Cold Fusion and the Future

MANILA -- This is a call for change in the submolecular level. This entails a deconstruction in the realm of metaphysics. Our species' very survival would depend on it.

Let's start with our most urgent issue at hand: petrocollapse. A reality that has been imminent more than a decade ago when world oil "discovery" peaked -- meaning, OPEC and the multinational petroleum corporations have not been able to find new holes for the coveted black gold since the 70's. World oil "production" is expected to peak next year (2006) with fossil fuel reserves dwindling fast in the short years to follow as expected shortage will cause a sudden surge in demand. So when a Palestinian head of state said on TV last May that OPEC couldn't guarantee the price of crude oil to remain the same, he really meant: "Brace yourselves 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet." Pump prices have yet to double or triple from the already perenially incremental levels.

And yet, mainstream media have kept relatively mum on this short- to medium-term scenario. We do hear oil price hikes in the news on a daily basis but the general public have been insulated from the heart of the matter. The fact that the term "petrocollapse" is virtually unknown in network TV and broadsheet parlance begs the question: why and how has this imminent reality not seep into the consciousness of the so-called global citizen?

Which brings us to the next issue: how do we become NOT dependent on oil? A question whose line of causality will bring us closer to the obvious -- that oil and its two primary end-user forms, i.e. petroleum and electricity, is a necessity in sustaining our modern contemporary society. This encompasses fundamental day-to-day routines, value systems (vis-a-vis growth, progress, profit), economics, politics, and the tenets of globalization that serve to justify polarized international trade laws.

To become not dependent on oil, we need viable, renewable, and sustainable alternative energy sources. While local celebrities have started an advocacy called 10 by 2010, calling for the development of existing hydro, geothermal, solar, and wind to account for 10% of the country's energy sources, the massive capitalization, machinery, and implementation of these sources renders the country virtually unprepared for petrocollapse.

There is a two-pronged solution: culture change and cold fusion. The first, referring to fundamental system change from the abolition of profit-driven commerce to the very fibers of societal structure namely: wealth accumulation, capitalism, consumerism, or the "culture of excess". Essentially in modern society, this equates to a "culture of lack" whereby people have a false sense of inadequacy which in turn perpetuates the wanton desire to indemnify oneself with material possessions. To whom we attribute the metaphysical sense of lack is highly debatable but serious assertions may be made towards organized religion.

For instance, the dogma of original sin alone paints an image of flawed human persons banished from the Garden of Eden, perverting our species' belief systems surrounding life, death, sexuality, and even destiny. One cannot discount the impact of emancipating oneself from the pre-conceived notion of a tainted existence. It is immensely profound and downright liberating.

The second solution involves technology that first emerged in 1989 when two electrochemists from the University of Utah discovered abundant amounts of heat generated by a jar of hard water in a simple electrolysis experiment. The discovery of Drs. Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann and their simulation of table-top cold fusion opened up the endless possibilities of energy generation from as little as a cubic foot of hard water.

Cold fusion involves the "joining of two deuterium atoms to form helium", which is known to release abundant amounts of energy. In contrast to hot or thermal fusion which emulates the thermonuclear reactions that occur in the sun and stars (involving extremely hot temperatures), cold fusion produces negligible to zero harmful radiation and is relatively easier to reproduce for mass consumption.

Countries like Russia, Italy, and Japan have existing technologies for table-top cold fusion and other heat-generating devices and products. It is imperative for the Philippines to send our best chemists and physicists to these countries for fellowship studies and grants that will enable us to duplicate the technology for domestic use.

I write these that we may be informed of what's essential to know and act on, otherwise we will not see the light of day as the industrial civilization comes to a close in as little as 20 years, according to oil industry experts. God willing, we shall live through this next period in our history set to take place within our lifetime.

Mabuhay and Pilipinas!