The Secret Investment Formula of a Chemical Genius - Chapter 153



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Episode 153 Exchange

In modern times, there are various measures to measure national power.

Military power, economic power, scientific and technological power, political power, education, culture, etc.

Depending on what criteria you use, the evaluation of a country may differ slightly.

Just one thing.

If I had to choose a standard that doesn’t change, I would say economic power.

“Professor Han will know very well that America’s position is not what it used to be.”

Early 2000s.

The United States has consolidated its position as the sole superpower leading the world order.

A unipolar system that seemed like it would last forever.

The decisive cause of the collapse of this order was the ‘subprime mortgage crisis’ that occurred in late 2007.

While the United States was briefly at a standstill due to the financial crisis.

China, known as the world’s factory, is rising at a frightening rate.

In addition, as newly industrialized countries such as the EU, Brazil, India, and Russia developed rapidly, the United States’ share of the world economy gradually decreased.

It was from this time on.

The world is increasingly moving toward a multipolar system.

“Most countries are aiming for complete carbon neutrality by 2050, or at the latest by 2060. Professor Han, you probably know what that means.”

“It means that the industrial structure will completely change.”

“That’s right. In order to not emit carbon, improving the social structure is essential, but humans tend to dislike changes in situations they have become accustomed to.”

Change breeds resistance.

Resistance breeds confusion.

“That’s why politicians have had to keep an eye on the public’s opinions and pursue only passive changes. Since voters who have the votes don’t like change, carbon emissions have only increased every year.

To prevent a tragedy that might happen decades later.

Let’s say we ban the use of oil starting tomorrow.

Will people be able to easily accept that situation?

“Just then a professor appeared holding the chemical formula.”

Professor Jennon Smith was as excited as a feverish adolescent boy.

There are two main ways to achieve carbon neutrality.

Not emitting carbon in the first place.

Or, recovering the same amount of carbon as was emitted.

“The way to reduce carbon emissions is to use renewable energy. Of course, it is a good way. However, the problem is that it has a great impact on the environment.”

Solar power requires solar energy.

However, if cloudy days continue, you may not be able to get enough power you need.

The same goes for wind and hydroelectric power.

If the wind doesn’t blow or there isn’t enough rain, you can’t produce renewable energy.

This means that it is strongly influenced by the natural environment.

However, humans do not yet have the technology to completely control the natural environment.

“That’s why it’s not easy to strike a balance between the two conflicting values ​​of ‘economic development’ and ‘environmental conservation’, but Professor Han’s method was completely different. He was able to sufficiently blend the two values. Didn’t he say, “If I do it, it’s romance, but if someone else does it, it’s an affair?”

“… … Where did you hear that word?”

“My Korean teacher told me that it’s a word that’s used a lot in real life. Am I mistaken?”

“No. He taught me properly.”

I laughed bitterly at Professor Jennon Smith’s mischievous smile.

Sipping coffee that had already cooled to lukewarm.

He leaned back in his chair leisurely.

“No matter how powerful the United States is, it cannot force others to do what it has not been able to do itself.”

“I guess so.”

“But if we succeed in achieving carbon neutrality, the story will be completely different.”

A vast area that cannot be compared to Korea.

If we could fill all that space with CZTERA’s mechanical equipment.

Maybe it will actually become possible.

Complete carbon neutrality.

The problem is… … .

Would that be okay?

Although it seems to be slowing down a bit recently.

The United States remains the world’s largest economy.

The United States, which succeeded in achieving complete carbon neutrality, was sure to impose its strict standards on other countries.

And if.

If other countries fail to meet those standards, they will face significant disadvantages in their exports.

Even if the world order operates according to the logic of power.

Just as important was the justification.

America is asking me to give it that justification.

And after gaining a justification, where will that sharp blade be pointed first?

“China and Russia?”

Professor Jennon Smith, who was asked the question, laughed quietly without answering.

I knew it was meant to be positive.

A country that is competitive or hostile with the United States.

… … It’s complicated.

When Professor Jennon Smith, who had been away for a while, returned to the restaurant, he apologized.

He was holding a piece of paper in his hand.

“This is an initial concept.”

I slowly read through the documents he handed me.

“The investment is 200 billion dollars. And that’s in the first round.”

“Phew!”

Taekang, who was standing next to me, spit out the water he had in his mouth.

“Really? It’s not 200 billion won?”

I showed the guy the papers.

“… … .”

A guy who was frozen solid like a rock, with astronomical numbers he had never seen before.

I turned my gaze to Professor Jennon Smith.

“Is what is written here true?”

“America is a country that values ​​credit more than any other country.”

They said there was no problem.

The U.S. annual budget is approaching $7 trillion.

$200 billion is a large sum, but it is certainly manageable.

If you feel like you have a tight budget, you can just turn on the printing press and print dollars, the key currency.

I guess you’re really serious.

“You must be tired, so how about we stop here for today?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

After all, it wasn’t something that could be decided in a day or two.

We decided to conclude our discussion here for today.

“Then rest comfortably.”

We followed Aaron to our room where we would be staying for the night.

“Ha, is this a room or a living room?”

A king-size bed that can comfortably accommodate Taekang’s large body.

The room we were assigned seemed much more spacious and luxurious than your average hotel suite.

I’m sitting on the edge of my bed, rereading the papers Professor Jennon Smith gave me.

“Just a moment, I’ll go outside and come back.”

“Where are you going?”

“I was just going to take a walk and look around. I’ll also help digest what I ate earlier.”

“Okay. Don’t go too far.”

The guy goes out waving his hand.

I was reading some documents in a quiet environment for a while.

Maybe it’s because I overdid it today, but I have a bit of a headache.

He closed his eyes tightly and pressed his temples with his fingers.

Then, the feeling of tightness in my head gradually disappeared.

I leaned back comfortably on the bed and thought about the dry land of the San Joaquin Valley that I had seen earlier.

Grass leaves that have turned brown and withered in strong light.

A school of dead fish lying grotesquely beneath the riverbed, with only their bones exposed.

A land of death where not a single trace of life can be felt.

Worldwide, deserts are being created every year on an area equivalent to 60% of South Korea’s land area.

… … Is there no way to solve this?

Let’s think deeply again.

As if telling me to take a break.

My head is starting to feel throbbing.

He twisted his body slightly and lay down at an angle, holding his cell phone.

Short short videos of about 1 minute.

An image that quickly passes by.

There was nothing better than clearing my head without thinking about anything.

For a long time, he was flipping through the videos with his fingers with an expressionless face.

One video caught my attention.

A barren desert.

That place, where only red sand sways in the wind, is gradually turning blue as time passes.

A scene that is almost magical.

30 million trees… … .

Mongolia, famous for its grasslands, could not avoid desertification either.

In order to return the desert to its original state, people planted a whopping 30 million trees.

As shown in the video, the best way to green the area is to ‘plant trees’.

However, it wasn’t as easy as it seemed in the video.

Because planting a tree once wasn’t the end.

Because it is a dry area after all.

Trees need to be properly supplied with water over a long period of time to survive.

There, trees don’t grow quickly either.

In the short video that was a few minutes long, it seemed like it was solved in an instant.

It took a long time of 15 years to successfully achieve greening, as indicated in the subtitles at the end of the video.

I got up from bed.

Plants, like humans, have hormones.

Auxin, Gibberellin, Cytokinin, Abscisic acid, Ethylene.

These five hormones are involved in the growth and development of plants.

… … If only we could control these hormones well.

Maybe it would be possible to make plants grow faster.

I’ve been scribbling chemical formulas on a notebook with a ballpoint pen for a long time.

“What is that?”

“I’m just trying to cool my head.”

“Anyway, I said you have a unique personality.”

Taekang shook off the dust from his body.

“How about a walk?”

“You did well.”

“Looking around, how is the location?”

“… … !”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“How did you know?”

“I saw a person who said he was going for a walk bring a writing utensil.”

“When did you see that last?”

The guy shook his head and sat down across from me.

“How was it?”

“It seems okay. As you must have seen on your way here, the ground is really flat, perfect for construction. And I heard it doesn’t rain much either.”

“yes.”

“Since our machine sucks air from the vents, it’s a bit tricky to operate it when it rains.”

As Taekang said.

Because the rain was sucked in along with the air.

On rainy days, CZTERA’s operating rate drops to nearly half.

“Honestly, if you look at it from the outside, it seems better than Korea.”

“Is that all?”

“Take a look at this. I thought about it when I came here, but it’s better than the existing air vents used in Korea… .”

A face flushed with red.

The guy chattered excitedly for quite some time.

“What do you think?”

“It looks okay. You know more about machines and equipment than I do anyway.”

“That’s right! Representative Han said, trust only me!”

Taekang’s shoulders rose even higher.

… … Anyway, even if you deny it, when you see him like that, he’s clearly a idiot.

I chuckled.

“But you know, what on earth is America thinking?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I understand that this is intended to put pressure on the Chinese or Russian economy, but it still costs hundreds of trillions of our money. Isn’t the loss too great?”

The guy tilted his head.

“Do you really think so?”

“no?”

“In my view, the recovery of US investment will be faster than expected.”

“how?”

I stared blankly at the papers Professor Jennon Smith had handed me.

“It seems like the US is thinking of opening an exchange.”

“If you’re talking about the exchange… … are you talking about the carbon emissions market you mentioned before?”

“okay.”

“If that’s the case, then it already exists.”

“yes.”

Currently, the place where emissions trading systems are most actively implemented is Europe.

European Climate Exchange in London, UK.

European Energy Exchange in Leipzig, Germany.

BlueNext in Paris, France

In addition to these, there are as many as seven exchanges in Europe.

“But, as I said before, it’s difficult to see it as carbon emissions trading in the true sense.”

Through annual meetings, each country is allocated carbon emissions allowances.

That means.

“You can arbitrarily adjust the amount of emissions. But what the US is envisioning is a little different.”

“how?”

“It’s set based on actual carbon emissions. And the US has chosen us as the liquidity provider for emissions rights on that exchange.”

“… … !”

“Do you understand now?”

“Do you want to start a trading fee business?”

“maybe.”

“Wow, this is no joke.”

As soon as the US succeeds in achieving carbon neutrality, it will put pressure on other countries.

But other countries whose CCU technology is not yet mature will naturally not be able to meet America’s strict standards.

At that time, the United States will open a carbon emissions trading market.

From an American perspective, it’s a great opportunity to make money while expanding international influence.

“It goes without saying, but by then emissions permits will probably be bought and sold like stocks.”

“Is that what it says in the documents?”

“No, but I would do that.”

There is no way that America’s so-called brains can’t come up with the idea I just came up with.

“Wow, that would be awesome. I’d be raking in the money.”

“I guess so.”

It is about monopolizing a market worth hundreds or even trillions of dollars.

Once an exchange is firmly established, making money is a piece of cake.

“What are you going to do?”

“I guess we should meet up and talk.”

To the man sitting at the very top of the White House.