Questão de Língua Inglesa

Our¬ planet¬ is¬ home¬ to¬ subterranean¬lava¬deposits¬and¬ smatterings¬of¬obsidian—black¬ volcanic¬ glass.¬ Scalding¬ groundwater¬ bubbles¬ to¬ the¬ surface¬ in¬ places.¬ In¬ such¬ a¬ landscape,¬you¬remember¬that¬ the¬planet’s¬hard¬exterior¬is¬so¬ thin¬that¬we¬call¬it¬a¬crust.¬Its¬superheated¬interior¬burns¬with¬ an¬estimated¬forty-four¬trillion¬watts¬of¬power.¬Heat¬mined¬from¬ underground¬is¬called¬geothermal¬and¬can¬be¬used¬to¬produce¬ steam,¬spin¬a¬turbine,¬and¬generate¬electricity.¬Until¬recently,¬ humans¬ have¬ tended¬ to¬ harvest¬ small¬ quantities¬ in¬ the¬ rare¬ places¬ where¬ it¬ surfaces,¬ such¬ as¬ hot¬ springs.¬ The¬ biggest¬ drawback¬is¬drilling¬miles¬through¬hot¬rock,¬safely.¬If¬scientists¬ can¬do¬that,¬next-generation¬geothermal¬power¬could¬supply¬ clean¬energy¬for¬eons.¬Right¬now,¬geothermal¬energy¬meets¬a¬ puny¬portion¬of¬humanity’s¬electricity¬and¬heating¬needs.¬Fossil¬ fuels¬power¬about¬eighty¬per¬cent¬of¬human¬activity,¬pumping¬ out¬ carbon¬ dioxide¬ and¬ short-circuiting¬ our¬ climate¬ to¬ catastrophic¬ effect.¬ Converts¬ argue¬ that¬ geothermal¬ checks¬ three¬key¬boxes:¬it¬is¬carbon-free,¬available¬everywhere,¬and¬ effectively¬ unlimited.¬ It¬ is¬ also¬ baseload,¬ which¬ means¬ that,¬ unlike¬solar¬panels¬or¬wind,¬it¬provides¬a¬steady¬flow¬of¬energy.¬ “Over¬the¬last¬two¬years,¬I¬have¬watched¬this¬exponential¬spinup¬of¬activity¬in¬geothermal,”¬a¬drilling¬expert¬said.¬But¬there¬is¬ a¬risk¬of¬moon¬shots:¬often,¬they¬miss.¬“There’s¬basically¬zero¬ chance¬that¬you’re¬going¬to¬develop¬a¬moon-shot¬technology¬ and¬have¬it¬be¬commercial¬in¬five¬years,¬on¬a¬large-scale”,¬said¬ Mark¬ Jacobson,¬ an¬ engineering¬ professor.¬ That’s¬ how¬ long¬ humanity¬has¬to¬lower¬emissions¬before¬climatic¬devastation.¬ “There’s¬a¬very¬decent¬chance¬you¬can¬do¬that¬with¬wind¬and¬ solar,”¬he¬said.¬Perhaps,¬when¬resources¬and¬time¬are¬finite,¬ trying¬and¬failing¬could¬be¬worse¬than¬not¬trying¬at¬all.¬ New¬Yorker.¬March¬2025.¬Adaptado.¬ ¬ De¬ acordo¬ com¬ o¬ texto,¬ atualmente¬ a¬ exploração¬ do¬ calor¬ gerado¬nas¬regiões¬subterrâneas¬do¬planeta¬ ¬