watercolour
©2023 Charlene Brown
Almost 90 years after the Hindenburg disaster ended the golden age of airships, interest in lighter-than-air transport is reviving. With low carbon emissions, and no requirement for expensive ground infrastructure like airports or roads, solar electric-powered airships could be a sustainable solution for cargo and passenger transport.
See below for earlier fantasizing on this topic.
Sailing ships are another old technology that may be reborn as the shipping industry looks to decarbonize. Hypothetically, these giant new sails could be inflated or deflated at the push of a button, and would pivot automatically to catch the wind.
Originally built for heli-skiing, then high-elevation heli-hiking, the whole system of lodges and helicopters in the Bugaboos is conscientiously designed and operated to minimize the carbon footprint.
However, in my book, Inventing the Future, I couldn’t resist pointing out that fantastic plein air painting days such as this will be even better in the future if transportation to the peaks is by electric airship!
