November 09, 2003
It Would Be Impractical
A fairly edifying piece from the New York Times last week, detailing the methods by which humans might wean themselves from fossil fuels.
But there's a striking line in the print edition not included in the abridged online version: "No existing technology appears capable of filling that void. The futuristic technology might be impractically expensive. Developing a solar power satellite, for example, has been estimated at $200 billion."
In other words, due to the "impracticality" of spending roughly one-fourth of what the United States spends on the military in a given year, the human race may be doomed to extinction -- even though, in a sidebar layout, the Times enthuses that, "Capturing just 1 percent of the solar energy that hits the Moon could meet all global energy needs in 2050."
Why is military spending considered "practical", but alternative energy development considered "impractical"? Uh, maybe because Dick Cheney et al. are invested in fossil fuels extraction? Just a guess.
Oh, well. The human race may be fucked, but at least the economists will be happy.
Posted by Eddie Tews at November 9, 2003 06:26 PM
Comments