Going underground
Europeans have always put large efforts in modifying the surface of their land. More and more, we have also altered underground areas. Since Neolithic times, we have made subsurface mines in order to excavate minerals. Sometimes we dig hole in the ground in order to find something, other times, the hole in itself is the object. In densely populated and built-over areas, the development of subsurface space is necessary. How would the overcrowded European cities cope without Metros or road tunnels? Let alone tunnels for water distribution, sewage management and cable trenches?
Waste
Until we find new ways to recycle waste, we will need safe places to store it. The Earth provides us with such places: from deep salt mines for radioactive waste or water tight clay pits at the surface for household or industrial waste to carbon dioxide storage in old gas fields. Through its vastness, volume and slow processes, Earth can provide safe storage solutions for tens of thousands of years.
Energy and CO2 storage
Energy is a commodity we take for granted. But fossil fuel is becoming a scarce raw material in the European Union. Energy trade is becoming a stock market business. In order to keep energy affordable, new opportunities need to be developed. Geothermal energy is available everywhere and can be developed at any scale, household or industrial. Energy consumption is considered the major cause for global climate change. Carbon dioxide can safely be stored in the subsurface for millions of years or could even be used to produce natural gas, otherwise unattainable, from the hard coal deposits.
However, constructing any of these subsurface infrastructures without jeopardizing the surface and environment requires knowledge of geological conditions.
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