10-05T16:00:00+00:00

Environment and Energy

We have seen how tiny robots might take over some of the pollinating traditionally done by bees that disappeared due to CCD. In general, robots should contribute positively to both improving the environment and conserving energy. In the long run, if robots do well in both of those areas, barriers to their acceptance will fall.

Assuming the population declines, the amount of waste directly produced by humans, such as sewage, will also decline. The population decline could accelerate as robots invade more human occupations. Indirect waste production by humans should also decline. This includes all waste arising from human activity. An example is burning gasoline in cars and other machinery and producing carbon dioxide and soot in the process. Fewer people will mean less pollution.

Energy savings is where robots make big inroads. As of 2013, while doing a task, robots may use as much energy (kilowatt-hours or calories) as a human, the savings really add up when considering that robots use no calories when not working. Humans consume some energy all the time, even when sleeping or watching television. Further, robots generally do not require precise heating or air conditioning in their workplace.

Overlapping with the energy comparison is the fact that robots do not need food or water. By receiving energy as electricity from, say, stored solar energy, robots bypass the chain of creating vegetable foods from solar energy and photosynthesis plus nutrients from the environment. According to current studies, water soon will be the nutrient in shortest supply both for direct consumption by humans and animals and for growing grains, vegetables and fruits.

We will explore these topics in more detail in the next chapters.

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