• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

DONATE
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About Our Bloggers
    • Commenting Policy
  • Reading Lists
  • Scholar’s Compass
    • Scholar’s Compass Booklet
    • View Recent Posts
  • Connect
    • Membership
    • Events
    • Donate
    • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Science Corner / Science and Faith / Science Corner: One Man’s CO2

Science Corner: One Man’s CO2

January 11, 2017 by Andy Walsh No Comments

Photo of a coal-fired electric plant
We can turn this rising smoke into rising cookies. (Photo by 1238720)

Saprotrophs. Picture-winged flies. Dung beetles. These are the “another man” who find the meat in our poison. The Earth is basically a closed system with respect to chemical elements. The ecosystem needs every organism’s … output to be someone else’s input, thus closing the loop and keeping those elements cycling. Otherwise one or more critical elements would wind up stuck in an unused form no one wants, and we’d all eventually run out of it. But of course if some element did accumulate in a particular form, there’d be an opportunity–a feast–for any organism who can find a way to make a meal of it.

Actually, humans have done almost exactly that with the carbon accumulated in fossil fuels. We not literally eating them because we have found uses for natural resources beyond biology. Still, we found ourselves at a banquet so lavish, we didn’t have to worry so much about connecting up our outputs to any input somewhere in the chain. There was always plenty of carbon coming in. Only now we are abundant, and some of our carbons sources aren’t looking so lavish. But wait! There’s still an opportunity somewhere because some of our outputs are accumulating.

And so we have coal plants turning their excess carbon dioxide into baking soda. It’s the latest in a whole slew of efforts to take all that CO2 we’re making and make it useful. For example, I also recently read about a way to harness carbon dioxide for batteries. The baking soda approach is particularly promising because it is economically viable; the plants are making more money capturing their emissions than they would ignoring them.

Of course, this principle applies to a variety of systems at all sorts of scales. Universities graduating more PhDs than they can hire as faculty? Doctors accumulate until technology companies, government agencies, arts non-profits or other organizations can find a place for them. Automation producing more leisure time for certain populations? Facebook will gladly gobble all that free time and turn it into data and attention for advertisements. And so on. Taking advantages of these new niches isn’t automatically guaranteed, we have to actively look for opportunities and find ways to connect them back up to productive cycles. But we need to make that effort in order to make the most of the resources with which we have been entrusted.

About the author:

Andy Walsh
Posts

Andy has worn many hats in his life. He knows this is a dreadfully clichéd notion, but since it is also literally true he uses it anyway. Among his current metaphorical hats: husband of one wife, father of two teenagers, reader of science fiction and science fact, enthusiast of contemporary symphonic music, and chief science officer. Previous metaphorical hats include: comp bio postdoc, molecular biology grad student, InterVarsity chapter president (that one came with a literal hat), music store clerk, house painter, and mosquito trapper. Among his more unique literal hats: British bobby, captain's hats (of varying levels of authenticity) of several specific vessels, a deerstalker from 221B Baker St, and a railroad engineer's cap. His monthly Science in Review is drawn from his weekly Science Corner posts -- Wednesdays, 8am (Eastern) on the Emerging Scholars Network Blog. His book Faith across the Multiverse is available from Hendrickson.

  • Andy Walsh
    https://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/andy/
    Science Corner: Magical Multiverse Thinking
  • Andy Walsh
    https://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/andy/
    Science Corner: When Is a Bed Not a Bed?
  • Andy Walsh
    https://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/andy/
    Science Corner: When Normal Isn't Normative
  • Andy Walsh
    https://blog.emergingscholars.org/author/andy/
    Science Corner: Only They Know the Difference

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • More
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: Science and Faith Tagged With: carbon, climate change, environment, science, science corner

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Become a Member

Membership is Free. Sign up and receive our monthly newsletter and access ESN member benefits.

Join ESN Today

Scholar’s Compass Booklet

Scholar's Compass Booklet

Click here to get your copy

Top Posts

  • 5 Practical Ways to Avoid Cultural Domination and Neo-Colonialism in Western Missions
  • A Prayer for Those Finishing a Semester
  • Christian Views of Creation
  • Join Us at the ASA Faith & Science Conference, July 29-Aug 1 (Scholarships Available)
  • The Message of Genesis 1

Facebook Posts

Facebook Posts

Footer

About Us

The Emerging Scholars Network (ESN) is a national network within InterVarsity’s Graduate & Faculty Ministries which supports those on the academic pathway as they work out how their academic vocation serves God and others. We encourage and equip undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and early career faculty as they navigate each stage of their academic vocation and transition to the next step in or beyond the academy.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

  • Science Corner: Magical Multiverse Thinking
  • Via Divina: The Franciscan Way
  • Millennials: Depression, the Pandemic and Hope: Part 2

Article Categories

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us
Member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students
Copyright © 2022 - InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA ®. All rights reserved.

InterVarsity, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA, and the InterVarsity logo are trademarks of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA and its affiliated companies.

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.