Future opportunities in fusion power development

The author makes a case that the fusion community should push for accelerated development of fusion power over the next ten years, based on the feeling that geopolitical changes are making such a position tenable. The skills and experience of Russian scientists now able to work on an international scale should aid the development of a computational tokamak. The fusion program has generated a wide range of technology spinoffs to the private sector. Present US dependance on foreign oil, today at 40% compared to 30% in l982, and projected to grow to almost 70% in the next century. If a threat of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East develops the US will be forced to look at short term options for energy independence. Coal and nuclear fission both suffer from major public acceptance problems, the first due to environmental fears associated with climatic change due to emissions, and the latter due to fear from accidents, of which Chernobyl may be only the precursor. All of these factors lead the author to urge pushing for increased funding today to see the commercial development of fusion in the first decade of the next century, rather than the second quarter based on todays funding strategy