It's true: nuclear fusion and Iron Man are here to save the world

ITER's chief scientist, Scottish
 Australian David Campbell. 

Our response to climate change needs to be many pronged, stretching from the physical, the economic, and the social.

One of those responses is the ITER project in southern France – what has been described as a “scientific experiment” with the potential to resolve the insatiable human need for energy and along with that play a key role in ending our dependence on climate changing fossil fuels.

The ideas that drive ITER have my sympathy, except that by its nature it’s a highly centralized energy source and therefore is open to monopolization by just a few and so the exploitation of the many.

Renewable energy, that is primarily solar and wind, is more democratic, vastly less expensive, so subsequently more open to community ownership.

Beyond that ITER is a project that is and of itself highly embedded with energy and even those behind venture admit that another decade could pass before it was operating, and many who understand the unfolding dilemma of climate change argue we may not have that much time on our side – Robert McLean.

Read Nick Miller’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “It's true: nuclear fusion and Iron Man are here to save the world.”