“The existential threat of the climate emergency poses perhaps the greatest danger to human health and prosperity we have ever faced,” writes U.S. Rep. Donald S. Beyer Jr. in the current June 2021 issue of Scientific American magazine. He goes on to propose Congress fund a major increase in resources to achieve nuclear fusion energy in his article, “It’s Time for Congress to Support Fusion Energy.” The article’s subtitle is, “Fusion devices for clean, safe, and affordable electricity and industrial heat are making advances and need a push.”

Beyer, who represents the 8th District of Virginia that includes the City of Falls Church, explains the energy problem society faces in his article by saying, “Even with current growth in renewable energy development, a significant portion of future energy is projected to be supplied by greenhouse gas emitting fossil fuels. World energy production is expected to double by 2050, and most electricity is generated from these fuels. This is a major problem as we try to stave off the worst effects of climate change, and the problem is unlikely to go away any time soon.”

He presents fusion energy as a solution, writing, ”But there is a technological solution on the horizon that has the potential to permanently solve this energy problem, give us a powerful weapon against the climate emergency and unlock unimaginable economic potential. This technology is fusion energy. And once commercialized, it could provide vast amounts of zero-carbon energy at low costs,” and contends, “The U.S. Congress needs to get behind this approach.”