Environmental carbon dioxide is one of the most pressing environmental concerns. Oxidation of hydrocarbons produces CO₂ and water. Both water and CO₂ are potent greenhouse gases. Fortunately, the water condenses out of the atmosphere, falling as rain. One must understand that the carbon cycle is a reversible equation. Hydrocarbons and free oxygen are molecules in a high-energy state. Water and CO₂ are these same atoms arranged in molecules in a low-energy state. Plants take in water, CO₂, and energy in the form of sunshine. Using this solar energy, plants reconfigure these atoms into hydrocarbons and free oxygen. This is exactly the same as a charging battery. Hydrocarbons and free oxygen are the batteries in a charged state. Water and CO₂ are this battery in a discharged state.
The problem is that we use energy faster than plants can absorb solar energy and recharge this battery. As a result, the components of this discharged battery accumulate in the atmosphere and oceans. The issue here is that we do not have a sustainable primary energy source sufficient for human needs.
Hydrocarbons are not primary energy sources. They are an energy storage means—a very good, convenient, and useful one. But we are depleting our stored sunshine energy of the past. It is important to understand that the source of all of this energy was hydrogen fusion in our sun.
Our reactors create a tiny, microscopic sun in a chamber here on earth and harvest its energy. They bring a primary energy source here to earth. With this energy, we can then recharge the earth’s chemical batteries. CO₂ now becomes a valuable, important natural resource. With the energy of fusion, water from the ocean and CO₂ from the atmosphere can now be recycled back into hydrocarbons and free oxygen.
These high-energy molecules can now be used as energy storage and transport mechanisms. These high-energy molecules can now also be used as industrial chemicals needed for a modern society. Our first goal will be acquiring a carbon-neutral footprint. This is the point where we recycle and reuse all the carbon dioxide we generate. After reaching carbon neutrality, we can then enter a phase of carbon sequestration. With the primary energy of fusion, we will then be able to bring down CO₂ levels to a more natural, healthy environmental balance. This requires a primary energy source.
Fusion primary energy provides for the production of high-energy components in the form of steam and hydrogen that can be injected into oilfields and coal beds. This provides for in situ hydrocarbon cracking, restoring production to older fields. Hydrogen hydrocarbon cracking will increase the caloric value of heavy oils high in waxes and tars, tar sands, and shale deposits. This increases the energy, commercial value, and accessibility of these low-quality resources. This is, in essence, carbon mining. Carbon is a very valuable resource and is the basis of life here on earth.