Introduction #

The climate /energy nexus has received much attention in recent decades. The concern has hinged around a rise in measured atmospheric CO2 levels that has coincided with a rise in average atmospheric temperatures. Concomitant with these trends has been an increase in urbanization, with some 55% \({[^1]}\) of the global population living in urban environments. Urban environments are subject to the urban heat island effect, which means that the majority of the world’s population is directly experiencing local warming greater than global averages. This is likely resulting in the majority of the world’s population experiencing even greater adverse effects from the warming.

Solutions that have been deployed vary from using less carbon intensive fossil fuels (e.g. natural gas displacing of coal), to nuclear, to renewable technologies like hydro-electric, wind and solar. None of the solutions that have been deployed to date are widely viewed as a “silver bullet”, with all having known cost/benefit pay-offs. Different segments of the population have different value systems and accordingly weigh the cost and benefits differently, resulting in political gridlock with regards to charting the way forward. Consequently, a portfolio approach is often adopted in order to achieve politically workable solutions in many countries. The suite of available technologies gets mapped onto the local scenario, with the “least bad” option generally being selected.

A solution is offered herein which combines all these elements into an integrated solution. Local weather change, including local cooling and water production, renewable and continuous energy production that does not involve the combustion of fuel, and total city re-design that minimizes the need for personal vehicular transportation are benefits that result from this proposal (see Appendix I).

The innovation detailed in this proposal has been provisionally registered with IP Australia, with drawings and calculations included to substantiate the claims. The purpose of this proposal is to seek academic validation, with a sense of urgency being felt due to major investment decisions being fast – tracked by governments at this time due to the multiple natural disasters that have threatened Australia in the past year. The proposal entails the construction of a vertical structure that acts as a Convective Heat Engine. The innovative step described herein is the breakthrough that makes this possible.

[1] UN World Urbanization Prospects 2018 #

https://population.un.org/wup/Publications/Files/WUP2018-Highlights.pdf