Hot Spring Bathing: Low-carbon & High-efficiency Health Industry Worldwide

Abstract

Even long time ago ancient people knew hot spring bathing could treat disease. Ancient scientist Heng Zhang (AD 78-139) wrote “Ode of Hot Spring” and described that hot spring had function of healing disease. The keynote lectures of WGC2020+1 showed that hot spring bathing and swimming were important component of geothermal direct use worldwide. It occupies 44.1% of worldwide 2020 direct use without heat pump. Hot spring water come from subsurface geothermal reservoir. It does not burn fossil energies coal and oil etc. and avoids air pollution. It belongs to clean energy industry. Hot spring water contains special geothermal components such as silica, boron, fluorine, lithium and hydrogen sulfide etc. to form thermal mineral water. It has precious medical value to be available for physical therapy and medical treatment. There are many small towns owned hot spring worldwide. They developed hot spring as special relaxation, sightseeing and tourist industry, and had grown local economy. Looking around the world there is extensive public acceptance for hot spring bathing. And operators could gain consistent return. All of these have testified it is the everlasting health industry for thousands of years human society. At recent years some environmental protection and water conservation experts assert that hot spring made pollution and surface subsidence. In fact hot spring bathing and relaxation as low-carbon and high-efficiency health industry it should be supported and encouraged. China advocates energy saving and emission reduction, hot spring as geothermal energy is able to play a positive role. It will help us to reach our ambitious target for peak carbon dioxide emissions in 2030 and carbon neutrality in 2060.