What if this fusion power thing actually pans out? The ITER is on track, and the scale model test in China earlier this year looked very promising. If we had access to (what from our perspective seems like) infinite clean energy what could we do with it? Transmute elements? Desalinize seawater? Drive a rotating magnetic field the size of the planet for wireless global electric power? What are the limits?
I suppose getting the ITER up and running is dependent on war not breaking out in Europe and continued global scientific collaboration. Assuming that these conditions will hold out is maybe overoptimistic given the track record of the last three hundred years of history and the looming threat of environmental crisis.
One thing I haven't got my head around is the scale of projected lithium demand if deuterium-tritium fusion becomes a dominant energy source. Maybe a good comparison would be against current lithium demand for batteries. Are we looking at a big increase in lithium demand, or would the quantity required be relatively insignificant?
why would war break out within europe?
Because we live in an unstable world, and a lot can change in a few decades.
It's not likely, but it isn't impossible either.