World Legislative Bill Number Ten
Adopted in plenary session on the 25th of June, 1987 at the Third Session of
the Provisional World Parliament, meeting at Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.A.
WORLD HYDROGEN ENERGY SYSTEM AUTHORITY BILL
Submitted by Professor Nejat Veziroglu
President, International Association for Hydrogen Energy
Director, Clean Energy Research Inst., Univ. of Miami
WHEREAS
* The peoples of the world are striving to increase their living
standards, and thus - in addition to adopting all appropriate
conservation measures - must increase their energy consumption.
* The main sources at present are fossil fuels, i.e., coal, petroleum,
and natural gas.
* Fossil fuels are finite in amount and will eventually be depleted, with
the downturn in production expected to start early in the next century.
* It is prudent to plan and begin conversion to the next energy system by
making use of the remaining fossil fuel sources (and also other
convential energy sources, such as wood, etc.) to achieve a smooth
change-over, which is expected to be completely accomplished within 50
years or less.
* It is also prudent to preserve the diminishing supplies of the fossil
fuels for non-fuel applications (such as lubricants, synthetic fibers,
and plastics)), for which there may be no substitute.
* The combustion products of fossil fuels are causing growing damage to
our Biosphere (the only known domain in the Universe to be supportive
of life) and especially to its living components through pollution,
acid rain, CO2 and carcinogens.
* The combustion products and their harmful effects do not stop at the
national boundaries.
* It is of the utmost importance to keep the Biosphere clean and fit for
life, and hence the energy sources and energy carriers as clean as
possible.
* There exist "clean" primary energy sources, which however are not as
convenient to utilize as fossil fuels in general (e.g., in
transportation).
* There is a need for two types of energy carriers, viz., electricity
(meeting about one-quarter of the demand at the consumer end) and fuel
(meeting about three-quarters of the demand).
* There exists technology for the production (by any and all primary
energy sources) and utilization of the environmentally compatible and
efficient fuel energy carrier, i.e., hydrogen.
* Hydrogen would enable all the new primary energy sources to be
presented to the consumer in the best utilizable form.
* The resulting energy system "the Hydrogen Energy System" would save the
Biosphere and life from extinction, would be universal and permanent,
and would provide humankind with abundant energy for economic progress
and higher quality of life.
THEREFORE
A. THE WORLD HYDROGEN ENERGY SYSTEM AUTHORITY (WHESA) IS HEREBY CREATED.
B. TASKS: WHESA shall carry out various tasks in order to replace the
existing fossil fuel system with the Hydrogen Energy System.
I. FIRST TASK: EDUCATION OF PEOPLE AND DECISION MAKERS. WHESA will
organize short-courses, seminars, symposia and conferences in
order to educate the people and the decision makers around thhe
world about the benefits of the World Hydrogen Energy System
vis-a-vis the fossil fuel system. In these meetings the
efficiency, environmental and economical advantages of the
Hydrogen Energy System, as compared with the fossil fuel system,
will be expounded.
II. SECOND TASK: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. The World Hydrogen Energy
Research Center (WHERC) will be established. In this center
researchers from various countries will work on efficient and
economical conversion of primary energy sources, such as solar,
biomass, wind, waves, tides, ocean, thermal and geothermal, to
hydrogen. Various methods of hydrogen production, such as
electrolytic, photolytic, thermal, thermal-chemical,
thermo-electro-chemical, and hybrid methods will be researched and
evaluated. Various methods of storage of gaseous and liquid
hydrogen will be investigated, and the best ways of storage for
different applications will be determined and developed.
Transmission and distribution of gaseous and liquid hydrogen will
be investigated, and the best ways for different applications will
be determined and developed.
There will also be research into utilization of hydrogen in
residential, commercial, utility, industry and transportation
sectors. There will also be research on safety and environmental
effects of hydrogen, as well as on development of materials for
hydrogen using systems.
III. THIRD TASK: DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS. WHESA will assist in
establishing Hydrogen Energy System Demonstration Projects
wherever they would be feasible. WHESA will help - through the
expertise it will develop in WHERC - countries which are
interested in establishing hydrogen energy system demonstration
projects, and will provide technology transfer.
IV. FOURTH TASK: CONVERSION TO HYDROGEN. WHESA will assist each and
every country to convert from the present fossil fuel system to
the hydrogen engery system in a smooth, orderly and economically
expedient way. It is expected that the energy production and
utilization equipment, plants and/or transportation will be
changed to hydrogen whenever they have to be replaced and/or new
ones are needed due to increase in demand, or because of dire
necessity to save the environment quickly. The change-over must by
accomplished within 50 years or less.
V. FIFTH TASK: ENVIRONMENTAL SURCHARGE. WHESA will campaign for a
uniform environmental surcharge legislation to be enacted by each
and all countries of the world, so that the products (energy
carriers and otherwise) would be made responsible for the harm
they cause to the biosphere and to life, directly or through their
waste or manufacture; that the price of each product would include
an "environmental surcharge" to cover its environmental damage;
and that the environmental surcharge would be used by appropriate
world authorities to undo the damage to the Biosphere, life and
structures, to cover related medical, restoration and relief
expenses, and to compensate the victims.
VI. The WHESA "tasks" shall not be limited to those defined herein,
and other tasks may be defined and developed by the WHESA as
needed.
C. ADMINISTRATION: WHESA administration will consist of the following: (1)
WHESA Administrator, to be appointed by the Executive Cabinet Presidium
and approved by the World Parliament, (2) General Directors for the
tasks enumerated under Section B above, to be appointed by the
Administrator and approved by the Executive Cabinet, and (3) technical
and administration personnel to be proposed by each General Director
and approved by the administrator.
D. FUNDING: Initially, WHESA will be activated as soon as a minimum of ten
million U.S. dollars is obtained from energy companies and/or
philanthropic organizations, or national or subnational governments.
After activation, the WHESA budget will be derived as follows:
1. one quarter of one per cent of GNP of each country ratifying the
World Constitution.
2. Two and a half per cent of the net income of each energy company,
including energy mining, transportation, storing processing (to
fuel and/or electricity), and marketing companies - both public
and private which take part in the transformation process.