And, oh yeah, by the way, even if we do “solve” this “problem” by mining asteroids, and unlock an unlimited supply of all minerals on demand at all times, how l

And, oh yeah, by the way, even if we do “solve” this “problem” by mining asteroids, and unlock an unlimited supply of all minerals on demand at all times, how long before we import so much mass, that we drastically alter the concentrations of strange, toxic compounds in the biosphere, well beyond what would have ever been possible with decades of the most dehumanizing mining operations imaginable? In a hypothetical worst-case scenario, let’s imagine the world had an insatiable appetite for mercury thermometers, and presto! Asteroid mining to the rescue! We discover that all the asteroids have a delicious, juicy mercury core! Extrapolated to extremes, the world adopts disposable mercury thermometers as the new normal, and in a decade, methylmercury poisons the globe, as landfills accumulate tons and tons of broken thermometers, and the waste quickly seeps into the water table. Inexhaustable supply can cause problems on its own.