Something that surprised me was the emphasis on physics in understanding our world. Wallom really drove this point home, and I had not thought of physics having this much of an impact. Of course it makes sense that physics matters, but I had always thought there were so many other factors as well beyond physics such as math, chemistry, and social awareness. Wallom also makes an interesting point that physics gives us an understanding of the world, while engineering allows us to put this understanding to practical use to make a difference.
A question I would love to ask Wallom is what he thinks the greatest invention to the world has been relating to renewable energy. Obviously, there have been so many important inventions but I would love to know what he thinks has stood out from the rest of the pack. In the interview, fertilizer is mentioned to have played a pivotal role in advancement, but I would love to know if there is another one as well.
I’m pretty sure the reference to fertilizer you mention is an analogy to the invention of nitrogen fertilizer staving off the starvation predicted by Malthus. The question when it comes to climate change is whether there is a “nitrogen-fertilizer-like” solution, or whether we should not think so much about a miracle silver bullet.
It is interesting to hear about climate change from a physicist because they draw in different opinions of different things. I think the point Wallom makes about engineering to put our physics knowledge to practical use is a great one. I personally, would love to hear about the pivotal role fertilizer. Aren't there also a lot of pesticides in fertilizer? Surely those cannot be beneficial for the environment?