The Reading of the 1AC was Good ......................................................................................................... 2
Add-ons/Advantages .................................................................................................................................. 4
Science Diplomacy (Read on CPs as offense for USFG Key or Turn on DA) ........................................ 5
Water Scarcity Add-On............................................................................................................................ 8
Nanolitter ............................................................................................................................................... 11
Nano Good .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Warming............................................................................................................................................. 14
Solves Tech ........................................................................................................................................ 15
Environment ...................................................................................................................................... 17
Bioterror ............................................................................................................................................ 21
Immortality ........................................................................................................................................ 22
Energy ................................................................................................................................................ 24
Space Colonization ............................................................................................................................ 25
Poverty/Resrouce Scarcity ............................................................................................................... 26
Energy ................................................................................................................................................ 27
Ag ........................................................................................................................................................ 28
Space Col/Asteroids .......................................................................................................................... 29
AT Nanotech Impossible ................................................................................................................... 33
AT Nanotech Bad ............................................................................................................................... 34
AT: Grey Goo ...................................................................................................................................... 36
Laundry list ........................................................................................................................................ 38
Nano Bad ................................................................................................................................................ 40
Nano Econ Decline ......................................................................................................................... 41
NanoHealth Problems ................................................................................................................... 43
NanotechCrime .............................................................................................................................. 44
NanoArms race .............................................................................................................................. 46
Case Defense .......................................................................................................................................... 48
Cleanup Efforts Fail ........................................................................................................................... 49
Aff argument: Plastic High ................................................................................................................ 50
Preempts ............................................................................................................................................ 51
Nano K2 Ecosystems ......................................................................................................................... 54
No plastic growth .............................................................................................................................. 56
Plan Popular....................................................................................................................................... 57
Plastic K2 Mammals .......................................................................................................................... 58
Solvency ............................................................................................................................................. 59
The Reading of the 1AC was Good
Education on recycling in round is key to real world solutions
Dinh 14 [Hao Dinh, Grow By Design Nonprofit CEO, “How might we establish better recycling habits
at home?,” https://openideo.com/challenge/recycle-challenge/research/education-tools-goodrecycling-habits, 4/17/14, AR]
If you educate people on the benefits of recycling and provide them the resources that
enables them to recycle, then they will recycle. A real world example prevented
hundreds of disposable water bottles from ending up at the local landfill. During movein day at a local university, there are usually hundreds of disposable plastic water bottles used and
sent to the local landfill. This year, we partnered with the local university to provide reusable water
bottles and free, filtered water to the people moving in. Additionally, when people were refilling
their water bottles, we educated them on the advantages of using reusable water bottles.
We received positive feedback during the event. A month later, we revisited the school and were
VERY happy to see that students used the reusable water bottles we gave them during movein day. From this experience, we strongly believe if you educate people & provide them the
resources needed for them to recycle, they will.
Recycling Education changes future behaviors
HUNBlog 09 [HUNBlog, blog on issues and news in science education, and on science
in general, “Educating Society on Recycling,”
http://hunblog.typepad.com/hunblog/2009/10/educating-society-on-recycling.html,
10/9/2009, AR]
In order to sustain our planet we need to recycle. I am not the most avid recycler, but the current science
course I am in has increased my concern for our planet. With the abuse we impose, I am concerned about how long Earth’s environment
can provide us with the clean air and water we need for survival. After being educated I am more conscious of the need to recycle.
Educating people on why they should recycle is vital in order to change behaviors,
habits, and attitudes pertaining to conserving our planet. One of the excuses people use for not
recycling is that it is inconvenient, but the benefits of recycling are worth being inconvenienced. Recycling preserve our environment by
not releasing harmful gasses from decomposed waste into the environment, which keeps our air clean and healthy to breath. When we
recycle paper products, trees are conserved leaving more trees in the environment to purify the air. The materials that do not
decompose wash into our rivers, lakes, and oceans polluting our water. By recycling these materials, we preserve our drinking water
supplies. Recycling saves land space because less waste is brought to the landfills. In my classroom, educating children on recycling
Children need to be
taught to recycle so they can help preserve our planet’s environment now and when
they become adults.
will be a priority. The benefits of recycling will be discussed and modeled throughout the school year.
Simulation with nanotechnology and its intricacies is key to spur creative
thinking on real world problems
Uddin 01 [Mahbub Uddin, PhD and Professor in Engineering Science at Trinity University,
“Nanotechnology Education,” http://www.actionbioscience.org/education/uddin_chowdhury.html,
August 2001, AR]
Nanotechnology will impact many aspects of daily life. The
emerging field of nanoscience and nanotechnology
is leading to a technological revolution in the new millennium. The application of nanotechnology has
enormous potential to greatly influence the world in which we live. From consumer goods,
electronics, computers, information and biotechnology, to aerospace defense, energy,
environment, and medicine, all sectors of the economy are to be profoundly impacted by
nanotechnology. Nanotechnology’s rapid growth provides challenges to our academic communities. In the United States,
Europe, Australia, and Japan, several research initiatives have been undertaken both by government and members of the private
sector to intensify the research and development in nanotechnology.1 Hundreds of millions of dollars have been committed. Research
and development in nanotechnology is likely to change the traditional practices of design, analysis, and manufacturing for a wide range
of engineering products. This
impact creates a challenge for the academic community to educate
[engineering and other bioscience] students with the necessary knowledge, understanding, and skills
to interact and provide leadership in the emerging world of nanotechnology. Current status
of nanotechnology education Institutions are not providing enough educational
opportunities. The academic community is reacting slowly to prepare the workforce for emerging opportunities in
nanotechnology. Currently, a small number of universities in the USA, Europe, Australia and Japan offer selective graduate programs in
nanoscience and nanotechnology in collaboration with research centers. The primary mission of these centers is to conduct research and
development in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Some research centers also support an associated graduate program within
the patron university. In addition, faculty members in various institutions conduct and manage research programs in the areas of
nanotechnology and nanoscience supported by funding organizations. There are few graduate or undergraduate programs. In the United
States, [some of the] universities that offer either graduate or undergraduate courses in nanoscience or nanotechnology are Clemson
University, Cornell University, Penn State University, Rice University, University of Notre Dame and University of Washington.1 A handful
of universities offer undergraduate engineering degrees in conjunction with undergraduate courses in nanoscience or nanotechnology.
They [include] Virginia Commonwealth University, Penn State University and Flinders University in Australia. Focus on design, analysis
and manufacture of nanocomponents, nanodevices and nanosystems. Nanotechnology in the curriculum The fundamental objective of
nanotechnology is to model, simulate, design and manufacture nanostructures and nanodevices with extraordinary properties and
assemble them economically into a working system with revolutionary functional abilities. Nanotechnology offers a new paradigm of
groundbreaking material development by controlling and manipulating the fundamental building blocks of matter at nanoscale, that is, at
the atomic/molecular level. Therefore, in
order for our students to face the challenges presented by
nanotechnology, the following educational goals should be applied: Provide understanding, characterization
and measurements of nanostructure properties Provide ability for synthesis, processing and manufacturing of nanocomponents and
nanosystems Provide ability for design, analysis and simulation of nanostructures and nanodevices Prepare students to conduct research
and development of economically feasible and innovative applications of nanodevices in all spheres of our daily life. Learning
should take place in and out of the classroom. Teaching strategies Nanotechnology should be
taught by creating both knowledge-centered and learning-centered environments inside
and outside the classroom.2 Because the technology is advancing so fast, activities that
encourage creative thinking, critical thinking and life-long learning should be given the
highest priority. Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary science. Nanotechnology is truly interdisciplinary.
An interdisciplinary curriculum that encompasses a broad understanding of basic sciences
intertwined with engineering sciences and information sciences pertinent to
nanotechnology is essential. [An introductory course, for example, can include the study of DNA, RNA, protein synthesis,
recombinant techniques, genetic engineering, molecular chemistry, cell biology, physics, and other fields.]3,4,5,6,7,8 [Other suggestions
for teaching strategies include:] Course design should incorporate science concepts from different fields. Introductory nanotechnology
courses should be taught more from the perspectives of concept development and qualitative analysis rather than mathematical
derivations. Every effort should be made to convey the big picture and how different learning exercises fit together
to achieve course objectives. Each course should be taught at the appropriate level with required pre-requisites. Junior and senior design
courses, specifically the capstone design courses, should integrate modeling,
simulation, control and optimization
of nanodevices and nanosystems into the course objectives. Every effort should be made to integrate concepts related to
nanotechnology into all design courses. Interactive learning should be the hallmark of nanotechnology education.
Add-ons/Advantages
Science Diplomacy (Read on CPs as offense for
USFG Key or Turn on DA)
US Science and Tech collapsing now-More S&T needed to maintain leadership
– NSB report shows US will be overcome by Asian S&T
NSF 12 – US government agency that supports research and education in science and engineering (“New Report Outlines Trends in
U.S. Global Competitiveness in Science and Technology,” National Science Board, 1/17/12,
http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122859&, AR)
The United States remains the global leader in supporting science and technology (S&T) research and
development, but only by a slim margin that could soon be overtaken by rapidly increasing Asian
investments in knowledge-intensive economies. So suggest trends released in a new report by the
National Science Board (NSB), the policymaking body for the National Science Foundation (NSF),
on the overall status of the science, engineering and technology workforce, education efforts
and economic activity in the United States and abroad. "This information clearly shows we must reexamine long-held assumptions about the global dominance of the American science and
technology enterprise," said NSF Director Subra Suresh of the findings in the Science and Engineering Indicators 2012 released today.
"And we must take seriously new strategies for education, workforce development and
innovation in order for the United States to retain its international leadership position," he said.
More S&T needed to maintain leadership – empirics prove
Hummel et al 12 – Hummel - Ph.D in Mathematics, Chief Scientist at Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, former project manager at
DARPA. Cheetham – Research Associate for Academic Centers and Programs at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, research and
analytical support to policy development projects for DOD (Robert Hummel, Patrick Cheetham, Justin Rossi, “US Science and Technology
Leadership, and Technology Grand Challenges,” Synesis, 2012, http://www.synesisjournal.com/vol3_g/Hummel_2012_G1439.pdf)//AR)
The US enjoys a science and technology (S&T) enterprise that is the envy of the world. Our universities, industries, laboratories, and
government institutions have developed and used technology that has driven economic benefits and secured superpower defense status.
The US remains the leader in S&T innovation, a position enjoyed since World War II. While the health of the US S&T enterprise remains
strong, there are considerable stresses within each major component. Some believe that the US position as leader in S&T could falter, at
least in some fields. We review the stresses in various components of the S&T enterprise and the evidence of trends in S&T quality. We
this leadership position, in order
to be maintained, requires specific challenges, to aim at “goalposts.” While most of the work in the S&T
fields result in incremental improvements to products and capabilities, certain grand challenges are within our
grasp if the science and technology community is provided with specific directions and
priorities. Much as the 1961 call by then-President Kennedy, for a manned mission to the moon and
safe return with a deadline of less than a decade, provided an impetus for advances and
accomplishments that benefited the nation, national security, and society in general, so too it
should be possible to develop certain specific applications in reasonable time-frames that
achieve new specific goals.
conclude that the enterprise maintains a leadership position for now. We believe that
The plan is a long-term strategy that provides a platform for S&T leadership
and U.S. Science Diplomacy in the International Sphere
Dolan 12(Bridget M. Dolan, “Science and Technology Agreements as Tools for Science Diplomacy:
A U.S. Case Study,” Science & Diplomacy, Vol. 1, No. 4 (December 2012), pg online @
http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/files/science_and_technology_agreements_as_tools_for_science_
diplomacy_science__diplomacy.pdf //um-ef, AR)
As this paper has elaborated, U.S.
decisions to enter into S&T agreements are often motivated by
the desire to transform a diplomatic relationship, promote public diplomacy, enhance a diplomatic visit,
and/or advance U.S. national security.
An S&T agreement can be a limited one-time deliverable or it can
be a launching pad for extensive engagement . While the discussions above have focused on drivers for S&T
agreements from the U.S. perspective,
for these agreements to be effective tools of science diplomacy,
implementation matters.
In the last decade, the number of S&T agreements involving the United States has doubled. At the
same time
allocation of U.S. federal resources to designated international programs that
support engagement in science and technology has not kept pace .11 Some science
diplomacy practitioners and academics in the U nited S tates and abroad are concerned
that an S&T agreement with the U nited S tates, while once considered an important tool,
is no longer taken seriously .12 As these types of formal intergovernmental agreements continue to expand, however ,
the long-term benefit to official and nongovernmental relations between countries depends
upon the ability to foster substantial scientific cooperation . It is essential that these
agreements and science diplomacy
more generally—while cognizant of the realities of limited resources— are
ambitious enough to foster meaningful international partnerships .
And that solves every disad impact
Fedoroff 8 – subcommittee on research and science education, committee on science and
technology, House of Representatives, 110 Congress, administrator of USAID, science and
technology advisor to the Secretary of State and US Department of State (Nina, “International
Science and Technology Cooperation,” Government Printing Office, 4/2/2008,
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-110hhrg41470/html/CHRG-110hhrg41470.htm, AR]
The U.S.
is recognized globally for its leadership in science and technology. Our scientific strength is
both a tool of “soft power” – part of our strategic diplomatic arsenal – and a basis for creating partnerships
with countries as they move beyond basic economic and social development. Science diplomacy is a central element of the Secretary’s transformational diplomacy initiative, because
science and technology are essential to achieving stability and strengthening failed and
fragile states. S&T advances have immediate and enormous influence on national and
global economies, and thus on the international relations between societies. Nation states, nongovernmental organizations, and multinational corporations are largely shaped by
Chairman Baird, Ranking Member Ehlers, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, thank you for this opportunity to discuss science diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State.
their expertise in and access to intellectual and physical capital in science, technology, and engineering. Even as S&T advances of our modern era provide opportunities for economic prosperity, some also
America must remain at the
forefront of this new world by maintaining its technological edge, and leading
the way internationally through science diplomacy and engagement. Science by its nature facilitates
diplomacy because it strengthens political relationships, embodies powerful ideals, and creates opportunities for all. The
challenge the relative position of countries in the world order, and influence our social institutions and principles.
global scientific community embraces principles Americans cherish: transparency, meritocracy, accountability, the objective evaluation of evidence, and broad and frequently democratic participation. Science is
inherently democratic, respecting evidence and truth above all. Science is also a common global language, able to bridge deep political and religious divides. Scientists share a common language.
Scientific interactions serve to keep open lines of communication and cultural
understanding. As scientists everywhere have a common evidentiary external reference system, members of ideologically divergent societies can
use the common language of science to cooperatively address both domestic and
the increasingly transnational and global problems confronting humanity in the 21st century. There is a growing recognition
that science and technology will increasingly drive the successful economies of the 21st century. S cience and t echnology provide an immeasurable benefit to the U.S. by bringing
scientists and students here, especially from developing countries, where they see democracy in action, make friends in the international scientific community,
become familiar with American technology, and contribute to the U.S. and global economy. For example, in 2005, over 50% of physical science and engineering graduate students and postdoctoral researchers
trained in the U.S. have been foreign nationals. Moreover, many foreign-born scientists who were educated and have worked in the U.S. eventually progress in their careers to hold influential positions in
ministries and institutions both in this country and in their home countries
.
They also contribute to U.S. s cientific and t echnologic
development: According to the National Science Board’s 2008 Science and Engineering Indicators, 47% of full-time doctoral science and engineering faculty in U.S. research institutions
were foreign-born. Finally, some types of science – particularly those that address the grand challenges in science and technology – are inherently international in scope and collaborative by necessity. The ITER
Project, an international fusion research and development collaboration, is a product of the thaw in superpower relations between Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan. This
reactor will harness the power of nuclear fusion as a possible new and viable energy source by bringing a star to earth. ITER serves as a symbol of international scientific cooperation among key scientific
leaders in the developed and developing world – Japan, Korea, China, E.U., India, Russia, and United States – representing 70% of the world’s current population.. The recent elimination of funding for FY08 U.S.
contributions to the ITER project comes at an inopportune time as the Agreement on the Establishment of the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization for the Joint Implementation of the ITER Project
had entered into force only on October 2007. The elimination of the promised U.S. contribution drew our allies to question our commitment and credibility in international cooperative ventures. More
problematically, it jeopardizes a platform for reaffirming U.S. relations with key states. It should be noted that even at the height of the cold war, the United States used science diplomacy as a means to maintain
communications and avoid misunderstanding between the world’s two nuclear powers – the Soviet Union and the United States. In a complex multi-polar world, relations are more challenging, the threats
perhaps greater, and the need for engagement more paramount. Using Science Diplomacy to Achieve National Security Objectives The welfare and stability of countries and regions in many parts of the globe
Countries that are unable to
defend their people against starvation, or fail to provide economic opportunity,
are susceptible to extremist ideologies, autocratic rule, and abuses of human rights. As well, the world faces
common threats, among them climate change, energy and water shortages, public
require a concerted effort by the developed world to address the causal factors that render countries fragile and cause states to fail.
health emergencies, chemical warfare, terrorism, environmental degradation, poverty,
food insecurity, and religious extremism. These threats can undermine the national security of the United States, both directly and indirectly. Many are
scientific challenges
facing humankind are enormous. Addressing these common challenges demands
common solutions and necessitates scientific cooperation, common standards, and common goals. We
must increasingly harness the power of American ingenuity in science and technology through
blind to political boundaries, becoming regional or global threats. The United States has no monopoly on knowledge in a globalizing world and the
strong partnerships with the science community in both academia and the private sector, in the U.S. and abroad among our allies, to advance U.S. interests in
There are also important challenges to the ability of states to supply their
populations with sufficient food. The still-growing human population, rising affluence in emerging economies, and other factors have combined to create
unprecedented pressures
on global prices of staples such as edible oils and grains. Encouraging and
promoting the use of contemporary molecular techniques in crop improvement
is an essential goal for US science diplomacy. An essential part of the war on terrorism is a war of
ideas. The creation of economic opportunity can do much more to combat the rise of fanaticism than can any weapon. The war of ideas is a war about
rationalism as opposed to irrationalism. Science and technology put us firmly on the side of
rationalism by providing ideas and opportunities that improve people’s lives. We may
use the recognition and the goodwill that science still generates for the United States to achieve our diplomatic and developmental goals. Additionally, the Department
continues to use science as a means to reduce the proliferation of the w eapons’ of m ass
foreign policy.
d estruction and prevent what has been dubbed ‘brain drain’. Through cooperative threat reduction activities, former weapons scientists redirect their skills to participate in peaceful, collaborative
new global efforts focus on improving biological,
chemical, and nuclear security by promoting and implementing best scientific
practices as a means to enhance security, increase global partnerships, and
create sustainability.
international research in a large variety of scientific fields. In addition,
Water Scarcity Add-On
Water Shortages Coming Now
Reuters 13 [“Water scarcity by 2030: True for every second person on earth, UN says,”
http://rt.com/news/water-shortage-un-population-901/, 10/08/13, AR]
About a half of the global population could be facing water shortages by 2030 when
demand would exceed water supply by 40 percent, says United Nations Secretary General
Ban Ki-Moon. Opening the Water Summit in Budapest, Hungary on Tuesday, the UN chief warned
against unsustainable use of water resources. “Water is wasted and poorly used by all sectors in all
countries. That means all sectors in all countries must cooperate for sustainable
solutions. We must use what we have more equitably and wisely,” Ban said, as cited by the UN
website. “By 2030 nearly half the global population could be facing water scarcity. Demand could
outstrip supply by 40 per cent.” Governments cannot cope with the problem on their own, without
the “full engagement” of all other players, including business, Ban underlined. Agriculture remains
the largest consumer of freshwater. “There is growing urgency to reconcile its demands with the
needs of domestic and industrial uses, especially energy production,” the UN Secretary General said.
He urged industrial giants as well as small farmers to learn to get “more crop per drop” by using
advanced irrigation technologies and focusing on “climate-resilient” rather than water intensive
crops (i.e. rice). Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon takes a glass of water as he
makes his opening speech for 'Budapest Water Summit 2013' on the stage of the Millenaris Cultural
Center in Budapest on October 8, 2013 during the beginning of the summit. Ban Ki-moon pays a
visit to Hungary to open this world conference for clean water. (AFP Photo)Secretary General of the
United Nations Ban Ki-moon takes a glass of water as he makes his opening speech for 'Budapest
Water Summit 2013' on the stage of the Millenaris Cultural Center in Budapest on October 8, 2013
during the beginning of the summit. Ban Ki-moon pays a visit to Hungary to open this world
conference for clean water. (AFP Photo) Climate change adds to the risk of water shortages in large
parts of the world and that is another challenge that nations should cooperate on. “We must make
sure that water remains a catalyst for cooperation not conflict among communities and countries,”
Ban stressed. Global warming means not only more droughts, but also more floods. “That is why we
must do everything we can to keep global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels,” the UN chief said. Back in 2000, world leaders adopted Millennium Development
Goals (MDG). Among them was to halve the proportion of the population without sustainable access
to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. “While the MDG target for providing access to
improved water sources has been reached, 780 million people lack this basic necessity,” Ban said on
Tuesday. “Roughly 80 per cent of global wastewater from human settlements or industrial sources
is discharged untreated. Water quality in at least parts of most major river systems still fails to meet
basic World Health Organization standards.” About one-third of people on the planet drink water
that is dangerous for health, while even a larger part of population lack adequate sanitation,
according to the UN chief. “Some 2.5 billion people lack the dignity and health offered by access to a
safe, decent toilet and protection from untreated waste. One billion people practice open
defecation.” Such insanitary practices, common for many developing countries, are considered
among the main causes of diarrhea – the second biggest killer of children in the world after
pneumonia. “Even when it does not kill, repeated diarrhea can cause childhood stunting. These
children are more vulnerable to disease and their brains do not develop as they should,” Ban’s
speech at the Budapest Water Summit reads. In his words, investment in sanitation is a downpayment on a sustainable future, with economists estimating that every dollar spent can bring a
five-fold return. “Our societies cannot prosper without clean, plentiful freshwater. People cannot
thrive without adequate sanitation.” According to the United Nations, Sub-Saharan Africa has the
largest number of water-stressed countries of any region.
Water shortages access all internal links to extinction
Marlow 01 (Maude, Spring) National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians
and IFG Committee on the Globalization of Water. “BLUE GOLD: The Global
Water Crisis and the Commodification of the World's Water Supply,”
http://www.ratical.org/co-globalize/BlueGold.pdf.
the most devastating analysis of the global water crisis comes from
hydrological engineer Michal Kravèík and his team of scientists at the Slovakia nonPerhaps
governmental organization (NGO) People and Water. Kravèík, who has a distinguished career with the Slovak Academy of Sciences, has studied
the effect of urbanization, industrial agriculture, deforestation, dam construction, and infrastructure and paving on water systems in Slovakia
Destroying water's natural habitat not
only creates a supply crisis for people and animals, it also dramatically
diminishes the amount of available fresh water on the planet. Kravèík describes the
and surrounding countries and has come up with an alarming finding.
hydrologic cycle of a drop of water. It must first evaporate from a plant, earth surface, swamp, river, lake or the sea, then fall back down to earth
as precipitation. If the drop of water falls back onto a forest, lake, blade of grass, meadow or field, it cooperates with nature to return to the
hydrologic cycle. "Right of domicile of a drop is one of the basic rights, a more serious right than human rights," says Kravèík. However, if the
earth's surface is paved over, denuded of forests and meadows, and drained of natural springs and creeks, the drop will not form part of river
basins and continental watersheds, where it is needed by people and animals, but head out to sea, where it will be stored. It is like rain falling
The consequent
reduction in continental water basins results in reduced water evaporation
from the earth's surface, and becomes a net loss, while the seas begin to rise. In
onto a huge roof, or umbrella; everything underneath stays dry and the water runs off to the perimeter.
Slovakia, the scientists found, for every 1 percent of roofing, paving, car parks and highways constructed, water supplies decrease in volume by
Kravèík issues a dire warning about the growing number
of what he calls the earth's "hot stains"—places already drained of water. The
"drying out" of the earth will cause massive global warming, with the
attendant extremes in weather: drought, decreased protection from the
atmosphere, increased solar radiation, decreased biodiversity, melting of the polar
icecaps, submersion of vast territories, massive continental desertification
and, eventually, "global collapse."
more than 100 billion meters per year.
Carbon nanotech investment spurs desalination and solves
Science Daily 11 [Science Daily, world-renown science magazine, “From seawater to freshwater
with a nanotechnology filter,”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110531201217.htm, 6/20/2011, AR]
the June 2011 issue of Physics World, Jason Reese, Weir Professor of Thermodynamics and Fluid
Mechanics at the University of Strathclyde, describes the role that carbon nanotubes (CNTs)
could play in the desalination of water, providing a possible solution to the problem
of the world's ever-growing population demanding more and more fresh drinking
water. Global population projections suggest that worldwide demand for water will
increase by a third before 2030. But with more than a billion people already
experiencing drinking-water shortages, and with a potential 3-6 oC increase in temperature
and subsequent redistribution of rainfall patterns, things are likely to get even worse. CNTs -essentially sheets of one-atom thick carbon rolled into cylinders -- have been
investigated by Reese and his research group, using computer simulations, as a new way of
addressing this challenge and transforming abundant seawater into pure, clean
drinking water. Their technique is based on the process of osmosis -- the natural movement of
water from a region with low solute concentration across a permeable membrane to a region with
high concentration. But just as with most existing water-desalination plants, Reese's technique
actually uses the opposite process of "reverse osmosis" whereby water moves in the opposite
direction, leaving the salty water clean. One can imagine a large tank of water, separated into two
sections by a permeable membrane, with one half containing fresh water and the other half
containing seawater. The natural movement of water would move from the fresh water side to the
seawater side to try and dilute the seawater and neutralize the concentrations. But in reverse
osmosis a large amount of pressure is applied to the seawater side of the tank, which reverses the
process, making water move into the fresh-water side and leave the salt behind. Although this
process can remove the necessary salt and mineral content from the water, it is incredibly
inefficient and producing the high pressures is expensive. Reese has, however, shown that CNTs can
realistically expect to have water permeability 20 times that of modern commercial reverseosmosis membranes, greatly reducing the cost and energy required for desalination. Additionally,
CNTs are highly efficient at repelling salt ions, more so because specific chemical groups can be
attached to them to create a specific "gatekeeper" function. As Reese writes, "The holy grail of
reverse-osmosis desalination is combining high water-transport rates with efficient salt-ion
rejection. While many questions still remain, the exciting potential of membranes of nanotubes to
transform desalination and water-purification processes is clear, and is a very real and socially
progressive use of nanotechnology."
Nanolitter
Status Quo Nanotech Causes Toxic Poisoning of the Environment Through
Nanolitter
Vandermolen 2k6
(LCDR Thomas D. Vandermolen, USN (BS, Louisiana Tech University; MA, Naval War College), is officer in charge, Maritime
Science and Technology Center, Yokosuka, Japan. He was previously assigned as a student at the Naval War College, Newport
Naval Station, Rhode Island. He has also served as intelligence officer for Carrier Wing Five, Naval Air Facility, Atsugi, Japan, and
in similar assignments with US Special Operations Command, US Forces Korea, and Sea Control Squadron THIRTY-FIVE, Naval
Air Station, North Island, California. AIR & SPACE POWER JOUNRAL, Fall, 2006, “Molecular nanotechnology and national
security,” pg online @ http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj06/fal06/vandermolen.html //um-ef)
MNT was originally perceived as a potential cure-all for a variety of
environmental problems: nanobots in the atmosphere, for example, could physically repair the ozone layer or remove greenhouse gases. Recently,
however, Current NT is increasingly seen as a potential environmental problem in its
own right. Both NT and MNT are expected to produce large quantities of nanoparticles
and other disposable nanoproducts, the environmental effects of which are currently unknown. This “nanolitter,” small
enough to penetrate living cells, raises the possibility of toxic poisoning of organs ,
either from the nanolitter itself or from toxic elements attached to those nanoparticles.
Environmental Damage.
26
Nanolitter buildup will cause extinction
CRN 4
(Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, 4/19/04, “Disaster Scenarios”,
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2004/07/disaster_scenar.html //nz)
Subquestion F
: Environmental devastation
by overproduction? Preliminary answer:
It would be easy to build
enough nano-litter to cause serious pollution problems . Small nano-built devices
in particular
will be difficult to collect after use. It will also be easy to consume enough energy to change
microclimate and even global climate . Overpopulation is probably not a concern, even in the event of extreme life/health
extension. The more people use high technology, the fewer children they seem to have. Provisional
conclusion : Several plausible
disaster scenarios appear to pose existential threats to the human race .
Nanorecycling produces no nanolitter and solves
Losic 13 [ Dusan Losic, ARC Future Fellow School of Chemical Engineering at the The University of
Adelaide, “Turning plastic bags into high-tech materials,
”http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-09/uoa-tpb092513.php, September 25, 2013, AR]
The researchers were able to turn plastic into nanomaterial by having “grown”
carbon nanotubes onto nanoporous alumina membranes. They used pieces of
grocery plastic bags, which were vaporized in a furnace, to produce carbon layers
that line the pores in the membrane to make the tiny cylinders – the carbon
nanotubes. “Initially, we used ethanol to produce the carbon nanotubes. But my
students had the idea that any carbon source should be useable,” Professor Losic
explained. The huge potential market for carbon nanotubes depends on them being
produced in high quantities more cheaply and uniformly. “In our laboratory, we’ve
developed a new and simplified method of fabrication with controllable dimensions
and shapes, and using a waste produce as the carbon source,” noted Professor Losic.
Additional benefits to recycling these plastic grocery bags with their process is that it
is catalyst and solvent free, which means the plastic waste can be used without
generating poisonous compounds.
Nano Good
Warming
Nanotech key to solve warming – can create new sources of carbon free energy
quickly
Lane et. al 7 (Neal Lane, professor of physics at Rice University, was director of
NSF from 1993 to 1998 and science advisor to President Clinton beginning in
1998. Thomas Kalil, assistant to the chancellor for science and technology at
the University of California at Berkeley, was deputy assistant to the president
for technology and economic policy and deputy director of the National
Economic Council during the Clinton administration, 2007, The National
Nanotechnology Initiative: Present at the Creation,
http://www.issues.org/21.4/lane.html)
Invest in nanotechnology for clean energy. Experts believe that combating global warming
may require the ability to generate 15 to 30 terawatts of car-bon-free energy
worldwide by 2050. By comparison, today’s total global energy consumption is a little less than 15
terawatts. Considering that 85 percent of our current global primary energy consumption is from
fossil fuels, this is a daunting challenge. Researchers have identified a variety of ways
in which nanotechnology could help solve our long-term energy challenges. These
include a dramatic reduction in the cost of photovoltaics, direct photoconversion of
light and water to produce hydrogen, and transformational advances in energy
storage and transmission. The United States desperately needs an Apollo-type project to
reduce the threat of climate change and its dependence on Middle East oil. Nanotechnology could
play a key role in creating new sources of carbon-free energy that are competitive with
fossil fuels.
Solves Tech
Nanotech will be revolutionary technology and spur education
Lane et. al 7 (Neal Lane, professor of physics at Rice University, was director of NSF from 1993 to
1998 and science advisor to President Clinton beginning in 1998. Thomas Kalil, assistant to the
chancellor for science and technology at the University of California at Berkeley, was deputy
assistant to the president for technology and economic policy and deputy director of the National
Economic Council during the Clinton administration, 2007, The National Nanotechnology Initiative:
Present at the Creation, http://www.issues.org/21.4/lane.html)
Advocates made a number of arguments on behalf of the NNI, which we believe are still valid today.
First, nanoscale S&E has the potential to be as important as previous general-purpose
technologies, such as the steam engine, the transistor, and the Internet. At a size of 1 to
100 nanometers, materials, structures, and devices exhibit new and often useful
physical, electrical, mechanical, optical, and magnetic properties. Second, expanded
funding for nanotechnology can help revitalize the physical sciences and engineering,
because it builds on disciplines such as condensed-matter physics, materials science, chemistry, and
engineering. Third, the NNI will help attract and prepare the next generation of
scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs. Because roughly two-thirds of the funding for the
NNI flows to university researchers, it directly supports undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs.
Fourth, it is clear that realizing the potential of nanotechnology will require supporting
long-term high-risk research that is beyond the time horizons of corporations, which
are understandably focused on nearer-term research and product development. As
President Clinton noted in his Caltech speech, “Some of these [nanotechnology] research goals will
take 20 or more years to achieve. But that is why . . . there is such a critical role for the federal
government.” Finally, a 1998 technology evaluation concluded that global leadership in
nanotechnology was up for grabs. We hoped that the NNI would allow the United States to
strengthen its position in this critical technology.
Nanotech can cure cancer and incentivizes universities to invest in their
educational services
Lane et. al 7 (Neal Lane, professor of physics at Rice University, was director of NSF from 1993 to
1998 and science advisor to President Clinton beginning in 1998. Thomas Kalil, assistant to the
chancellor for science and technology at the University of California at Berkeley, was deputy
assistant to the president for technology and economic policy and deputy director of the National
Economic Council during the Clinton administration, 2007, The National Nanotechnology Initiative:
Present at the Creation, http://www.issues.org/21.4/lane.html)
The NNI funding has resulted in an expansion of fundamental understanding of nanoscale
phenomena and many research results with potentially revolutionary applications. In widely cited
journals such as Science, Nature, and Physical Review Letters,the percentage of journal articles
related to nanoscale S&E has increased from 1 percent in 1992 to over 5 percent by 2003. The
breadth of activity is impressive. For example, researchers are developing:¶ The use of gold
nanoshells with localized heating for the targeted destruction of malignant cancer
cells, an approach that involves minimal side effects.¶ Genetically engineered viruses that
can self-assemble inorganic materials such as gallium arsenide.¶ Low-cost hybrid
solar cells that combine inorganic “nanorods” with conducting polymers.¶ A scale
that can detect a zeptogram, the weight of a single protein.¶ Quantum dots that can
“slow light,” opening the door to all-optical networks.¶ Nanoscale iron particles that can reduce
the costs of cleaning up contaminated groundwater.¶ The increased funding has also
triggered broader institutional responses at leading U.S. research universities.
Universities are hiring more faculty in this interdisciplinary area, investing in new
buildings that are capable of housing 21st-century nanoscience research and creating shared
facilities for nanoscale imaging, characterization, synthesis, and fabrication. Colleges and
departments are experimenting in educating truly interdisciplinary nanoscientists
and engineers, with new courses, lab rotations, and two or more faculty mentors in different
disciplines.
Environment
Nanotech solves the hydrogen economy- faster generation, integral to solve
Walsh 7 (Ben, MSci PhD MRSC, “Environmentally Beneficial Nanotechnologies”, May
2007, http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology/reports/reportpdf/report86.pdf
//nz)
Hydrogen (and oxygen as a by‐product) can be generated through electrolysis or directly
catalysed decomposition of water. Hydrogen can then potentially be stored
indefinitely, although its small molecular size and gaseous nature make storage
difficult when combined with the need for substantial energy densities. Using fuel cells,
hydrogen can be reacted with oxygen (usually from the atmosphere) to generate water
and usable electricity. Nanotechnology is likely to be a key component in generation,
storage and use of hydrogen as a fuel source. If the electricity used to generate the hydrogen
from water is produced via renewable means, this system could be used to store and
transport excess electricity. Hydrogen has the potential to replace traditional
hydrocarbons as the major source of energy in the UK. There are three stages to this
process where nanotechnology is likely to play a leading role: • the generation of
hydrogen from water • the storage of hydrogen • the controlled reaction of hydrogen
with oxygen to form electricity (fuel cell). Hydrogen generation via electrolysis This
method electrically charges two plates containing a catalyst which converts water into oxygen and
hydrogen. Nanoparticles and nanostructures on the surface of these plates can
increase the overall efficiency and speed of this process. This technique could reduce the
cost of developing an extensive hydrogen transport network by greater production of hydrogen by
the end user. Recent research into porphyrin (a common molecule used by plants in
photosynthesis) nanotubes with particles of platinum coated onto their surface has
shown promise as an effective catalyst for photolytic splitting of water. Although in its
early stages, there is the potential for nanotechnology to provide a solution from an
unexpected avenue. Light metal hydrides react with hydrogen, essentially encapsulating the
hydrogen on the surface of the compound. To maximise hydrogen absorption, such
materials are likely to be in the form of nanopowders or nanoporous matrices to
expose the largest surface area to hydrogen gas. Therefore nanotechnology is
integral to this method of hydrogen storage.
Nanotech solves fuel additives and efficiency, 7% improvement, tech available
Walsh 7 (Ben, MSci PhD MRSC, “Environmentally Beneficial Nanotechnologies”, May
2007, http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology/reports/reportpdf/report86.pdf
//nz)
Fuel and lubricant additives are near or at‐market sol
utions that can deliver
small but globally significant carbon savings and emissions reductions through use in
conventional engine systems without modification. We estimate that nanotechnology can
deliver 7 % improvement in fuel consumption and pollution emissions across the two
applications with greatest improvements in diesel engine fuel consumption and
emissions. Given the concerns of climate change due to fossil fuel consumption and
threats to public health from particulate emissions from road transport, there is a justification
for government intervention for the common good. This could take the form of
accelerating health and safety research, combined with support for validation trials. Given that
this technology is currently available, it is possible to estimate its implementation
cost. This is approximately £20‐£80 per tonne of carbon dioxide and therefore compares
favourably with Defra’s figure of the social cost of carbon at around £70 per tonne. It also
compares favourably with the cost of using bio‐diesel estimated to give a carbon cost of
£140 per tonne of carbon dioxide. A key issue will be the trade off (if any) between support for such
modest near market developments and support for longer term more radical changes that will
deliver much greater environmental benefit, but will require greater system changes in order to
achieve them. Supporting solely such near market solutions may simply reinforce the
current fossil fuel based technology unless funding for alternative, more resource
efficient technologies is provided at the same time. Nanocoatings for turbines is a much
less contentious area in which conventional R&D support aids the development of advanced
coatings. We estimate that nanotechnology based coatings and surface treatments are
likely to improve turbine efficiencies by about 0.5% after fuller development.
However potential risks are much lower and, because of the primacy of specification
and approval procedures, government policy has much less capacity for influence. We propose
therefore that there are no special policy issues of contention to be raised.
Nanotech solves solar cells - improves overall efficiency, and are extremely
cheeap
Walsh 7 (Ben, MSci PhD MRSC, “Environmentally Beneficial Nanotechnologies”, May
2007, http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology/reports/reportpdf/report86.pdf
//nz)
Photovoltaic technologies offer a potentially unlimited source of emission free,
renewable energy by converting sunlight into electricity. The development of this
alternative energy source is dependent on the availability of the energy generator and primarily
solar radiation. This is clearly dependant on location and weather conditions. More favourable sites,
such as Saharan Africa, can provide approximately 2,300KWh/m2 of energy per year, whereas, in
the UK, the higher latitudes and less accommodating weather conditions result in practical levels
possibly as low as 800KWh/m2 of energy per year. Based on current state of the art solar cells, this
equates to approximately 20‐30m2 of solar cell required to power the average household. A
potentially better metric than overall efficiency of a solar cell is to examine the cost
of electricity generation. Currently, for the best suited sites, photovoltaic power generation,
costs approximately €4‐5/W. Current estimates suggest that these costs can be reduced to €3.5/W
by 2010 and €2/W by 2020, with a further decrease to about €1/W by 2030, but all these
predictions are based on the assumption that major breakthroughs will occur in
photovoltaic technologies. It is also assumed that energy conversion efficiencies will
increase to between 30% and 50% after 2030. These major breakthroughs are, in
part, predicted to emerge from the incorporation of nanotechnology. Nanoparticle
silicon systems. It is hoped that by using nanoparticles of silicon the manufacturing costs
can be reduced and (due to increases in surface area) the overall efficiency of the solar
cell can be improved. However there are problems with the nanoparticles oxidising which limits
the efficiency of the devices. New encapsulation technologies are required to abate this problem.
Also the cost of silicon is a significant portion (approximately 40%) of the overall cost. Flexible film
technology. A thin sheet of polymer can be coated in photovoltaic nanoparticles to
create what is essentially a flexible solar cell. These flexible film solar cells could
potentially be extremely cheap to produce (orders of magnitude cheaper than silicon cells).
A major obstacle to the development of these systems is the development of a coating technology
which provides flexible adhesion of the nanoparticles to the plastic film. Techniques such as inkjet
printing or roll‐to‐roll printing may provide a high throughput solution.
Nanotech solves batteries- greater and faster charges
Walsh 7 (Ben, MSci PhD MRSC, “Environmentally Beneficial Nanotechnologies”, May
2007, http://www.nanowerk.com/nanotechnology/reports/reportpdf/report86.pdf
//nz)
The problems of range and power are being addressed. For example the Tesla Roadster fully
electric sports car(due to be released in early 2008) has similar performance to a Porsche
Boxster and has a range of 250 miles. However, its recharge time is still several
hours. Nanotechnology is seen as a lead candidate to address this problem. In a Li‐ion
battery, the recharge and discharge rate are limited by the rate of adsorption and desorption of
lithium from the anode and cathode of the battery. An increase in surface area of the
electrode will allow more lithium to absorb faster onto the surface of the electrode.
Also, in theory, these systems can store greater charges because there is a larger
surface area for the lithium to react with. Research on batteries involving
nanotechnology is focused on developing nanostructured electrodes which provide a
high surface area, are low cost, easy to produce and stable (to avoid reduction in battery
performance over its lifetime). In the USA, Altairnano have replaced the carbon graphite electrode
of a standard Li‐ion battery with a nanostructured lithium titanate spinel oxide (LTO) electrode.
These electrodes are claimed to have a 100 times higher surface area than the
standard graphite electrode speeding the recharge and discharge rate of the battery.
The low reactivity of these materials reduces the reactions between the electrode and the
electrolyte which can increase charging time. The low reactivity of the electrode also extends the
lifetime of the battery and allows it to function in more extreme climates than conventional Li‐ion
batteries. However, the battery holds less charge than a conventional Li‐ion battery. This battery
system is being used by the Phoenix Motor Company (based in California) in an electric vehicle
which is due for limited release in 2007. Using a special adaptor the car can be charged in under ten
minutes or overnight using conventional mains plugs. It also addresses part of the stigma associated
with electric powered vehicles, as it is certified for use on freeways, has a top speed of 95 mph and a
range of 130 miles. It is planned to extend this range to 250 miles by 2008. Hence companies are
claiming significant advances based on nanotechnologies in making electric cars
competitive with liquid fuelled ones. These developments, if fully verified, are likely to be 5‐
10 years from introduction onto the mass market. Qinetiq are collaborating with several major
battery and automotive manufacturers to develop new batteries. The research is industrially
sensitive but does involve using nanostructures to improve battery performance.
Researchers at the University of St Andrews are developing nanostructured materials which are
able to hold more lithium than standard Li‐ion battery electrodes. The development of these
materials is likely to result in batteries with higher charge density.
Bioterror
Nanotech solves bioterror and disease
Foladori et al 05
Professor at Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas; Invernizzi-Senior associate
at the Wilson Center (Guillermo, Noela, “Nanotechnology and the Developing
World:¶ Will Nanotechnology Overcome Poverty or¶ Widen Disparities?”,
2005, Vol. 2, Issue 3, Article 11,
http://estudiosdeldesarrollo.net/administracion/docentes/documentos_pers
onales/11947LBJ.pdf//VS)
Ageing mechanisms could be retarded and ¶ even reversed, with the human lifespan’s being lengthened
significantly. With these artificial sensors, a¶ person could become a bionic being, improving her
biological capacities and developing others. Some ¶ even envision nanotechnology applications that
will improve human perception and ability at¶ fundamental levels. The field of prostheses is also
among the most promising.¶ In the materials field, one novelty will be intelligent nanoparticles.
Your wardrobe, for example, ¶ could be reduced to one single article. The item of clothing you have will react to changes in ¶
temperature, rainfall, snow and sun, among other elements, keeping the body always at the programmed ¶ temperature. Furthermore, it
will repel sweat and dust, which will mean that it will not require washing. ¶ As if this were not enough, it would
stop
bacteria or viruses from penetrating it, protecting it even from ¶ possible bioterrorist
attacks. In the case of an accident, your clothes would have healing effects, offering ¶
first aid. The same that applies to clothing could be adapted to certain dwellings and modes of transport. ¶ Another novelty is that
carbon nanotubes are stronger than steel and only 1/6 of its weight. This will have ¶ a special impact on the aerospace, construction,
automobile industries and many others. The field of computer science will be one of the earliest industries affected and will enjoy the
most ¶ revolutionary change. Computers can be a hundred times faster and much smaller and lighter, and can be ¶ custom built according
to the tastes of the buyer in terms of design, size, shape, color, smell and ¶ resistance. Prototypes with built-in sensors will speed up
designs, adapting to flexible production ¶ processes in different parts of the world, overcoming many of the barriers that distance now
imposes. ¶ The old “just-in-time” production mode will become obsolete and may very well become the “as-youneed” mode of
production. The possibilities for monopolistic concentration of production (global ¶ business enterprises) will multiply.¶ The
combination of computerized systems, chemical laboratories, miniature sensors and
living ¶ beings adapted to specific functions will revolutionize medicine (e.g., lab-on-a-chip)
and also provide ¶ rapid solutions to the historical problems of contamination. Small bacteria with
sensors may be able to ¶ consume bodies of water that have been contaminated by
heavy metals, or decontaminate the atmosphere ¶ in record time. Nanocapsules with combined
systems of sensors and additives will revolutionize the ¶ industries such as lubricants, pharmaceuticals and filters, to make no mention of
others
Immortality
Nanotech revolutionizes biological functions—removes age restrictions—
infinite resource access and space colonization solves overpopulation—our
evidence assumes your warrants
***[not really sure how useful this card is, but it’s pretty badass]***
Merta 10
(E. Merta, University of New Mexico School of Law, Health Sciences Library,
“THE NANOTECHNOLOGY AGENDA:¶ MOLECULAR MACHINES AND SOCIAL
TRANSFORMATION¶ IN THE 21st CENTURY”, 3/22/2010,
http://www.checs.net/checs_00/presentations/nanotech.htm//VS)
The same technology, they say, can be used to prevent aging. Since aging is simply a
breakdown in the biochemical processes of cells over time, and nanorobots can
eventually be used to prevent any such breakdown, human cells and the bodies they
form can be preserved in a healthy condition indefinitely. Inherent limits on the human
lifespan need no longer exist in the nanotechnology era, and so they should be removed .
Drexler and his colleagues thus favor the possibility of centuries-long life spans for any individual as a deliberate objective of human societies.[41] According
nanotechnology to preserve health and youth can and should enable the elimination of
weakness, infirmity, and limits on human ability. Any cellular or physiological
process that exists in nature will, in all likelihood, be amenable to duplication and improvement by
nanoscale devices. The resulting capability for full control of human cell structure and physiology will
mean that handicaps like blindness, deafness, and paralysis need no longer exist. Artificial nanotech cells,
organs, and limbs will permit elimination of age-old limits on strength, endurance,
and agility. Bones could be made of diamond, for instance, or lungs rebuilt to breathe
poisonous atmospheres. Brain enhancements by means of artificial, improved neurons will
mean that limits on memory and intelligence need no longer exist. A single artificial
neuron could store the entire Library of Congress, accessible to an individual on demand.
Brains could have the ability to link directly via nanoengineered devices with computers, with other brains, or
with the Internet. All persons, the nanotechnologist social agenda posits, should have access to physical and mental performance
to their worldview, the use of
all
enhancements that seem, after extensive research, safe and beneficial.[42]¶ While nanotechnology alters the basics of human biology, nanotechnologists
maintain, molecular manufacturing should be used to eliminate scarcity and poverty from society. In Drexler�s vision, self-replicating nanorobots able to
reshape matter at will promise to bring abundance, prosperity, and comfort to the whole human population for the first time since humans arrived on Earth.
In the age of nanotechnology, households inhabited by immortal, healthy, energetic enhanced humans could come equipped with home manufacturing
devices able to provide all the basic necessities of life for very little cost. This low cost will result from three factors. First, the basic raw material of all
manufacturing will become carbon, an element that the Earth�s environment provides in virtually limitless abundance. Second, the nanorobots that do the
manufacturing will be self-replicating. You only need to build one �it will then copy itself as needed, for free, without human labor, so long as carbon raw
materials are available. Third, Drexler predicates his vision on the argument that molecular manufacturing will ultimately be controlled by automated,
artificial intelligence systems capable of operating largely without human direction. Such systems will be made possible, he contends, by nanomedical
research into the structure and workings of the human brain. Self replication, abundant carbon, and artificial intelligence will, it is hoped, eliminate the
scarcity of labor, raw materials and other resources that once limited the availability of products. Human material needs will be fulfilled simply by asking an
automated manufacturing facility to make a desired object �whether it be food, a rocket engine, medical nanorobots, a kitchen knife, clothing, or a
house.[43]¶ On the issue of nanotech solutions to scarcity, the nanotechnologists�argument again goes: since we can, we should. To them, the self evident
desirability of eradicating poverty and ensuring a healthy, prosperous life for all human beings outweigh, on balance, any potential objections to
nanotechnology.
Confronting fears that greatly lengthened life spans would lead to even greater
overpopulation than exists today, the nanotech visionaries respond that nano-driven
material abundance would provide for the population�s needs while nano-enabled space
travel would provide greatly expanded living space . The entire solar system, and perhaps
beyond, would become the home of humanity. Individual mobility, freedom,
opportunity, and prosperity would be available to an unprecedented extent. The
science and technology community would be morally remiss, Eric Drexler writes, if it failed to
pursue this opportunity to build a decent life for the whole human family and put an end to the most ancient
forms of human suffering.[44]
Energy
Nanotech solves clean energy and environmental sustainability
Merta 10
(E. Merta, University of New Mexico School of Law, Health Sciences Library,
“THE NANOTECHNOLOGY AGENDA:¶ MOLECULAR MACHINES AND SOCIAL
TRANSFORMATION¶ IN THE 21st CENTURY”, 3/22/2010,
http://www.checs.net/checs_00/presentations/nanotech.htm//VS)
By permitting complete control over the structure of matter, nanotechnologists contend, molecular
manufacturing will enable previously unthinkable advances in energy,
environmental, and transportation systems. Molecule sized solar collectors and
batteries, for example, could be woven directly into the structure of every manufactured
object on Earth, providing an effectively limitless source of clean energy for
technological civilization.[29] Swarms of nanorobots could be released into the
Earth�s environment to break down and neutralize pollutant materials in the
ground, air, and water.[30]
Space Colonization
Nanotech key to space colonization
Merta 10
(E. Merta, University of New Mexico School of Law, Health Sciences Library,
“THE NANOTECHNOLOGY AGENDA:¶ MOLECULAR MACHINES AND SOCIAL
TRANSFORMATION¶ IN THE 21st CENTURY”, 3/22/2010,
http://www.checs.net/checs_00/presentations/nanotech.htm//VS)
And space
travel could at last be made cheap and easily accessible to the entire
population. Drexler has postulated a nanoengineered rocket about the size of a sports car that
would carry a single person into orbit while weighing about 60 kilograms, absent passengers and fuel.[31] The
lightness and minimal fuel requirements of such vehicles means they would be cheap to
manufacture and operate, allowing large numbers of people ready access to Earth
orbit and the regions beyond. Molecular manufacturing in space would be as cheap
and quick as on Earth, thus allowing economical construction of the large, complex
vehicles and facilities necessary for colonization of the solar system. The
nanotechnology era, its enthusiasts predict, will finally see massive human expansion into the
final frontier. [32]¶ Believers in nanotechnology�s potential depict a future filled with
breath-taking technological marvels.
Poverty/Resrouce Scarcity
Nanotechnology ELIMINATES poverty and resource scarcity—comparatively
outweighs any negative effects
Merta 10
(E. Merta, University of New Mexico School of Law, Health Sciences Library,
“THE NANOTECHNOLOGY AGENDA:¶ MOLECULAR MACHINES AND SOCIAL
TRANSFORMATION¶ IN THE 21st CENTURY”, 3/22/2010,
http://www.checs.net/checs_00/presentations/nanotech.htm//VS)
While
nanotechnology
alters the basics of human biology, nanotechnologists maintain, molecular
manufacturing
should be used to eliminate scarcity and poverty from society . In Drexler�s vision, self-
replicating nanorobots able to reshape matter at will promise to bring abundance,
prosperity, and comfort to the whole human population for the first time since
humans arrived on Earth. In the age of nanotechnology, households inhabited by
immortal, healthy, energetic enhanced humans could come equipped with home
manufacturing devices able to provide all the basic necessities of life for very little
cost. This low cost will result from three factors. First, the basic raw material of all
manufacturing will become carbon, an element that the Earth�s environment
provides in virtually limitless abundance. Second, the nanorobots that do the
manufacturing will be self-replicating. You only need to build one �it will then copy
itself as needed, for free, without human labor, so long as carbon raw materials are available. Third,
Drexler predicates his vision on the argument that molecular manufacturing will ultimately be
controlled by automated, artificial intelligence systems capable of operating largely
without human direction. Such systems will be made possible, he contends, by
nanomedical research into the structure and workings of the human brain. Self
replication, abundant carbon, and artificial intelligence will , it is hoped, eliminate the scarcity
of labor, raw materials and other resources that once limited the availability of products .
Human material needs will be fulfilled simply by asking an automated
manufacturing facility to make a desired object �whether it be food, a rocket engine, medical nanorobots, a
kitchen knife, clothing, or a house.[43]¶ On the issue of nanotech solutions to scarcity, the nanotechnologists�
argument again goes: since we can, we should. To them, the self evident desirability of
eradicating poverty and ensuring a healthy, prosperous life for all human beings outweigh ,
on balance,
any potential objections to nanotechnology . Confronting fears that greatly lengthened life spans would
lead to even greater overpopulation than exists today, the nanotech visionaries respond that nano-driven material abundance would
provide for the population�s needs while nano-enabled space travel would provide greatly expanded living space. The entire solar
system, and perhaps beyond, would become the home of humanity. Individual mobility, freedom, opportunity, and prosperity would be
available to an unprecedented extent. The science and technology community would be morally remiss, Eric Drexler writes, if it failed to
pursue this opportunity to build a decent life for the whole human family and put an end to the most ancient forms of human
suffering.[44]
Energy
Nanotech is key to sustainable energy access—prefer our evidence, it cites an
expert consensus
Science Daily 05
(Science Daily Magazine, “Nanotechnology's Miniature Answers To Developing
World's Biggest Problems”, 05/12/2005,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050512120050.htm//VS)
With a high degree of unanimity, panelists selected energy production, conversion
and storage, along with creation of alternative fuels, as the area where nanotechnology applications
are most likely to benefit developing countries.¶ "Economic development and energy
consumption are inextricably linked," says Singer. "If nanotechnology can help developing
countries to move towards energy self-sufficiency, then the benefits of economic
growth will become that much more accessible."¶ Study leader Dr. Fabio Salamanca-Buentello explained that
nano-structured materials are being used to build a new generation of solar cells,
hydrogen fuel cells and novel hydrogen storage systems that will deliver clean
energy to countries still reliant on traditional, non-renewable contaminating fuels.¶ As
well, recent advances in the creation of synthetic nano-membranes embedded with
proteins are capable of turning light into chemical energy.¶ "These technologies will help
people in developing countries avoid recurrent shortages and price fluctuations that
come with dependence on fossil fuels, as well as the environmental consequences of
mining and burning oil and coal," he says.
Ag
Nanotech solves agricultural production and soil fertility
Science Daily 05
(Science Daily Magazine, “Nanotechnology's Miniature Answers To Developing
World's Biggest Problems”, 05/12/2005,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050512120050.htm//VS)
Number two on the list is agriculture, where
science is developing a range of inexpensive
nanotech applications to increase soil fertility and crop production, and help
eliminate malnutrition - a contributor to more than half the deaths of children under five in
developing countries.¶ Nanotech materials are in development for the slow release
and efficient dosage of fertilizers for plants and of nutrients and medicines for
livestock. Other agricultural developments include nano-sensors to monitor the health
of crops and farm animals and magnetic nano-particles to remove soil contaminants.¶
Agriculture production in developing countries is key to GLOBAL food security
and poverty reduction
UN 08
(United Nations, “Addressing the global food crisis Key trade, investment and
commodity policies in ¶ ensuring sustainable food security and ¶ alleviating poverty”,
2008, http://unctad.org/en/Docs/osg20081_en.pdf//VS)
15. There are less obvious structural long-term causes of the global ¶ food crisis that are just
as significant and that have indeed led to have ¶ such a serious impact on food availability.
These structural factors ¶ mainly affect the supply side – in particular, the difficulties many ¶
developing countries face in increasing agricultural production and ¶ productivity to
meet food domestic consumption and for international ¶ trade. The causes of this production
crisis have profound implications ¶ for food security (and poverty reduction) in terms
of production, ¶ consumption and trade in developing countries. To a large extent, these ¶
problems stem from the inherent tensions that exist because the ¶ agriculture and food sectors are seen as being unlike any other
economic ¶ sector. Such tensions raise important policy issues which will have to be ¶ addressed in a balanced manner so that factors
that have contributed to ¶ the current crisis can be addressed for the benefit of all affected. ¶ 16. The
fundamental factor
underlying the supply shortage is that, ¶ particularly in the last two decades, agricultural
productivity has been ¶ relatively low in developing countries and even decreasing in many ¶ LDCs
– a symptom of long-term neglect of the agricultural sector. On ¶ average, annual agricultural productivity in LDCs
(as measured by total ¶ factor production (land and labour)) between 1961 and 2003 showed a ¶ decline of 0.1 per cent, as
against only about 0.6 per cent for developing ¶ countries. In LDCs and African countries, these low agriculture
growth rates have had important adverse implications for economic ¶ growth and
poverty reduction. Even in rapidly growing large developing ¶ countries such as India, however, many farmers continue to
lead lives of ¶ mere subsistence
Space Col/Asteroids
Nanotechnology key to launch vehicles—overcomes status quo cost hurdles
Globus et al 98
(A. Globus*, D. Bailey**, J. Han***, R. Jaffe****, C. Levit*****, R. Merkle******, D.
Srivastava*******, * Senior Research Associate for Human Factors Research
and Technology at San Jose State University at NASA Ames Research Center.
Research associate at the Molecular Engineering Laboratory in the chemistry
department of the University of California at Santa Cruz, ** senior scientist for
the computational research department at Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, *** professor in geotechnical engineering at Department of Civil,
Environmental, & Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas,
****no qualifications cited, ***** Creon Levit is a research scientist ¶ in the
Advanced Supercomputing ¶ Division at NASA Ames Research ¶ Center, ******
computer scientist, researcher, and leading proponent of molecular
manufacturing, ******* Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and
Biophysics¶ Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and Biophysics,
“NASA applications of molecular nanotechnology”, Journal of the British
Interplanetary Society, volume 51, pp. 145-152, 1998,
http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/NASAapplications.html//VS)
Launch Vehicles¶ [Drexler 92a] proposed a nanotechnology based on diamond and investigated
its potential properties. In particular, he examined applications for materials with a
strength similar to that of diamond (69 times strength/mass of titanium). This would require a very mature
nanotechnology constructing systems by placing atoms on diamond surfaces one or a few at a time in parallel. Assuming diamondoid
materials, [McKendree 95] predicted the performance of several existing single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle designs. The predicted
payload to dry mass ratio for these vehicles using titanium as a structural material varied from < 0 (the vehicle won't work) to 36%, i.e.,
the vehicle weighs substantially more than the payload. With hypothetical diamondoid materials the ratios varied from 243% to 653%,
i.e., the payload weighs far more than the vehicle. Using
a very simple cost model ($1000 per vehicle kilogram) sometimes
estimated the cost per kilogram launched to low-Earth-orbit
for diamondoid structured vehicles should be $153-412. This would meet NASA's
2020 launch to orbit cost goals. Estimated costs for titanium structured vehicles varied from $16,000-59,000/kg.
Although this cost model is probably adequate for comparison, the absolute costs are suspect.¶ [Drexler
92b] used a more speculative methodology to estimate that a four passenger SSTO weighing three tons
including fuel could be built using a mature nanotechnology. Using McKendree's cost model, such a
vehicle would cost about $60,000 to purchase -- the cost of today's high-end luxury automobiles.¶ These
studies assumed a fairly advanced nanotechnology capable of building diamondoid materials . In the nearer term, it may
be possible to develop excellent structural materials using carbon nanotubes. Carbon
used in the aerospace industry, he
nanotubes have a Young's modulus of approximately one terapascal -- comparable to diamond. Studies of carbon nanotube strength
include [Treacy 96], [Yacobson 96], and [Srivastava 97a].
Nanotech key to light sail production—the impact is efficient interplanetary
transportation
Globus et al 98
(A. Globus*, D. Bailey**, J. Han***, R. Jaffe****, C. Levit*****, R. Merkle******, D.
Srivastava*******, * Senior Research Associate for Human Factors Research
and Technology at San Jose State University at NASA Ames Research Center.
Research associate at the Molecular Engineering Laboratory in the chemistry
department of the University of California at Santa Cruz, ** senior scientist for
the computational research department at Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, *** professor in geotechnical engineering at Department of Civil,
Environmental, & Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas,
****no qualifications cited, ***** Creon Levit is a research scientist ¶ in the
Advanced Supercomputing ¶ Division at NASA Ames Research ¶ Center, ******
computer scientist, researcher, and leading proponent of molecular
manufacturing, ******* Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and
Biophysics¶ Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and Biophysics,
“NASA applications of molecular nanotechnology”, Journal of the British
Interplanetary Society, volume 51, pp. 145-152, 1998,
http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/NASAapplications.html//VS)
Interplanetary transportation¶ [Drexler 92b] calculates that lightsails made of 20 nm
aluminum in tension should achieve an outward acceleration of ~14 km/s per day at Earth orbit with no
payload and minimal structural overhead. For comparison, the delta V from low Earth to geosynchronous
orbit is 3.8 km/s. Lightsails generate thrust by reflecting sunlight. Tension is achieved by rotating
the sail. The direction of thrust is normal to the sail and away from the Sun. By directing
thrust along or against the velocity vector, orbits can be lowered or raised. This form
of transportation requires no reaction mass and generates thrust continuously, although
the instantaneous acceleration is small so sails cannot operate in an atmosphere and must be large for even moderate payloads.
Nanotech key to space transportation technology
Globus et al 98
(A. Globus*, D. Bailey**, J. Han***, R. Jaffe****, C. Levit*****, R. Merkle******, D.
Srivastava*******, * Senior Research Associate for Human Factors Research
and Technology at San Jose State University at NASA Ames Research Center.
Research associate at the Molecular Engineering Laboratory in the chemistry
department of the University of California at Santa Cruz, ** senior scientist for
the computational research department at Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, *** professor in geotechnical engineering at Department of Civil,
Environmental, & Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas,
****no qualifications cited, ***** Creon Levit is a research scientist ¶ in the
Advanced Supercomputing ¶ Division at NASA Ames Research ¶ Center, ******
computer scientist, researcher, and leading proponent of molecular
manufacturing, ******* Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and
Biophysics¶ Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and Biophysics,
“NASA applications of molecular nanotechnology”, Journal of the British
Interplanetary Society, volume 51, pp. 145-152, 1998,
http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/NASAapplications.html//VS)
The strength of materials and computational capabilities previously discussed for space
transportation should also allow much more advanced aircraft. Stronger, lighter
materials can obviously make aircraft with greater lift and range. More powerful
computers are invaluable in the design stage and of great utility in advanced
avionics.¶ Active surfaces for aeronautic control¶ MEMS technology has been used to
replace traditional large control structures on aircraft with large numbers of small MEMS controlled surfaces.
This control system was used to operate a model airplane in a windtunnel. Nanotechnology should allow even
finer control -- finer control than exhibited by birds, some of which can hover in a light breeze with very little wing motion.
Nanotechnology should also enable extremely small aircraft.¶ Complex Shapes¶ A reasonably
advanced nanotechnology should be able to make simple atomically precise materials
under software control. If the control is at the atomic level, then the full range of
shapes possible with a given material should be achievable. Aircraft construction requires complex
shapes to accommodate aerodynamic requirements. With molecular nanotechnology, strong complexshaped components might be manufactured by general purpose machines under
software control.¶ Payload Handling¶ The aeronautics mission is responsible for launch vehicle development. Payload
handling is an important function. Very efficient payload handling might be
accomplished by a very advanced swarm. The sequence begins by placing each payload on a single large swarm located
next to the shuttle orbiter. The swarm forms itself around the payloads and then moves them into the payload bay, arranging the
payloads to optimize the center of gravity and other considerations. The
swarm holds the payload in place
during launch and may even damp out some launch vibrations. On orbit, satellites can be
launched from the payload bay by having the swarm give them a gentle push. The
swarm can then be left in orbit, perhaps at a space station, and used for orbital operations.
Nanotech key to small asteroid retrieval—that solves space colonization
Globus et al 98
(A. Globus*, D. Bailey**, J. Han***, R. Jaffe****, C. Levit*****, R. Merkle******, D.
Srivastava*******, * Senior Research Associate for Human Factors Research
and Technology at San Jose State University at NASA Ames Research Center.
Research associate at the Molecular Engineering Laboratory in the chemistry
department of the University of California at Santa Cruz, ** senior scientist for
the computational research department at Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory, *** professor in geotechnical engineering at Department of Civil,
Environmental, & Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas,
****no qualifications cited, ***** Creon Levit is a research scientist ¶ in the
Advanced Supercomputing ¶ Division at NASA Ames Research ¶ Center, ******
computer scientist, researcher, and leading proponent of molecular
manufacturing, ******* Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and
Biophysics¶ Professor of Pediatrics and of Biochemistry and Biophysics,
“NASA applications of molecular nanotechnology”, Journal of the British
Interplanetary Society, volume 51, pp. 145-152, 1998,
http://www.zyvex.com/nanotech/NASAapplications.html//VS)
In situ resource
utilization is undoubtedly necessary for large scale colonization of the solar
system. Asteroids are particularly promising for orbital use since many are in near Earth orbits. Moving
asteroids into low Earth orbit for utilization poses a safety problem should the asteroid get out
of control and enter the atmosphere. Very small asteroids can cause significant destruction. The 1908
Tunguska explosion, which [Chyba 93) calculated to be a 60 meter diameter stony asteroid, leveled 2,200 km2 of forest. [Hills 93]
calculated that 4 meter diameter iron asteroids are near the threshold for ground damage. Both these calculations assumed high collision
speeds. At a density of 7.7 g/cm3 [Babadzhanov 93], a 3 meter diameter asteroid should have a mass of about 110 tons. [Rabinowitz 97]
estimates that there
are about one billion ten meter diameter near Earth asteroids and
there should be far more smaller objects.¶ For colonization applications one would
ideally provide the same radiation protection available on Earth. Each square meter on Earth is
protected by about 10 tons of atmosphere. Therefore, structures orbiting below the van Allen belts would
like 10 tons/meter2 surface area shielding mass. This would dominate the mass requirements of any system and require one
small asteroid for each 11 meter2 of colony exterior surface area. A 10,000 person cylindrical space colony such as Lewis One [Globus
91] with a diameter of almost 500 meters and a length of nearly 2000 meters would require a minimum of about 90,000 retrieval
missions to provide the shielding mass. The large
number of missions required suggests that a fully
automated, replicating nanotechnology may be essential to build large low Earth
orbit colonies from small asteroids.¶ A nanotechnology swarm along with an
atomically precise lightsail is a promising small asteroid retrieval system. Lightsail
propulsion insures that no mass will be lost as reaction mass. The swarm can control the lightsail by
shifting mass. When a target asteroid is found, the swarm spreads out over the surface to
form a bag. The interface to the sail must be active to account for the rotation of the asteroid -- which is unlikely to have an axis-ofrotation in the proper direction to apply thrust for the return to Earth orbit. The active interface is simply swarm
elements that transfer between each other to allow the sail to stay in the proper
orientation. Of course, there are many other possibilities for nanotechnology based retrieval vehicles.
AT Nanotech Impossible
Nanotech is feasible—prefer this evidence—assumes your warrants
Merta 10
(E. Merta, University of New Mexico School of Law, Health Sciences Library,
“THE NANOTECHNOLOGY AGENDA:¶ MOLECULAR MACHINES AND SOCIAL
TRANSFORMATION¶ IN THE 21st CENTURY”, 3/22/2010,
http://www.checs.net/checs_00/presentations/nanotech.htm//VS)
Despite these barriers, nanotechnologists cite several reasons for long range hope that they
can exploit the full range of their field�s possibilities. First, nothing in the laws of physics
prevents the construction of nanomachines doing exactly the tasks they describe. The theoretical
calculations of Feynman and Drexler, together with laboratory experiments to date, support this
contention.[36] Second, nanotechnology already exists in one form �namely, the life forms of Earth�s
biosphere. The molecules serving as the basis of all life are, nanotechnologists argue, nano-scale
machines to construct extraordinarily complex, dynamic, macro-scale devices �that is,
living organisms. Biomolecules do this job using a molecular level manufacturing process
precisely analogous to nanotechnology. DNA functions as a nanoscale computer that
sends instructions to nanoscopic assembly units within the cells known as
ribosomes. The ribosomes then manufacture proteins, which function as tiny nanomachines building sub- units of biological cells,
which in turn form whole cells, which in turn form living creatures.[37] The hope of nanotech researchers is to
copy life�s molecular manufacturing process in a more refined and improved way.
Just as the mere existence of birds once showed pre-Wright Brothers inventors that
heavier than air flight by humans was possible, the existence of natural processes for
molecular manufacturing is thought to show the eventual feasibility of humancontrolled nanotechnology.[38]
AT Nanotech Bad
Put away your nanotech bad cards—risk assessment strategies eliminate
negative effects of implementation
Merta 10
(E. Merta, University of New Mexico School of Law, Health Sciences Library,
“THE NANOTECHNOLOGY AGENDA:¶ MOLECULAR MACHINES AND SOCIAL
TRANSFORMATION¶ IN THE 21st CENTURY”, 3/22/2010,
http://www.checs.net/checs_00/presentations/nanotech.htm//VS)
As they apply their skills to breaking through engineering barriers,
nanotechnology researchers are making a
conscious effort to think through the general implications of their work for human
societies, not only in science and engineering but in economics, politics, and culture.
Nanotechnologists like Eric Drexler, Ralph Merkle, and Robert Freitas do not fit the stereotypical mold of
mad scientists working feverishly in their isolated laboratories, heedless to the effect their inventions might have on the larger world. Far
from it. They
believe their efforts could have immense social repercussions in the
decades to come. They have tried to understand what those repercussions might be
and to develop thoughtful positions on the uses to which nanotechnology should be
put. Drexler founded his Foresight Institute, in fact, not only to promote nanotechnology but to foster discussion of its broad social
impact.[39]¶ The result of such discussion has been the development of a general
consensus among nanotech researchers regarding the best way to apply
nanotechnology for human benefit. They have moved from the realm of pure science to
that of public policy; from the question of �Can we? � to the issue of �Should we? � The
essence of their consensus is this: nanotechnology should be used, with appropriate
safeguards against accident and abuse , to bring deliberate, fundamental changes in
aspects of human experience previously regarded as painful but also permanent
facts of life. Put another way, nanotechnologists seek to abolish the worst forms of evil and
suffering from human life while removing most or all natural limits on the expansion of
human freedom.
Nanotech risks are based off false assumptions – safety standards already in
place and no support for risks
Salvi 8 – Vice President of NanoBusiness Alliance, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (Aatish, “fake fears shouldn’t
stop progress,” Los Angeles Times, 2/26/2008, http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/scimedemail/la-op-salvikimbrell26feb26,0,4037148.story)//RH
Technological innovation is inevitable, and nanotechnology is the next step. A more
appropriate question is what have we learned over the course of technological innovation that will ensure nanotechnological innovation
is developed prudently and in a way that achieves all that we believe it
will. We have learned much about the
responsible development of technologies, which serves society well in commercializing nanotechnology. To
date, for example, there have been no reported problems associated with any products using
nanotechnology. This is because manufacturers are applying their risk mitigation and best
practices consistently and responsibly. One cannot draw general conclusions about
the risks of nanomaterials, let alone nanotechnology. The risks will depend on how we make specific
products using nanotechnology and how we use them. George, you conclude that nanomaterials have
enhanced intrinsic toxicity based on one variable — size. I have not seen a single
scientific study to support that claim. In fact, studies have shown size is not the sole
driver of hazard and is generally thought to be less important than surface
properties. Sunscreen's use of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide nanoparticles has become a hot-button issue. You claim
that these particles produce free radicals "causing DNA damage to human skin cells."
Natural sunlight also causes DNA damage to skin cells, which is why we wear
sunscreen. The World Health Organization estimates that cancers resulting from ultraviolet sun light
exposure cause 60,000 deaths annually. The Environmental Working Group evaluated more than 900
sunscreens; of the top 100, 94 contained zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. It concluded: "Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are stable
studies consistently show very
little or zero penetration of intact skin by these compounds, indicating that real
world exposure to potential nano-sized particles in these products is likely very low
(Borm 2006). The sun protection benefits, in contrast, are very high." George, your statement
that "there is no method currently for limiting, controlling, or even measuring exposure
to nanomaterials in the workplace" is simply wrong. Engineering controls (for examples,
manufacturing in enclosed environments) can greatly reduce or nearly eliminate exposure. Furthermore,
the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has found that wearing personal
protective equipment such as face masks prevent more than 99% of nanomaterials from
entering the body. NIOSH also has visited nanomaterial manufacturers to quantify workplace nanoparticulate matter. In most
compounds that provide broad spectrum UVA and UVB protection, while the available
of these facilities, the primary source of nanoparticulate matter is not the manufacturing process but emissions from the facilities'
you also say
that nanomaterials have "unprecedented mobility" and might find their way into
biological places that their larger counterparts cannot penetrate. Your observation neglects to note
that certain nanoscale materials are designed to achieve this result. Cancer
victims hope that nanoscale materials will travel to new biological frontiers and
deliver cancer-curing relief. As for other engineered nanomaterials, your statement
neglects to note that these materials are produced in controlled environments,
under specific circumstances and for specific applications. Nanotechnology
companies are committed to ensuring the safety of nanotech-enabled products. Such companies are
taking proactive steps to ensure the safety of their workers, the public and the
environment. They are partnering with NIOSH to develop data on workplace exposures;
furnaces. In some cases, urban air contains more nanoparticles than air inside the manufacturing facility. George,
participating in the Environmental Protection Agency's Nanomaterials Stewardship Program to provide data on the existing
nanomaterials in commerce; and practicing good product stewardship. Nanotechnology
is already
demonstrating that it will provide significant benefits to the public, our nation and
the environment. We should not let generic fear of "nanotechnology risks" prevent
us from harnessing this new frontier of innovation to create real products that
provide compelling real-world benefits.
AT: Grey Goo
U.S. leadership key to development of safety measures that prevent gray goo –
the impact is extinction
Bailey 3 – Ronald, award-winning science correspondent for Reason
magazine; former Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the Competitive
Enterprise Institute; former Lecturer at Harvard, MIT, and U-Virginia; named
one of the personalities who have made the "most significant contributions" to
biotechnology
[Dec, http://reason.com/archives/2003/12/01/the-smaller-the-better/2]
Gray Goo The second nanotechnology risk that worries ETC Group activists is runaway self-replication. Mooney
points to a scenario suggested by Eric Drexler himself in The Engines of Creation: Self-replicating
nanobots get out
of control and spread exponentially across the landscape, destroying everything in
their path by converting it into copies of themselves. In this scenario, the biosphere
is transformed by rampaging nanobots into "gray goo." But according to Nobelist Richard Smalley,
"Self-replicating nanorobots like those envisioned by Eric Drexler are simply impossible to make ."
Mihail Roco likewise dismisses such nanobots as "sci fi," insisting
that they cannot exist."
there is "common agreement among scientists
Drexler replies, reasonably enough, that we
know nanoassembly is possible
because that's what living things do. Cells, using little machines such as ribosomes, mitochondria, and enzymes,
precisely position molecules, store and access assembly instructions, and produce energy. Some have quipped that biology is
nanotechnology that works. As that analogy suggests, there is a close affinity between nanotechnology and biotechnology. "The
separation between nanotechnology and biotechnology is almost nonexistent," said Minoo Dastoor, a senior adviser in the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration's Office of Aerospace Technology, at the National Nanotechnology Initiative's conference in April.
For future missions, NASA needs machines that are resilient, evolvable, self-sufficient, ultra-efficient, and autonomous. "Biology
seems to be able to do all these things very elegantly and efficiently," noted Dastoor. "The wet
world of biology and the dry world of nanotechnology will have to live side by side and merge." The fact is that no one has yet definitively
shown that Drexler's vision of molecular manufacturing using nanoassemblers is impossible. So let's
suppose Smalley
and Roco are wrong, and such nanobots are possible. How dangerous would self-replicating nanobots
be? One of the ironies of the debate over regulation of nanotechnology is that it was
nanotech boosters like Drexler who first worried about such risks. To address potential dangers
such as the uncontrolled self-replication envisioned in his gray goo scenario, Drexler and others founded the Foresight Institute in 1989.
Over the years, Foresight devised a set of guidelines aimed at preventing mishaps like a gray goo breakout. Among other things, the
Foresight guidelines propose that nanotech
replicators "must not be capable of replication in a
natural, uncontrolled environment." This could be accomplished, the guidelines
suggest, by designing devices so that they have an "absolute dependence on a single
artificial fuel source or artificial 'vitamins' that don't exist in any natural
environment." So if some replicators should get away, they would simply run down when they ran out of fuel. Another
proposal is that self-replicating nanotech devices be "dependent on broadcast
transmissions for replication or in some cases operation." That would put human operators in
complete control of the circumstances under which nanotech devices could replicate. One other sensible proposal is
that devices be programmed with termination dates. Like senescent cells in the human body, such
devices would stop working and self-destruct when their time was up. "The moratorium is not a new proposal," says
Foresight Institute President Christine Peterson. "Eric Drexler considered that idea a long time ago in The Engines of
Creation and dismissed it as not a safe option. With a moratorium, we, the good guys, are
going to be sitting on our hands. It's very risky to let the bad guys be the ones
developing the technology. To do arms control on nanotechnology, you'd better have
better nanotechnology than the bad guys."
Software entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil is confident that nanotech defenses
against uncontrolled replication will be stronger than the abilities to replicate. Citing our current ability to reduce computer viruses to
nuisances, Kurzweil argues that we
will be even more vigilant against a technology that could kill
if uncontrolled. Smalley suggests we can learn how to control nanotech by looking at
biology. The natural world is filled with self-replicating systems. In a sense, living things are "green goo." We already
successfully defend ourselves against all kinds of self-replicating organisms that try
to kill us, such as cholera, malaria, and typhoid. "What do we do about biological systems right now?" says
Smalley. "I don't see that it's any different from biotechnology. We can make bacteria and viruses that have
never existed before, and we'll handle [nanobots] the same way." Nanotech theorist Robert
Freitas has written a study, "Some Limits to Global Ecophagy by Biovorous Nano-replicators With Public Policy Recommendations,"
which concludes that all
"scenarios examined appear to permit early detection by vigilant
monitoring, thus enabling rapid deployment of effective defensive instrumentalities."
Frei-tas persuasively argues that dangerous self-replicating nanobots could not emerge from
laboratory accidents but would have to be made on purpose using very sophisticated technologies
that would take years to develop.
Laundry list
Science Daily 05
(Science Daily Magazine, “Nanotechnology's Miniature Answers To Developing World's
Biggest Problems”, 05/12/2005,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050512120050.htm//VS)
5. Drug
delivery systems: including nano-capsules, dendrimers (tiny bush-like spheres made of branched
polymers), and "buckyballs" (soccerball-shaped structures made of 60 carbon atoms) for slow, sustained drug release
systems, characteristics valuable for countries without adequate drug storage capabilities and distribution networks.
Nanotechnology could also potentially reduce transportation costs and even required
dosages by improving shelf-life, thermo-stability and resistance to changes in humidity of
existing medications;¶ 6. Food processing and storage: including improved plastic film coatings for food
packaging and storage that may enable a wider and more efficient distribution of food products to
remote areas in less industrialized countries; antimicrobial emulsions made with
nano-materials for the decontamination of food equipment, packaging, or food; and
nanotech-based sensors to detect and identify contamination;¶ 7. Air pollution
remediation: including nanotech-based innovations that destroy air pollutants with
light; make catalytic converters more efficient, cheaper and better controlled; detect
toxic materials and leaks; reduce fossil fuel emissions; and separate gases.¶ 8.
Construction: including nano-molecular structures to make asphalt and concrete more
resistant to water; materials to block ultraviolet and infrared radiation; materials for
cheaper and durable housing, surfaces, coatings, glues, concrete, and heat and light exclusion; and self-cleaning for windows,
mirrors and toilets.¶ 9. Health monitoring: several nano-devices are being developed to keep
track of daily changes in patients' physiological variables such as the levels of glucose, of carbon
dioxide, and of cholesterol, without the need for drawing blood in a hospital setting. This way, patients
suffering from diabetes would know at any given time the concentration of sugar in
their blood; similarly, patients with heart diseases would be able to monitor their
cholesterol levels constantly.¶ 10. Disease vector and pest detection control: including
nano-scale sensors for pest detection, and improved pesticides, insecticides, and
insect repellents.
Nano Bad
Nano Econ Decline
Nanotech causes disruption of the basis of the economy
CRNano 08
(CRNano, Center for Responsible Nanotechnology TM is an affiliate of World Care, “online:
http://www.crnano.org/dangers.htm)
The purchaser of a manufactured product today is paying for its design, raw
materials, the labor and capital of manufacturing, transportation, storage, and
sales. Additional money—usually a fairly low percentage—goes to the owners of all these
businesses. If personal nanofactories can produce a wide variety of products when
and where they are wanted, most of this effort will become unnecessary. This raises several questions about the
nature of a post-nanotech economy. Will products become cheaper? Will capitalism disappear?
Will most people retire—or be unemployed? The flexibility of nanofactory
manufacturing, and the radical improvement of its products, imply that nonnanotech products will not be able to compete in many areas. If nanofactory technology is
exclusively owned or controlled, will this create the world's biggest monopoly, with extreme potential for abusive anti-competitive practices? If
further
study is required, but it seems clear that molecular manufacturing could
severely disrupt the present economic structure, greatly reducing the value of
many material and human resources, including much of our current
infrastructure. Despite utopian post-capitalist hopes, it is unclear whether a workable
replacement system could appear in time to prevent the human consequences
of massive job displacement.
it is not controlled, will the availability of cheap copies mean that even the designers and brand marketers don't get paid? Much
Nano-built products perpetuate poverty
CRNano 08
(CRNano, Center for Responsible Nanotechnology TM is an affiliate of World Care, “online:
http://www.crnano.org/dangers.htm)
By today's commercial standards,
products built by nanofactories would be immensely valuable. A
monopoly would allow the owners of the technology to charge high rates for all products,
and make high profits. However, if carried to its logical conclusion, such a practice would deny cheap
lifesaving technologies (as simple as water filters or mosquito netting) to millions of people in desperate
need. Competition will eventually drive prices down, but an early monopoly is likely for several reasons. Due to
other risks listed on this page, it is unlikely that a completely unregulated commercial market will be
allowed to exist. In any case, the high cost of development will limit the number of competing
projects. Finally, a company that pulls ahead of the pack could use the resulting huge profits to
stifle competition by means such as broad enforcement of expansive patents and lobbying for
special-interest industry restrictions. The price of a product usually falls somewhere between its value to the purchaser
and its cost to the seller. Molecular manufacturing could result in products with a value orders of
magnitude higher than their cost. It is likely that the price will be set closer to the value than to the cost; in this case,
customers will be unable to gain most of the benefit of "the nanotech revolution". If pricing
products by their value is accepted, the
poorest people may continue to die of poverty, in a world where
products costing literally a few cents would save a life. If (as seems likely) this situation is
accepted more by the rich than by the poor, social unrest could add its problems to untold
unnecessary human suffering. A recent example is the agreement the World Trade Organization was working on to provide
affordable medicines to poor countries—which the Bush administration partially prevented (following heavy lobbying by American
pharmaceutical companies) despite furious opposition from every other WTO member.
NanoHealth Problems
Inhaled Nanoparticles go inside the brain and heart
Deardorff 12 Julie Deardorff, Chicago Tribune reporter http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-07-10/health/ct-met-
nanotechnology-20120710_1_nanoparticles-sunscreens-chad-mirkin “Scientists: Nanotech-based products offer great potential but
unknown risks”
The particles can alter how products look or function because matter behaves differently at the nanoscale, taking on unique and
mysterious chemical and physical properties. Materials made of nanoparticles may be more conductive, stronger or more chemically
reactive than those containing larger particles of the same compound. ¶ "Everything old becomes new when miniaturized," said Chad
Mirkin, director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology at Northwestern University. "This gives scientists a new playground,
one focused on determining what those differences are and how they could be used to make things better." ¶ But the
development of applications for nanotechnology is rapidly outpacing what scientists
know about safe use. The unusual properties that make nanoscale materials attractive may also pose unexpected risks to
human health and the environment, according to scientific literature on the subject. ¶ "We haven't characterized these materials very well
yet in terms of what the potential impacts on living organisms could be," said Kathleen Eggleson, a research scientist at the Center for
Nano Science and Technology at the University of Notre Dame. ¶ Scientists don't know how long nanoparticles remain in the human body
or what they might do there. But research on animals has found that inhaled
nanoparticles can reach all areas
of the respiratory tract; because of their small size and shape, they can migrate quickly into cells
and organs. The smaller particles also might pose risks to the heart and blood
vessels, the central nervous system and the immune system, according to theU.S. Food and Drug
Administration.¶ Animal studies have shown that some nanoscale materials can cross the protective blood-brain barrier, which could
allow pharmaceuticals to deliver medicine directly to the brain to treat tumors or other conditions. But there also is evidence that some
nanoparticles could cause damage through oxidative stress and other mechanisms if
they reached the brain.¶ Still unknown is "how significant (potential damage) would be, how much nanomaterial would be
needed to cause appreciable harm and how well the body would be able to deal with the material and recover," said Andrew Maynard,
director of the University of Michigan Risk Science Center. ¶ ¶ Though nanomaterials have been used in consumer products for more than
a decade, the FDA acknowledged for the first time in April that they differ from their bulk counterparts and have potential new risks that
may require testing. In draft guidelines on the safety of nanomaterials in cosmetic products, the agency advised companies to consult
with the FDA to find out the best way to test their products. ¶ Rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach, the FDA plans to assess
nano-enabled products on a case-by-case basis, according to the guidelines. "There is nothing inherently good or bad about a
nanomaterial," said Mirkin, who nevertheless thinks each class of material should be considered a new form of matter and reviewed for
safety.¶ Several government reports have raised concerns over the lack of environmental, health and safety testing of nanomaterials that
are expected to enter the market over the next decade. In 2009, developers generated $1 billion from the sale of nanomaterials; the
market is expected to explode to $3 trillion by 2015, according to a report by the National Research Council.
NanotechCrime
Nanotech easily employed by criminals and terrorists
CRNano 08
(CRNano, Center for Responsible Nanotechnology TM is an affiliate of World Care, “online:
http://www.crnano.org/dangers.htm)
Criminals and terrorists with stronger, more powerful, and much more compact devices
could do serious damage to society. Defenses against these devices may not be installed
immediately or comprehensively. Chemical and biological weapons could become much
more deadly and easier to conceal. Many other types of terrifying devices are possible, including several varieties of
remote assassination weapons that would be difficult to detect or avoid. As a result of small integrated
computers, even tiny weapons could be aimed at targets remote in time and space from the
attacker. This will not only impair defense, but also will reduce post-attack detection and
accountability. Reduced accountability could reduce civility and security, and increase the
attractiveness of some forms of crime. If nanofactory-built weapons were available from a
black market or a home factory, it would be quite difficult to detect them before they were
launched; a random search capable of spotting them would almost certainly be intrusive
enough to violate current human rights standards.
Grey goo can be used as a tool for blackmail
CRNano 08
(CRNano, Center for Responsible Nanotechnology TM is an affiliate of World Care, “online:
http://www.crnano.org/dangers.htm)
Although grey
goo has essentially no military and no commercial value, and only limited terrorist value, it could be
used as a tool for blackmail. Cleaning up a single grey goo outbreak would be quite
expensive and might require severe physical disruption of the area of the outbreak (atmospheric
and oceanic goos deserve special concern for this reason). Another possible source of grey goo release is
irresponsible hobbyists. The challenge of creating and releasing a self-replicating entity
apparently is irresistible to a certain personality type, as shown by the large number of
computer viruses and worms in existence. We probably cannot tolerate a community of "script kiddies" releasing many
modified versions of goo. Development and use of molecular manufacturing poses absolutely no risk of creating grey goo by accident at any point.
However, goo type systems do not appear to be ruled out by the laws of physics, and we cannot ignore the possibility that the five stated
requirements could be combined deliberately at some point, in
a device small enough that cleanup would be costly
and difficult. Drexler's 1986 statement can therefore be updated: We cannot afford criminally irresponsible
misuse of powerful technologies. Having lived with the threat of nuclear weapons for half a
century, we already know that. We wish we could take grey goo off CRN's list of dangers, but we can't. It eventually may become
a concern requiring special policy. Grey goo will be highly difficult to build, however, and non-replicating nano-weaponry may be substantially
more dangerous and more imminent. NOTE: In June 2004, Eric Drexler and Chris Phoenix published a new paper on "Safe Exponential
Manufacturing", which puts the perceived grey goo threat into perspective.
NanoArms race
Nanotech leads to dangerously unstable arms race
CRNano 08
(CRNano, Center for Responsible Nanotechnology TM is an affiliate of World Care, “online:
http://www.crnano.org/dangers.htm)
Molecular manufacturing raises the possibility of horrifically effective
weapons. As an example, the smallest insect is about 200 microns; this creates a plausible size
estimate for a nanotech-built antipersonnel weapon capable of seeking and
injecting toxin into unprotected humans. The human lethal dose of botulism
toxin is about 100 nanograms, or about 1/100 the volume of the weapon. As many as
50 billion toxin-carrying devices—theoretically enough to kill every human on
earth—could be packed into a single suitcase. Guns of all sizes would be far more
powerful, and their bullets could be self-guided. Aerospace hardware would be far lighter and higher
performance; built with minimal or no metal, it would be much harder to spot on radar . Embedded computers
would allow remote activation of any weapon, and more compact power
handling would allow greatly improved robotics. These ideas barely scratch the surface of
what's possible.
Nanotech can easily spiral out of control and lead to mass destruction and
fascism
William Nelson Joy (is an American computer scientist. Joy co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 along with
Vinod Khosla, Scott McNealy and Andreas von Bechtolsheim, and served as chief scientist at the company
until 2003.) 00¶ http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html?pg=3&topic=&topic_set=
Part of the answer certainly lies in our attitude toward the new - in our bias toward instant familiarity and unquestioning acceptance.
Accustomed to living with almost routine scientific breakthroughs, we have yet to come to terms with the fact that the most compelling
21st-century technologies - robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology
- pose a different threat than
the technologies that have come before. Specifically, robots, engineered organisms, and nanobots share a
dangerous amplifying factor: They can self-replicate. A bomb is blown up only once - but one bot
can become many, and quickly get out of control.¶ Much of my work over the past 25 years has been on
computer networking, where the sending and receiving of messages creates the opportunity for out-of-control replication. But while
replication in a computer or a computer network can be a nuisance, at worst it disables a machine or takes down a network or network
service. Uncontrolled self-replication in these newer technologies runs a much greater risk: a risk of substantial damage in the physical
world.¶ Each of these technologies also offers untold promise: The vision of near immortality that Kurzweil sees in his robot dreams
drives us forward; genetic engineering may soon provide treatments, if not outright cures, for most diseases; and
nanotechnology and nanomedicine can address yet more ills. Together they could significantly extend our average life span and
improve the quality of our lives. Yet, with each of these technologies, a sequence of small, individually sensible advances leads to
an accumulation of great power and, concomitantly, great danger.What was different in the 20th
century? Certainly, the technologies underlying the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) - nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) - were
powerful, and the weapons an enormous threat. But building nuclear weapons required, at least for a time, access to both rare - indeed,
effectively unavailable - raw materials and highly protected information; biological and chemical weapons programs also tended to
require large-scale activities.¶ The
21st-century technologies - genetics, nanotechnology, and
robotics (GNR) - are so powerful that they can spawn whole new classes of accidents
and abuses. Most dangerously, for the first time, these accidents and abuses are widely within the reach of individuals or small
groups. They will not require large facilities or rare raw materials. Knowledge alone will enable the use of them. ¶ Thus we have
the possibility not just of weapons of mass destruction but of knowledge-enabled
mass destruction (KMD), this destructiveness hugely amplified by the power of self-replication.¶ I think it is no
exaggeration to say we are on the cusp of the further perfection of extreme evil, an evil whose possibility spreads well beyond that which
weapons of mass destruction bequeathed to the nation-states, on to a surprising and terrible empowerment of extreme individuals.
Nanotech could create a utopian future and it’s inevitable
William Nelson Joy (is an American computer scientist. Joy co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982
along with Vinod Khosla, Scott McNealy and Andreas von Bechtolsheim, and served as chief
scientist at the company until 2003.) 00
http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy.html?pg=3&topic=&topic_set=
The many wonders of nanotechnology were first imagined by the Nobel-laureate physicist Richard Feynman in a speech he
gave in 1959, subsequently published under the title "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom." The book that made a big impression on
me, in the mid-'80s, was Eric Drexler'sEngines of Creation, in which he described beautifully how manipulation of matter at the atomic
level could create a utopian future of abundance, where just about everything could
be made cheaply, and almost any imaginable disease or physical problem could be
solved using nanotechnology and artificial intelligences.¶ A subsequent book,Unbounding the Future:
The Nanotechnology Revolution, which Drexler cowrote, imagines some of the changes that might take place in a world where we had
molecular-level "assemblers." Assemblers could make possible incredibly low-cost solar power, cures for cancer and the common cold by
augmentation of the human immune system, essentially complete cleanup of the environment, incredibly inexpensive pocket
supercomputers - in fact, any product would be manufacturable by assemblers at a cost no greater than that of wood - spaceflight more
accessible than transoceanic travel today, and restoration of extinct species. ¶ I remember feeling good about nanotechnology after
readingEngines of Creation. As a technologist, it gave me a sense of calm - that is,
nanotechnology showed us that
incredible progress was possible, and indeed perhaps inevitable. If nanotechnology was our
future, then I didn't feel pressed to solve so many problems in the present. I would get to Drexler's utopian future in due time; I might as
well enjoy life more in the here and now. It didn't make sense, given his vision, to stay up all night, all the time.
Case Defense
Cleanup Efforts Fail
Ocean cleanups fail—microplastics make collection difficult, we would
kill off vital populations of plankton
PPC 2010 — Plastic Pollution Coalition, an organization dedicated to finding safe
methods to clean up various plastic toxins, including marine debris, through topic
education/discourse and global connectivity (“Ocean Cleanups,” Common
Misconceptions, 2010, available at http://plasticpollutioncoalition.org/learn/commonmisconceptions/, accessed July 19 , 2014)
th
By most estimates, hundreds of millions of metric tons of plastic debris currently floats in the ocean. The plastic is fragmented
There are no visible islands of trash
anywhere, but rather a ocean soup laced with plastic. This makes cleaning the
oceans a very difficult proposition, technically or economically. Any cleanup has
the potential to not only remove the plastics but also the plankton, which is the
base of the food chain, and is responsible for capturing half of the CO2 of our
atmosphere and generating half of the oxygen we need to breathe. We applaud the efforts
of any group inspired by a vision of clean oceans and healthy sea life, and working to put an end to plastic pollution. But we
also caution that these efforts would only succeed if we work together to stop the
millions of metric tons of plastic that is dumped into the ocean each year. Plastic
Pollution Coalition believes in stopping plastic pollution at the source. This is
something we can do now.
into small pieces, scattered throughout the water column.
Aff argument: Plastic High
Plastic in the ocean is increasing
Madren 12 Carrie Madren (Report and write articles for a variety of publications including Scientific American, Maryland Life
magazine, American Forests, AAAS MemberCentral (American Assoc for the Advancement of Science), Washingtonian, The Washington
Post's Capital Business, Interpreter magazine and more. Studied at GWU and Wesleyan) July 16, 2012
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/plastic-in-oceans-may-help-some-species/
Plastic's durability helped to make it a popular miracle material in the early 20th
century. Its omnipresence, however, may now be disrupting ecosystems in some
surprising ways. A new study by researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif., shows
that the concentration of plastic has increased by 100 times over the past 40 years in the
North Pacific Subtropical Gyre—an enormous calm spot in the middle of a clockwise rotation of ocean currents that falls
between East Asia and the West Coast of the U.S., with Hawaii as its approximate midpoint. The size of the area is
estimated to be more than 18 million square kilometers.
Preempts
Globalization has made war obsolete – great powers and rising states need
international institutions to survive
Ikenbarry, Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton
University, and Deudney, professor of political science at Johns Hopkins
University, 2009
(Daniel and G. John, Jan/Feb, “The Myth of the Autocratic Revival,” Foreign Affairs, Vol. 88, Issue 1,
p. 8)
It is in combination with these factors that the regime divergence between autocracies and democracies will become increasingly
dangerous. If all the states in the world were democracies, there would still be competition, but a world riven by a democratic-autocratic
divergence promises to be even more conflictual. There are even signs of the emergence of an "autocrats international" in the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization, made up of China, Russia, and the poorer and weaker Central Asian dictatorships. Overall, the autocratic
revivalists paint the
picture of an international system marked by rising levels of conflict and
competition, a picture quite unlike the "end of history" vision of growing convergence and cooperation. This bleak outlook is
based on an exaggeration of recent developments and ignores powerful countervailing factors and
forces. Indeed, contrary to what trhe revivalists describe , the most striking features of the contemporary
international landscape are the intensification of economic globalization, thickening institutions, and shared
problems of interdependence. The overall structure of the international system today is quite unlike that of the
nineteenth century. Compared to older orders, the contemporary liberal-centered international order provides a set of
constraints and opportunities — of pushes and pulls — that reduce the likelihood of severe
conflict while creating strong imperatives for cooperative problem solving. Those invoking
the nineteenth century as a model for the twenty-first also fail to acknowledge the extent to which war as a path to conflict resolution
and great-power expansion has become largely obsolete. Most important, nuclear weapons have transformed
great-power war from a routine feature of international politics into an exercise in national suicide. With all of the great powers
possessing nuclear weapons and ample means to rapidly expand their deterrent forces, warfare among these states has truly become an
option of last resort. The prospect of such great losses has instilled in the great powers a level of caution and restraint that effectively
precludes major revisionist efforts. Furthermore, the diffusion of small arms and the near universality of nationalism have severely
limited the ability of great powers to conquer and occupy territory inhabited by resisting populations (as Algeria, Vietnam, Afghanistan,
and now Iraq have demonstrated). Unlike during the days of empire building in the nineteenth century, states today cannot translate
great asymmetries of power into effective territorial control; at most, they can hope for loose hegemonic relationships that require them
to give something in return. Also unlike in the nineteenth century, today the density of trade, investment, and production networks
across international borders raises even more the costs of war. A Chinese invasion of Taiwan, to take one of the most plausible cases of a
future interstate war, would pose for the Chinese communist regime daunting economic costs, both domestic and international. Taken
together, these changes in the economy of violence mean that the international system is far more primed for peace than the autocratic
revivalists acknowledge. The autocratic revival thesis neglects other key features of the international system as well. In the nineteenth
century, rising states faced an international environment in which they could reasonably expect to translate their growing clout into
geopolitical changes that would benefit themselves. But in the twenty-first century, the status quo is much more difficult to overturn.
Simple comparisons between China and the United States with regard to aggregate economic size and capability do not reflect the fact
that the United States does not stand alone but rather is the head of a coalition of liberal capitalist states in Europe and East Asia whose
aggregate assets far exceed those of China or even of a coalition of autocratic states. Moreover, potentially revisionist autocratic
states, most notably China and Russia, are already substantial players and stakeholders in an ensemble of
global institutions that make up the status quo, not least the UN Security Council (in which they have permanent seats and
veto power). Many other global institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, are configured in such a way
that rising states can increase their voice only by buying into the institutions. The pathway to
modernity for rising states is not outside and against the status quo but rather inside and through the flexible and accommodating
institutions of the
liberal international order. The fact that these autocracies are capitalist has profound implications
for the nature of their international interests that point toward integration and accommodation in the future. The domestic
viability of these regimes hinges on their ability to sustain high economic growth rates,
which in turn is crucially dependent on international trade and investment; today's autocracies may be
illiberal, but they remain fundamentally dependent on a liberal international capitalist system. It is not surprising that China made major
domestic changes in order to join the WTO or that Russia is seeking to do so now. The dependence of autocratic capitalist states on
foreign trade and investment means that they have a fundamental interest in maintaining an open, rulebased economic system.
(Although these autocratic states do pursue bilateral trade and investment deals, particularly in energy and raw materials, this does not
obviate their more basic dependence on and commitment to the WTO order.) In the case of China, because of its extensive dependence on
industrial exports, the WTO may act as a vital bulwark against protectionist tendencies in importing states. Given their position in this
system, which so serves their interests, the autocratic states are unlikely to become champions of an alternative global or regional
economic order, let alone spoilers intent on seriously damaging the existing one. The prospects for revisionist behavior on the part of the
capitalist autocracies are further reduced by the large and growing social networks across international borders. Not only have these
states joined the world economy, but their people — particularly upwardly mobile and educated elites — have increasingly joined the
world community. In large and growing numbers, citizens
of autocratic capitalist states are participating in a
sprawling array of transnational educational, business, and avocational networks. As individuals are socialized into the
values and orientations of these networks, stark: "us versus them" cleavages become more difficult to
generate and sustain. As the Harvard political scientist Alastair Iain Johnston has argued, China's ruling elite has also been
socialized, as its foreign policy establishment has internalized the norms and practices of the international diplomatic community. China,
far from cultivating causes for territorial dispute with its neighbors, has instead sought to resolve numerous historically inherited border
conflicts, acting like a satisfied status quo state. These social and diplomatic processes and developments suggest that there are strong
tendencies toward normalization operating here. Finally, there is an emerging set of global problems stemming from industrialism and
economic globalization that will create common interests across states regardless of regime type. Autocratic China is as dependent on
imported oil as are democratic Europe,
India, Japan, and the United States, suggesting an alignment of interests
against petroleum-exporting autocracies, such as Iran and Russia. These states share a common interest in
price stability and supply security that could form the basis for a revitalization of the International Energy Agency, the consumer
association created during the oil turmoil of the 1970s. The emergence of global warming and climate change as
significant problems also suggests possibilities for alignments and cooperative ventures cutting across the autocratic-democratic divide.
Like the United States, China is not only a major contributor to greenhouse gas accumulation but also likely to be a major victim of
climate-induced desertification and coastal flooding. Its rapid industrialization and consequent pollution means that China, like other
developed countries, will increasingly need to import technologies and innovative solutions for environmental management. Resource
scarcity and environmental deterioration pose
global threats that no state will be able to solve alone,
thus placing a further premium on political integration and cooperative institution building. Analogies
between the nineteenth century and the twenty-first are based on a severe mischaracterization of the actual conditions of the new era.
The declining utility of war, the thickening of international transactions and institutions, and emerging resource
and environmental interdependencies together undercut scenarios of international
conflict and instability based on autocratic-democratic rivalry and autocratic revisionism. In fact, the conditions of the
twenty-first century point to the renewed value of international integration and cooperation.
Extinction outweighs war and ethics
Bostrum, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, directs the
Oxford Future of Humanity Institute, 2012
(Nick, 3-6-12, The Atlantic“We’re Underestimating the Risk of Human Extinction,” interview with
Ross Anderson, correspondent at The Atlantic,
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/03/were-underestimating-the-risk-ofhuman-extinction/253821, accessed 7-15-12)
Bostrom, who directs Oxford's Future of Humanity Institute, has argued over the course of several papers that human extinction
risks are poorly understood and, worse still, severely underestimated by society. Some of these existential
risks are fairly well known, especially the natural ones. But others are obscure or even exotic. Most worrying to Bostrom is the subset of
existential risks that arise from human technology, a subset that he expects to grow in number and potency over the next century. ¶
Despite his concerns about the risks posed to humans by technological progress, Bostrom is no luddite. In fact, he is a longtime advocate
of transhumanism---the effort to improve the human condition, and even human nature itself, through technological means. In the long
run he sees technology as a bridge, a bridge we humans must cross with great care, in order to reach new and better modes of being. In
his work, Bostrom uses the tools of philosophy and mathematics, in particular probability theory, to try and determine how we as a
species might achieve this safe passage. What follows is my conversation with Bostrom about some of the most interesting and worrying
existential risks that humanity might encounter in the decades and centuries to come, and about what we can do to make sure we outlast
them.¶ Some have argued that we ought to be directing our resources toward humanity's existing problems, rather than future existential
risks, because many of the latter are highly improbable. You have responded by suggesting that existential
risk
mitigation may in fact be a dominant moral priority over the alleviation of present
suffering. Can you explain why? ¶ Bostrom: Well suppose you have a moral view that counts future people as being worth as much
as present people. You might say that fundamentally it doesn't matter whether someone exists at the current time or at some future time,
just as many people think that from a fundamental moral point of view, it doesn't matter where somebody is spatially---somebody isn't
automatically worth less because you move them to the moon or to Africa or something. A
human life is a human life. If
you have that moral point of view that future generations matter in proportion to
their population numbers, then you get this very stark implication that existential risk mitigation has a
much higher utility than pretty much anything else that you could do. There are so many people
that could come into existence in the future if humanity survives this critical period of time--we might live for billions of years, our descendants might colonize billions of solar
systems, and there could be billions and billions times more people than exist currently. Therefore,
even a very small reduction in the probability of realizing this enormous good will
tend to outweigh even immense benefits like eliminating poverty or curing malaria, which would be
tremendous under ordinary standards.
Nano K2 Ecosystems
Plastic in the ocean has created a new ecosystem—cleaning up may do
more harm than good for biodiversity
Zhang 1/1 — Sarah Zhang, journalist for Gizmodo news website, has studied
neurobiology at Harvard and specializes in cases including science and technology
(“Our Trash Has Become A New Ocean Ecosystem Called ‘The Plastisphere,’” Gizmodo,
January 1 , 2014, Available at http://gizmodo.com/our-trash-has-become-a-new-oceanecosystem-called-the-1492238056, Accessed on July 19 , 2014)
st
th
Sure, we all know pollution destroys ecosystems, but, for
better or for worse, pollution can create
ecosystems, too. The billions of tiny pieces of plastic that are now floating in our
oceans are exactly that: a novel ecosystem humans have unwittingly made by
throwing away too much plastic. Microbes and insects that might have no
business thriving in the middle of the ocean suddenly have found a new home
amidst all that drifting plastic. If you took a boat out to the so-called Pacific garbage patch—a swirling region
of the ocean where plastic is trapped by wind and ocean currents—you won't find anything resembling a "garbage patch." The
water would actually look quite pristine—until you drag a net through it to reveal floating flecks of plastic, mostly glitter-sized
or smaller. The amount of plastic in the region has grown 100 fold in the last 40 years, but it still really doesn't look like much.
Yet these barely
visible pieces of plastic are completely remaking the ocean. Sea
skaters, for example, have found a plastic breeding ground paradise. The water insect
skims across the ocean surface eating plankton and laying its eggs on the hard
surfaces of flotsam, which is now in abundance as plastics have taken over our world. A 2012 study found that
skater eggs increased with micro-plastic pieces in the ocean. Occasionally, bigger pieces of
plastic will show up enveloped in thousands of sea skater eggs, like a one-gallon plastic jug covered with 70,000 of them, 15
layers thick. The
effects of a sea skater explosion will ripple out through the food
chain, possibly benefitting some organisms but not others. Is it good? Is it bad? All
we can say for sure is that the balance of the ocean ecosystem will likely change. The
open ocean suddenly has a lot more hard, durable surfaces for organisms like the sea skater and barnacles—artificial islands
of a sort for these tiny, landless creatures. Microbes,
too, have found a new home in all the plastic
debris. What's more, microbes can hitch a ride on their floating plastic home,
making an otherwise unlikely journey from land to the middle of the sea. A study
earlier this year cataloged some of the microbes living in the plastisphere, many
of them new to science; especially abundant were Vibrio, a group of bacteria including those that cause cholera.
But scientists are still working to figuring out the role of all these bacteria. " Each one of these plastic bits is a
circle of life—one microbe's waste is another microbe's dinner," one of the study's authors
told the LA Times. The microbes may even be breaking down the plastic, making microscopic pits that the team found in the
plastic pieces. To look on the cheery side, perhaps this means we could find microbes to help degrade otherwise long-lasting
plastic. But this
points toward something else, too: The plastic itself is interacting
with the environment. Plastic pieces are like tiny sponges that soak up toxins such as pesticides from the water
and leach them out again when broken down. Animals that eat the microplastics, like gooseneck barnacles, for example, can
pass the plastics and the toxins up the food chain. A similar problem is happening in the Great Lakes, which have been
contaminated by microbeads from exfoliating soap. When
it comes to individual species, though,
there are winners and losers in the new plastisphere, which makes telling tidy
story about ocean plastics hard. Certainly it makes sense to stop pouring plastics into the water, but how
far should we go to reverse it? Plastic-capture schemes may do more harm than
good, scooping up zooplankton, an important source of food for many creatures, along with plastic. Humans might
just have to learn to live with the plastisphere we've inadvertently made.
The plastisphere is a complete ecosystem with over 1,000 life forms—
removing plastic hurts biodiversity
Zettler 13 — Erik Zettler, administrator, microbial ecologist, biologist, and researcher
at the Sea Education Association since 1997, has participated in over 50 research
cruises with SEA and UNOLS over four continents (“The ‘Plastisphere:’ A new marine
ecosystem,” Ocean Portal, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History website,
July 30 , 2013, available at http://ocean.si.edu/blog/plastisphere-new-marineecosystem, July 19 , 2014)
th
th
Any floating object in the ocean tends to attract life; fishermen know this and deploy floating buoys
to concentrate fish for harvesting. Plastic marine debris is no different and, at microscopic
scales, microbes such as bacteria, algae and other single-celled organisms gather
around and colonize plastic and other objects floating in water. Even small pieces of plastic
marine debris the size of your pinky nail can act as microbe aggregating devices. We call this community of
microbes growing as a thin layer of life (a biofilm) on the outside of plastic the “plastisphere,” analogous to the layer
of life on the outside of planet Earth called the “biosphere." Using plastic samples collected during Sea Education Association
student research cruises, we are studying what kinds of microbes live in the plastisphere, how they colonize the surfaces of
plastic, and how they might affect marine ecosystems. Scanning electron
micrographs reveal a
complex geography of microbial life on the cracked and pitted surfaces of plastic
pieces that have been aging and weathering in the ocean. Tracy Mincer, a scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution studying this new community, refers to it as a “microbial reef” because i t is a complete ecosystem
with primary producers (like plants), grazers, predators, and decomposers, just like
the community of larger organisms found on the complex surface of a coral reef.
One of our most interesting discoveries is a type of cell that we call “pit formers,”
spherical cells that appear to be embedded in the surface of the plastic pieces.
These may somehow contribute to the breakdown of plastic marine debris, which
would have implications for what happens to plastic in the ocean over the long
term. Linda Amaral-Zettler at the Marine Biological Lab used genetic techniques that allow us to look at
the microbes' DNA to reveal surprisingly high biodiversity, with over 1,000 kinds
of microbes on a single small piece of plastic only 5mm or less across. What's even more remarkable is
that some of the organisms are not normally encountered in the open ocean, but are able to survive there by clinging to the
plastic bits. The genetic work also turned up unexpectedly large numbers of the common marine bacterial genus Vibrio; most
Vibrio are not harmful but some species can be associated with diseases in humans and animals. We are isolating and studying
Vibrio cultures from marine plastic to see if any of them cause disease. Because plastic persists for so long, microbes in the
plastisphere can be transported long distances, making them a potential source of invasive species. If microbes are being
moved around in the ocean from a variety of differing ecosystems, they could be impacting the native microbial populations
and the larger organisms that depend on those microbes. The
plastisphere could also modify plastic
debris to make the plastic more, or less, harmful to marine ecosystems.
No plastic growth
Plastic in the ocean is the same amount
Madren 12 Carrie Madren (Report and write articles for a variety of publications including Scientific American, Maryland Life
magazine, American Forests, AAAS MemberCentral (American Assoc for the Advancement of Science), Washingtonian, The Washington
Post's Capital Business, Interpreter magazine and more. Studied at GWU and Wesleyan) July 16, 2012
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/plastic-in-oceans-may-help-some-species/
¶
The study, published online on May 9 in Biology Letters, also documented for the first time a rise in egg densities
of Halobates sericeus, a water strider that lays its eggs on floating objects. The team collected and analyzed
data on bits of plastic less than five millimeters across in the North Pacific Ocean, including records
from two recent voyages, published data from other sources and data developed from archived samples in the Scripps
collection taken in the early 1970s. Author Miriam Goldstein, who is a biological oceanography Ph.D. candidate at Scripps,
notes that a 2011 study that examined the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre found
increase in plastic since 1986.
no
Plan Popular
Otec popular in u.s. senate
Otec Corporation 3/6
http://www.otecorporation.com/feasibility-study-for-worlds-first-us-based-commercial-otecplant-and-swac-system-in-usvi
The Honorable Shawn-Michael Malone, President of the USVI Senate, commented on his signing of a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) authorizing OTE’s feasibility study. “The most fundamental duty of government is to protect the health and welfare of its citizens,”
said Senator Malone. “These clean energy technologies have the potential to improve the air quality and environment for our residents, and
to provide
the foundation for meaningful economic development. Therefore, it is our
duty as elected representatives to explore the feasibility and possible benefits of
OTEC and SWAC for the people of USVI.Ӧ Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation Executive Chairman Jeremy P. Feakins echoed Senator
Malone’s comments regarding the need to study the feasibility, and benefits of these technologies: “Thanks to the leadership of the USVI,
we will be moving forward to thoroughly evaluate the applicability of OTEC, SWAC, and their associated fresh water and sustainable food
production for the people here.” Feakins added, “If the feasibility study bears out that these clean technologies are well-suited to USVI
consistent with preliminary data, their installation here could have a tremendous positive impact in terms of long-term energy-independence
and economic development based upon this Territory’s most abundant renewable local resource… the ocean.”¶ Emmanuel Brochard, DCNS
Vice President OTEC programs further noted: “The testing and development work conducted by DCNS over the last five years on a highpower, floating offshore OTEC solution has allowed the development of an on-shore OTEC model. This system, that can be coupled with a
SWAC (Sea-Water Air Conditioning) installation or other applications as freshwater production or aquaculture, appears from available
information to be particularly well-suited to island sites as USVI. We are proud to be a partner for the USVI OTEC study, which combines the
expertise and strength of OTE and DCNS. This partnership is the promise for our companies of joint development of clean, secure energy and
abundant fresh water for millions of people around the world.Ӧ Under the 2013 agreement between OTE and DCNS, OTE will serve as the
developer that will build, own and operate on-shore and off-shore OTEC systems and SWAC systems globally, as well as securing
financing. DCNS will be the EPC contractor for these systems in selected international markets. The projects will be pursued together by
OTE and DCNS with direction from the Joint Marketing Council established by the companies. ¶ According to the U.S. Department of
Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), there
are more than 100 countries and
territories world-wide, including USVI, with conditions appearing favorable for OTEC
and SWAC facilities. And with many of these locations having numerous sites for these clean technologies, there are literally hundreds of
potential OTEC and SWAC applications in the tropics and subtropics, where 3 billion people live.
Plastic K2 Mammals
Plastic allows mammals to reproduce
Madren 12 Carrie Madren (Report and write articles for a variety of publications including Scientific American, Maryland Life
magazine, American Forests, AAAS MemberCentral (American Assoc for the Advancement of Science), Washingtonian, The Washington
Post's Capital Business, Interpreter magazine and more. Studied at GWU and Wesleyan) July 16, 2012
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/plastic-in-oceans-may-help-some-species/
Higher concentrations of floating plastic debris offer more opportunities for the
pelagic strider to lay eggs. This marine insect—closely related to pond striders—spends its entire life out on
the open ocean and takes its place in the food web by consuming zooplankton and larval fish and being eaten by crabs,
fish and seabirds.¶ Floating objects are historically rare in the North Pacific. “Striders would have been lucky to find a
feather or a bit of floating wood,” Goldstein says. Now floating plastic pieces are more common and
offer a surface on which striders can lay their bright yellow, rice grain–size eggs.¶
Although researchers found an increase in eggs, they did not find an increase in the insects themselves. That could be
because there were not enough samples from the early 1970s with which to adequately compare them, but equally likely
crabs or small surface-feeding fish may be eating the eggs, Goldstein notes.¶ Researchers are concerned that this
proliferation of plastic may be giving striders, microbes, animals and plants that grow
directly on the plastic an advantage over oceanic animals that are not associated with hard surfaces, such
as fish, squid, tiny crustaceans and jellyfish. “While these organisms [that grow directly on the plastic] are native, they're
kind of like weeds,” Goldstein explains, in that they grow, reproduce and die quickly. In contrast, the organisms in the
water column tend to be more biodiverse. More than half of the ocean is part of the subtropical gyres, and changing the
way that these gyres function by adding lots of plastic trash could have unpredictable consequences. “While our study
only looks at one little insect in one area of the ocean, it shows that tiny pieces of plastic do have the potential to alter the
ecology of the open sea,” she says.
Solvency
No disease solvency for CNTs—medical applications cause cancer
Lulea U 11 — The Luleà University of Technology publishes an article about the work of Sofie
Högberg, PhD in engineering and researcher at the same university (“Researcher warns of health
risks with carbon nanotubes,” Science Daily, January 19th, 2011, Available at
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110118092134.htm, Accessed July 21, 2014)
Carbon nanotubes are a modern and extremely light material that can add desirable
properties to many industrial products, but they may be a health hazard. A new
doctoral dissertation at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden shows that extremely small
fibers such as c arbon n ano t ube s can make their way far into the lungs, which in the
worst case can present an increased risk of developing cancer.
"My research substantiates the concerns about health effects and is one reason we should
be careful when handling with these materials," says Sofie Högberg, who now holds a
PhD in engineering from the Division of Fluid Mechanics at Luleå University of
Technology.
The result of her work indicates that the fibers that are most likely to make their way far
into the lungs, perhaps all the way to the alveoli, are those with a diameter of c. 10100 nanometers (1 nanometer = one billionth of a meter) and a length of 1-10 micrometers.
This is a common size for c arbon n ano t ube s .
In her research, she developed equations to describe the movements of a fiber. She then solved
these equations numerically for a large number of fibers in a geometry and a flow field that
represents the airways, in order to see what proportion of the inhaled fibers might be thought to
fasten, depending on parameters like particle size and form.
The field of nanotechnology has been burgeoning in recent years, and today there
are more than 1,000 nanoproducts on the market. The technology involves modifying
material virtually at the level of the atom. Carbon nanotubes are a popular nanomaterial because of
their combination of favorable properties that are desirable in many industrial products. By adding
a small amount of carbon nanotubes it's possible to create materials that are strong yet still light in
weight. However, with a diameter on the nanoscale and a highly elongated form, this
extremely small particle can constitute a health risk.
"There are concerns, among others, that c arbon n ano t ube s may lead to
mesothelioma, a cancer form that previously has been associated only with
asbestos," says Sofie Högberg.
CNTs don’t solve for new technology—they wear out after 40 hours and can’t
carry a charge between tubes.
Ost 11 — Laura Ost reports findings from the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Material Measurements Lab (“NIST Uncovers Reliability Issues for Carbon Nanotubes in Future
Electronics,” NIST Tech Beat, August 16, 2011, Available at http://www.nist.gov/mml/acmd/cnt081611.cfm, Accessed July 21, 2014)
Carbon nanotubes offer big promise in a small package. For instance, these tiny cylinders of carbon
molecules theoretically can carry 1,000 times more electric current than a metal conductor of the
same size. It's easy to imagine c arbon n ano t ubes replacing copper wiring in future
nanoscale electronics.
But—not so fast. Recent tests at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
suggest device reliability is a major issue.
Copper wires transport power and other signals among all the parts of integrated circuits; even one
failed conductor can cause chip failure. As a rough comparison, NIST researchers fabricated and
tested numerous nanotube interconnects between metal electrodes. NIST test results, described at
a conference this week,* show that nanotubes can sustain extremely high current
densities (tens to hundreds of times larger than that in a typical semiconductor circuit) for
several hours but slowly degrade under constant current. Of greater concern, the
metal electrodes fail—the edges recede and clump—when currents rise above a
certain threshold. The circuits failed in about 40 hours.
While many researchers around the world are studying nanotube fabrication and
properties, the NIST work offers an early look at how these materials may behave in
real electronic devices over the long term. To support industrial applications of these novel
materials, NIST is developing measurement and test techniques and studying a variety of nanotube
structures, zeroing in on what happens at the intersections of nanotubes and metals and between
different nanotubes. "The common link is that we really need to study the interfaces," says Mark
Strus, a NIST postdoctoral researcher.
In another, related study published recently,** NIST researchers identified failures in
carbon nanotube networks—materials in which electrons physically hop from tube
to tube . Failures in this case seemed to occur between nanotubes, the point of highest
resistance, Strus says. By monitoring the starting resistance and initial stages of material
degradation, researchers could predict whether resistance would degrade gradually—allowing
operational limits to be set—or in a sporadic, unpredictable way that would undermine device
performance. NIST developed electrical stress tests that link initial resistance to degradation rate,
predictability of failure and total device lifetime. The test can be used to screen for proper
fabrication and reliability of nanotube networks.
Turn—Nanotech advancement may lead to superweapons and other ethical,
economic and medical concerns.
Bonsor and Strickland 07 — Kevin Bonsor and Jonathan Strickland. Bonsor has a bachelors
degree in journalism and Strickland is a technological researcher for “How Stuff Works,” and host of
a podcast centered around the mechanics of advanced technology (“How Nanotechnology Works,”
How Stuff Works Website, October 7, 2007, Available at
http://science.howstuffworks.com/nanotechnology5.htm, Accessed on July 21, 2014)
The most immediate challenge in nanotechnology is that we need to learn more about materials
and their properties at the nanoscale. Universities and corporations across the world are rigorously
studying how atoms fit together to form larger structures. We're still learning about how quantum
mechanics impact substances at the nanoscale.
Because elements at the nanoscale behave differently than they do in their bulk
form, there's a concern that some nanoparticles could be toxic. Some doctors worry
that the nanoparticles are so small, that they could easily cross the blood-brain
barrier, a membrane that protects the brain from harmful chemicals in the bloodstream. If we
plan on using nanoparticles to coat everything from our clothing to our highways, we
need to be sure that they won't poison us.
Closely related to the knowledge barrier is the technical barrier. In order for the incredible
predictions regarding nanotechnology to come true, we have to find ways to mass
produce nano-size products like transistors and nanowires. While we can use
nanoparticles to build things like tennis rackets and make wrinkle-free fabrics, we can't make
really complex microprocessor chips with nanowires yet.
There are some hefty social concerns about nanotechnology too. Nanotechnology may also
allow us to create more powerful weapons, both lethal and non-lethal. Some
organizations are concerned that we'll only get around to examining the ethical
implications of nanotechnology in weaponry after these devices are built. They urge
scientists and politicians to examine carefully all the possibilities of nanotechnology before
designing increasingly powerful weapons.
If nanotechnology in medicine makes it possible for us to enhance ourselves
physically, is that ethical? In theory, medical nanotechnology could make us smarter,
stronger and give us other abilities ranging from rapid healing to night vision. Should we
pursue such goals? Could we continue to call ourselves human, or would we become
transhuman -- the next step on man's evolutionary path? Since almost every technology
starts off as very expensive, would this mean we'd create two races of people -- a
wealthy race of modified humans and a poorer population of unaltered people? We
don't have answers to these questions, but several organizations are urging nanoscientists to
consider these implications now, before it becomes too late.
Not all questions involve altering the human body -- some deal with the world of
finance and economics. If molecular manufacturing becomes a reality, how will that
impact the world's economy? Assuming we can build anything we need with the click
of a button, what happens to all the manufacturing jobs? If you can create anything using a
replicator, what happens to currency? Would we move to a completely electronic economy? Would
we even need money?
Laundry list of problems with CNTs—prefer our evidence, it assumes the
precautionary measures put forth by the UK Health and Safety Executive.
Maynard 09 — Andrew Maynard, Director of the Risk Science Center at University of Michigan,
Chairman of the UM Environmental Health Sciences Department, and Research Scientist in the field
of science policy. He also has experience with politics and communication in Washington D.C.
(“Working safely with carbon nanotubes,” March 17th, 2009, Available at
http://2020science.org/2009/03/17/working-safely-with-carbon-nanotubes/, Accessed July 21,
2014)
So you want to make or use carbon nanotubes, but you are worried about handling then safely.
What do you do? The good news is that the UK Health and Safety Executive has just
published an information sheet that addresses just this question. Risk management of
carbon nanotubes is (according to the blurb) “specifically about the manufacture and
manipulation of carbon nanotubes, and has been prepared in response to emerging evidence about
the toxicology of these materials.”
But is it any good? Here’s my initial take:
HSE recommends a precautionary approach for managing the risks of all carbon nanotubes. This is
a good move. The evidence so far—which admittedly is sparse—points towards all forms
of carbon nanotubes being more harmful in the lungs than non-nanotube forms of
carbon. Of course, it depends on how you define “precautionary,” but “looking before you leap”
seems a reasonable translation in this case.
No mention is made of possible exposure when working with carbon nanotubecontaining products. HSE’s information sheet is clear that exposure to nanotubes can
occur when making the stuff, when using it, and when researching its properties. But
there is no mention of what could occur when machining, grinding or cutting a
product containing carbon nanotubes. To be fair, research so far indicates that in most cases,
once carbon nanotubes are embedded in a product they are unlikely to come out. But if a
precautionary approach is to be taken, it seems sensible to at least ask whether there is a chance
that exposure to the material will occur while working with carbon nanotube-containing products.
The review of new evidence neglects particle-like effects in the lungs. The
information sheet revolves around concerns over asbestos-like behavior and certain
types of carbon nanotubes, which is understandable given the unpleasantness and latency
period of diseases like mesothelioma. But current research suggests that even clumps of carbon
nanotubes that don’t look like asbestos fibers are more toxic if inhaled than might be
imagined. Last July, Anna Shvedova and colleagues published research showing that inhaling non
asbestos-like single walled carbon nanotubes at concentrations currently recommended as safe by
many manufacturers could be harmful.
In other words, it isn’t just asbestos-like behavior that we need to be concerned with here.
Use of carbon nanotubes appears to be discouraged in the absence of information on inhalation
hazards. The information sheet states:
“HSE views CNT’s [carbon nanotubes] as being substances of very high concern. Although the
recent findings only apply to some CNTs we think a precautionary approach should be taken to the
risk management of all CNTs, unless sound documented evidence is available on the hazards from
breathing in CNTs. If their use cannot be avoided, HSE expects a high level of control to be used.”
I may be reading this section wrong, but the message seems to be: If you don’t have a good
handle on how harmful the substance you are using might be, don’t use it. But if you
absolutely must, do everything possible to reduce exposures to a minimum. As there are no
definitive data on carbon nanotube toxicity yet, this advice seems to boil down to the use of
carbon nanotubes being discouraged.
Given the economic potential here, I’m interested in how this will play with industry.
Recommended qualitative risk management actions will reduce exposures… At the heart of the
information sheet is advice on steps to reduce exposure to airborne carbon
nanotubes when working with the substance. These are solid, generic, good occupational
hygiene practices—“use appropriate work processes,” “control exposures at source,” “make sure
exposures are controlled at all times” etc. And if followed, they should lead to fewer people being
exposed to less material. But I do wonder how practical some of them are for dealing with certain
forms of carbon nanotubes—especially when it comes to working in fume cupboards and keeping
material wet where possible.
…But there are few indications of “how much is enough.” Qualitative actions abound
in the information sheet: “use appropriate work processes;” “provide suitable work
equipment;” maintain “adequate control of exposure at all times.” But such advice is
hard to apply in the absence of any information on what processes are “appropriate,”
how suitability is determined, and when “adequate control” is achieved.
I’m sure the point here is that any actions to reduce exposures are better than none. But without
quantitative benchmarks, the chances are that some people will be exposed to worryingly high
levels of carbon nanotubes (under the “we tried our best” arguement), while others will struggle to
obtain exposure levels that are needlessly low.
On balance, I have to commend the HSE on coming out with the information sheet on the ground
that any information is better than no information, and I’m sure that some will find it helpful. But I
do worry that the information provided isn’t specific enough to either protect peoples’
health effectively, or provide nanotech businesses with the help they need to do the
right thing without over-doing it.
And unfortunately, the document fails to provide links to other sources of
information that may help remove some of the ambiguity (see some of the documents
below for instance).
CNTs fail—dependent on specific temperatures to work, and they don’t
integrate with normal electronics.
Liao et al 10 — Albert Liao, Rouholla Alizadegan, Zhun-Yong Ong, Sumit Dutta, Feng Xiong, K.
Jimmy Hsia, Eric Pop, the numerous qualifications are listed in the article to save space here
(“Thermal Dissipation and Variability in Electrical Breakdown of Carbon Nanotube Devices,”
Research Paper for Physical Review B 82 205406, Published 2010, Available at
http://arxiv.org/pdf/1005.4350.pdf, Accessed July 21, 2014)
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have excellent intrinsic electrical and thermal properties, and thus are
being considered potential candidates for nanoscale circuits,1 heat sinks2 or thermal composites.3 However, their physical properties depend on temperature, and thus are directly
affected by power dissipation during electrical operation.4-6 Joule heating in CNTs
goes beyond degrad- ing electrical performance, posing reliability concerns as in
other electronics. Electrical Joule breakdown has also been used to remove metallic
CNTs in integrated circuits;7-9 however the technique is not precise, owing to the
lack of fine control over CNT heat dissipation. It is pre- sently understood that the thermal
boundary conductance (TBC) at CNT interfaces with the envi- ronment, substrate, or contacts plays
the limiting role in thermal dissipation.10-12 In addition, the interaction of CNTs with the
environment may also change their effective thermal conductivity.13, 14 However,
little is currently known about the details of the thermal interaction between CNTs
and common dielectrics, including the roles of dielectric surface roughness or of CNT
diameter and chirality (e.g. metallic vs. semiconducting).
No solvency for CNTs for at least six years—that’s when the first transistors
will become technologically viable.
Simonite 7/1 — Tom Simonite, editor for NewScientist Magazine and MIT’s IT editor for
hardware and software, does research on algorithms and the future of computer chips in San
Francisco at MIT’s office there (“IBM: Commercial Nanotube Transistors Are Coming Soon,” MIT
Tech Review, July 1st 2014, Available at http://www.technologyreview.com/news/528601/ibmcommercial-nanotube-transistors-are-coming-soon/, Accessed on July 21, 2014)
A project at IBM is now aiming to have transistors built using carbon nanotubes
ready to take over from silicon transistors soon after 2020. According to the
semiconductor industry’s roadmap, transistors at that point must have features as small
as five nanometers to keep up with the continuous miniaturization of computer
chips. “That’s where silicon scaling runs out of steam, and there really is nothing else,” says
Wilfried Haensch, who leads the company’s nanotube project at the company’s T.J. Watson research
center in Yorktown Heights, New York. Nanotubes are the only technology that looks
capable of keeping the advance of computer power from slowing down, by offering a
practical way to make both smaller and faster transistors, he says.
CNT tech is too primitive to solve—the only working computer is the
equivalent of a 1971 model.
Bourzac 13 — Katherine Bourzac, freelance journalist and former editor for MIT Technology
Review’s Material Science section, and MIT Science Writing graduate (“The First Carbon Nanotube
Computer,” MIT Tech Review, September 25, 2013, Available at
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/519421/the-first-carbon-nanotube-computer/,
Accessed July 21, 2014)
For the first time, researchers have built a computer whose central processor is based
entirely on carbon nanotubes, a form of carbon with remarkable material and electronic
properties. The computer is slow and simple, but its creators, a group of Stanford University
engineers, say it shows that carbon nanotube electronics are a viable potential replacement for
silicon when it reaches its limits in ever-smaller electronic circuits.
The carbon nanotube processor is comparable in capabilities to the Intel 4004, that
company’s first microprocessor, which was released in 1971, says Subhasish Mitra, an
electrical engineer at Stanford and one of the project’s co-leaders. The computer, described
today in the journal Nature, runs a simple software instruction set called MIPS. It can
switch between multiple tasks (counting and sorting numbers) and keep track of
them, and it can fetch data from and send it back to an external memory.
CNTs fail—they break too often, and little improvement over time.
Yamamoto et al 11 — Go Yamamoto, Keiichi Shirasu, Toshiyuki Hashida, Toshiyuki Takagi, Ji
Won Suk, Jonho An, Richard Piner, and Rodney Ruoff, individual qualifications inside the article
(“Nanotube fracture during the failure of carbon nanotube/ alumina composites,” Science Direct,
February 24, 2011, Available at http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0008622311002867/1-s2.0S0008622311002867-main.pdf?_tid=76636a00-1138-11e4-b28600000aacb35f&acdnat=1405989673_12e099d54a84c9394343aaacd32d5853, Accessed on July 21,
2014)
Advanced engineering ceramics such as Al2O3, Si3N4, SiC and ZrO2 produced by conventional
manufacturing technology have high stiffness, excellent thermostability and relatively low density,
but extreme brittle nature restricted them from many structural applications [1]. In order to
overcome the toughness problem, incorporation of particulates, flakes and short/long fibers into
ceramics matrix, as a second phase, to produce tougher ceramic materials is an eminent practice for
decades [2]. Recently, researchers have focused on the car- bon nanomaterials, in
particular carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which are nanometer-sized tubes of single- (SWCNTs)
or multi-layer graphene (MWCNTs) with outstanding mechanical, chemical and electrical
properties [3–7], motivating their use in ceramic composite materials as a fibrous
reinforcing agent.
Until now, however, most results for strengthening and toughening have been
disappointing, and only little or no improvement have been reported in
CNT/ceramic composite materials [8,9], presumably owing to the difficulties in
homogeneous dispersion of CNTs in the matrix and in formation of adequate
interfacial connectivity between two phases.
No solvency—CNTs are meant to be used for visual displays, not internal
wiring
Strus 11 — Trace Dominguez quotes Mark Strus, a postdoc NIST researcher and PhD in
Mechanical Engineering (“When Will Carbon Nanotubes Save The World?” Discovery News,
December 28th, 2011, Available at http://news.discovery.com/tech/biotechnology/carbonnanotubes-111228.htm, Accessed on July 21, 2014)
Though the nanotubes seem ill-fitted for computer chips, Mark Strus, another NIST
postdoctoral researcher, said, "Carbon nanotube networks may not be the replacement
for copper in logic or memory devices, but they may turn out to be interconnects for
flexible electronic displays or photovoltaics."