One potential game changer in a future world that doesn't rely on fossil fuels is the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR for short) that was invented and proven back in the 1960s. The original idea was to create a bomber that could fly for years using a small and light nuclear reactor that doesn't require massive amounts of water to cool it.
The technology was put in storage by the military because of advancements with ICBMs and disappeared until now. The reactor is also much less useful for building bombs although that may still be possible as with any nuclear reactor. This technology has many advantages over current nuclear technologies, but it needs further research and development to scale it up and commercialize it.
Critics of Thorium as a fuel don't directly address LFTR, instead they mainly talk about attempts using the same traditional reactors with solid Thorium fuel as opposed to the molten salt approach. It is mostly a red herring argument against researching LFTR further. LFTR is an entirely new reactor design that maximizes its benefits. A new design entirely means a lot more research needs to be done, but the concept is well proven and established.
The problem is that the current nuclear industry leaders and regulatory agencies have already invested heavily in the solid fuel Uranium approach and they make the majority of their money on enrichment of the solid fuel which isn't needed with Thorium reactors. LIFTR does require a small amount of enriched Uranium to jump start the reaction, but it is a one time cost to get it going. Government bureaucrat red tape and backlash from these existing nuclear companies are preventing the idea from really getting off the ground even though it does show so much potential.
I would certainly prefer setting up voluntary donations across the planet as opposed to just stealing tax dollars outright. Everyone on earth should know about such research so they can all chip in. All those concerned with the environment--even those who aren't--should be first in line to donate toward this research for the betterment of all mankind. A smaller electric bill for each and every one of us would definitely be a plus.
If we all put some effort into it, we could have it tomorrow and/or even better technology. I am not satisfied until the price per KWH is a fraction of a cent. The bottom line is, do we want a real solution or virtue signaling that ends up causing more mass poverty in the world?
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