Desalination: A Double-Edged Solution | 12min snip from "Moment of Zen"

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Samo Burja on the Technology That Can Create New Superpowers

"Moment of Zen"

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CHAPTER

Desalination: A Double-Edged Solution

This chapter explores the potential of desalination technology in addressing water scarcity, focusing on its innovations and ecological implications. It highlights advancements from the 1960s, particularly from Israel, and discusses the significant energy and infrastructure costs associated with desalination plants. The narrative also critiques the limitations of desalination, emphasizing the complexity of water demand and the need for sustainable practices in the face of climate change.

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Erik Torenberg and Samo Burja examine how advancing desalination technology could reshape geopolitics and transform landscapes. They discuss how affordable desalination ($0.3 cents per liter) makes large-scale terraforming feasible, potentially enabling countries like Saudi Arabia or Australia to create vast green spaces and support larger populations. The technology's implications extend beyond water security to national development and climate resilience. The essay on desalination originally appeared in The Bismarck Brief - subscribe here: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/

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RECOMMENDED IN THIS EPISODE:

The Untapped Potential of Desalination: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/p/the-untapped-potential-of-desalination

1957, 1978, 2005 Chicken Sizes diagram: https://compote.slate.com/images/4e407854-6360-4172-a85e-d7b8c64fd365.jpg?width=1200

Growth, efficiency, and yield of commercial broilers from 1957, 1978, and 2005: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579119385505

Live Players: Can China Power Its Rise?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOei7kZjuZU

Live Players: The Possibility of Human Extinction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEQEMpxLnGA&t=42s

Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

Check out Modern Relationships, where Erik Torenberg interviews tech power couples and leading thinkers to explore how ambitious people actually make partnerships work. This season's guests include: Delian Asparouhov & Nadia Asparouhova, Kristen Berman & Phil Levin, Rob Henderson, and Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1786227593

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hJzs0gDg6lRT6r10mdpVg

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ModernRelationshipsPod

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