Notes
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| Author | Content |
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| mvermeer Sep 23, 2006 12:56 AM EDT |
I am not too sure that what keeps these new technologies from being implemented is the IPR regime. A larger impediment seems just finding the investment money. Many of the best ideas are old, but were just not affordable when all you had to do to get oil is punch a hole in the ground. Perhaps that's changing now. E.g., already in the thirties there was an OTEC (ocean thermal energy conversion) installation in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, and another one on Cuba. OTEC experiments have been ongoing on Hawaii for many years. This is one energy generation method that would benefit the tropics, where most of future industrialization is bound to take place, with a temperature difference between surface and deep water of over 20 C (aka the "hurricane cradle"). > It is vital to note that technology like nuclear, biotechnology and > nanotechnology also bring with them considerable potential of risk. These > technologies normally do or should carry strong restrictions and safety > protocols on their development, making them less than ideal for open > development. This is an interesting remark, given that, e.g., major nuclear accidents have happened preferentially in closed societies. It's no accident that Chernobyl was in the Soviet Union. I would claim precisely the oppisite: safety _requires_ openness of both technology and security practices. But of course it is also true that these will always be regulated industries. |
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