Plutonium (Pu-239)
This metal played an essential role in the transition from fossil fuel use at the end of the Age of Affluence. Vast reserves of this valuable material were sealed in deep underground vaults by our ancestors. This investment in the future provides a much needed resource to alleviate our current suffering. Knowledge of how it was used has been lost, but plans are currently underway to mine stored reserves of this material for experimental alchemy. Its role as a natural alternative to toxic fossil fuels suggests that it will be a valuable resource for our alchemists, with no adverse health effects known. This gift from the past provides hope that we can still harvest the knowledge of the ancients to rebuild our Broken World.
Mulgan, Tim., 2011. Ethics for a broken world, imagining philosophy after catastrophe.
