MEMORANDUM
ON THE TRANSITION FROM THE FOSSIL SYSTEM
TO HYDROGEN ECONOMY AND THEN
TO HYDROGEN CIVILIZATION

On May 14-18, 2001 the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (USA), the International Engineering Academy (Russia), the Engineering Academy of Ukraine, the Donetsk State Technical University and the Donetsk Engineering and Physical Center (Ukraine) held the Third International Conference “Hydrogen Treatment of Materials, HTM-2001” which set itself a task to analyze the bases of an effective and safe development of modern hydrogen energy related systems and processes, and to consider an up-to-date state of the hydrogen economy and perspectives of a transition to the hydrogen civilization of the future.

After a comprehensive discussion of the problems, the scientists, experts and industrialists - participants from the USA, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Spain, Libya and Poland - came to the conclusion that a special memorandum is needed to attract the attention of the world hydrogen and ecological movements to the fundamental changes of the conception on the future of the Earth's biosphere and ecosystem. These fundamental changes are conditioned by a necessity of the humankind's transition from hydrogen economy to hydrogen civilization of the future.

In this context there has appeared a necessity to formulate the basic statements of such a transition and tasks of the world hydrogen and ecological movements.

1. The Basic Statements follow:

  1. A gradual deterioration of the Earth's biosphere and ecosystem attracts justifiable concern of the world hydrogen energy and ecological movements and the public at large.

  2. There is no, and cannot be quick, “spur of the moment” decisions on taking the Earth's biosphere and ecosystem out of the consideration of the global, ecologically dangerous developments caused by using carbon-bearing fuels (coal, oil, gas and the like).

  3. Vetoing the increase of energy consumption, which leads to dangerous reactions of countries and regions, is an erroneous, scientifically invalid blind way causing a wasteful spending of intellectual and material resources, and distracting the world public's attention. This approach essentially declares the slogan “Ahead to the primitive life!”, which cannot be realized in practice.

  4. A real, scientifically grounded, historically timed transition to an ecologically clean life and preservation of the biosphere and ecosystem can be achieved in only one way, that is by a step-by-step replacement of carbon-bearing energy carriers with hydrogen, the only possible energy carrier which does not produce any harmful emissions to the atmosphere.

  5. Successes of the world hydrogen energy movement over the last 27 years, long-term plans and programs existing in a set of countries (Japan, Germany, the USA, etc.), commercialization of hydrogen technologies and fuel cells around the world, all raise optimism and cannot but make the hydrogen energy movement participants full of enthusiasm.

  6. The transition to hydrogen economy and then to hydrogen civilization, which is the only possible, scientifically grounded way to preserve the Earth's biosphere and ecosystem suitable for life.

    7.

  7. The world experience and the history of engineering prove that a transformation of such a scale cannot be achieved without problems. Stops and mistakes, and even returning back for a short time are possible in principle.

  8. Consequently the vital tasks of the hydrogen energy and ecological movements should strive for a minimization of mistakes and diversions, such as the “Hindenburg Syndrome” type.

2. Generalized tasks of the future realization demand:

  1. A systemic and synergetic analysis of the possible stages of transition from the fossil fuel system to the hydrogen economy and then to the full hydrogen civilization with an estimation of probabilities of the Earth's biosphere and ecosystem coming into bifurcation states and an analysis of possible ways of further development.

  2. A development and estimation of some possible multi-variant mechanisms of the influence and control of the processes of transition to hydrogen civilization regarding the development of the noosphere and a possibility of the occurrence of new mechanisms of its self-organization.

  3. Analytical and practical activities to stimulate the process of transition to hydrogen civilization, such as:

  • Consolidation of the hydrogen energy and ecological movements and winning over scientific communities of other endeavors to solve complex tasks through systemic studies.

  • Achieving mass “hydrogen” consciousness; attracting attention of the public at large through the mass media and educational programs at schools, colleges, universities, etc..

  • Initiating extensive discussions and taking in international and regional organizations to enact laws and economic regulations of the processes of transition to the hydrogen economy and then to the hydrogen civilization.

  • Initiating practical activities through the legal and economic controls for the development of hydrogen economy in countries, groups of countries, and the world.

  • Achieving an extensive international cooperation in order to secure the participation and contributions of the whole humankind to transition to hydrogen civilization.

3. Leadership and responsibility of the world hydrogen energy movement would include:

  1. A systemic and synergetic study and forecasting of development of the noosphere during transition to the hydrogen civilization, then an estimation of possible occurrence of bifurcation situations, and an analysis of ways of rational development of the biosphere and ecosystem (all these - including the solutions of numerous similar tasks which will inevitably occur in the future - will make up the subject matter of greatest human responsibility).

  2. The International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE) is the established and recognized world leader of the hydrogen energy movement.

  • The IAHE was established in 1974 with the emergence of hydrogen economy concept, and ever since has been the ideological leader and organizer of the world hydrogen energy movement.

  • New times and new tasks require new solutions: by the initiative of the concerned organizations during this Conference, there has been signed Agreement and founded the Joint Scientific and Coordinational Council (JSC-Council) on the perspectives of the transition to hydrogen economy. The founders of this action are the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (the USA), the International Engineering Academy (Russia), the Engineering Academy of Ukraine, the Donetsk State Technical University and the Donetsk Engineering and Physical Center (Ukraine).

  • The JSC-Council is a scientific and public non-profitable organization, open for joining by other organizations sharing its goals and purposes.

4. Adoption:

The Memorandum has been discussed and adopted in the city of Donetsk (Ukraine) on May 18, 2001 at the Final Plenary Session of the Third International Conference "Hydrogen Treatment of Materials"" and recommended for publication in a special issue of “International Journal of Hydrogen Energy” devoted to this Conference.

5. Call for cooperation:

The participants of the Third International Conference "Hydrogen Treatment of Materials: Effectiveness and Safety of the Up-to-Date Hydrogen Consuming Processes for Transition to Hydrogen Civilization of the Future" call all members of the hydrogen energy and ecological movements, everybody who cares for the ecological well-being of the humankind, preservation of the Earth's biosphere and ecosystem, to consolidate the efforts and to contribute to the approaching of the Era of Hydrogen Civilization, the only ecologically clean and worthy civilization of the future.

On behalf of the participants - scientists, experts, industrialists - this Memorandum has been signed by:

President of the IAHE Professor T.N. Veziroglu, USA;

Member of Board of Directors of IAHE, Head of the DonEPhC, Professor V.A. Goltsov, Ukraine;

Dr. F.A. Lewis, The Queen's University of Belfast, United Kingdom;

Rector of the DonSTU, Professor A.A. Minaev, Ukraine;

President of the IEA, Professor B.V. Gusev, Russia;

President of the EAU, Dr. A.I. Vasil’ev, Ukraine;

Professor Y.Hayashi, Kyushu University, Japan;

Professor E.Lunarska, Institute of Physical Chemistry of Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.

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