Student Reflection on Geothermal Power
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I’m always impressed with the depth of travel our professor brings to the lectures. This material on desertification, land degradation, and geothermal energy was particularly interesting to me because I have seen examples of both issues. One of the main focuses of the Global West lecture was how closely the rise and fall of civilizations is tied to how they manage soil, forests, and water resources. The theory that many civilizations collapsed not because of war or politics, but because they destroyed the ecological systems that supported them was connected to modern land use and agriculture.
The discussion of desertification and soil depletion especially stood out to me. The lecture described how deforestation, overgrazing, and poor land management can slowly turn productive land into desert over time. Having spent time in northern Iraq (Mosul and Kirkuk) after the 2023 invasion; areas of forest were destroyed as the government there become nonfunctional. Unfortunately, the already limited forested areas along the Tigris River were quickly destroyed during the war. Quick research shows current programs attempting to reforest areas in the greater Mosul area.
As a fellow Blue Lagoon traveler in Iceland (for the record, the fact that it’s a European-style topless warm spring had nothing to do with my visit), the geothermal energy discussion also stood out to me because I had the opportunity in Iceland to see geothermal power plants and geothermal heated greenhouses. What was interesting was how integrated geothermal energy was into everyday life there. Electricity, heating, and agriculture were all tied to geothermal systems. The greenhouses were amazingly efficient and able to grow food year-round in a very cold climate because of the constant heat source from the earth. Iceland’s examples support the fact that many Drawdown solutions do not require new technology, but technologies that are already working in certain places and could be expanded if the economics and infrastructure supported it.
The lectures tend to emphasize politics as the main barrier , geothermal energy, but the issue is more complicated and probably has more to do with infrastructure costs, investment costs, and existing energy and agricultural systems. Large systems take a long time to change, and people tend to continue using systems that already exist and are profitable in the short term, protecting investment assets, even if they are not sustainable in the long term. The sustainability research and development in asset protection is becoming mainstream and will grow in corporate culture and investment funds
One solution that seems to come up repeatedly in both the Drawdown material and the lectures is the idea that we need to move from extractive systems to regenerative systems, especially in agriculture and land use. Soil restoration, reforestation, improved grazing management, and better water management all seem to be long-term solutions that improve productivity while also improving environmental stability. These types of solutions are less about new technology and more about better management of natural systems.
The biggest takeaway in the lecture is that many sustainability problems and Drawdown solutions are really resource management problems with existing solutions.
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