McCormick calls for a Manhattan Project to perfect nuclear fusion

By successfully replicating the reaction that powers the sun, humanity could—in the words of Stephen Hawking—unlock an “inexhaustible supply of energy, without pollution or global warming.”

Fusion development has progressed at a glacial pace for decades and breakthroughs have been intermittent at best but a progressive Democrat is calling for massive federal investment to ignite a more robust pursuit of this technology as a cure for climate change.

Progressive New Jersey Democrat Lisa McCormick denounced poseurs who talk about cleaning up the damage from global warning instead of pursuing a Manhattan Project-style venture to create a safe, clean and abundant alternative to fossil fuels.

The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons, but McCormick wants the modern version to solve the puzzle of fusion.

“Fusion, unlike the nuclear fission used in existing atomic power plants, is a reaction occurring when two light nuclei smash together and fuse, creating a heavier nucleus and releasing energy in the process. Fusion is safe, and cleaner, too, producing only a fraction of the dangerous waste nuclear fission produces” said McCormick. “The energy created through fusion is three to four times greater than that which fission produces.”

“Instead of wasting money on an adaptation strategy to help deal with the effects of climate change, we should be pouring money and expertise into finding a solution,” said McCormick, who said “adaptation is like surrender.”

“Resilient roads, bridges, sewers and other infrastructure is not a climate adaptation strategy. Alternative sources of clean, renewable energy is the only reasonable course of action,” said McCormick. “If your bathtub was overflowing, you wouldn’t grab a mop without turning off the faucet.”

Scientists think that Earth’s temperature will keep going up for the next 100 years. This would cause more snow and ice to melt. Oceans would rise higher. Some places would get hotter. Other places might have colder winters with more snow. Some places might get more rain. Other places might get less rain. Some places might have stronger hurricanes.

The current rise in global average temperature is more rapid than previous changes, and is primarily caused by humans burning fossil fuels.

Fossil fuel use, deforestation, and some agricultural and industrial practices increase greenhouse gases, notably carbon dioxide and methane.

Greenhouse gases absorb some of the heat that the Earth radiates after it warms from sunlight. Larger amounts of these gases trap more heat in Earth’s lower atmosphere, causing global warming.

Unabated, the effects will cause problems for human survival so McCormick said it is critical that citizens understand the deadly consequences of continued inaction.