If our goal is basic research, sure, fusion is great. But if our goal is to achieve carbon neutrality ASAP, we can't count on fusion to help because we don't k

If our goal is basic research, sure, fusion is great. But if our goal is to achieve carbon neutrality ASAP, we can't count on fusion to help because we don't know when it will start working. On the other hand, renewables + battery leveling are here today and ready for intensive investment. Yes, let's do both. But I don't believe fusion research will provide a short-term alternative to CO2-emitting power sources. I think it's fine with to spend 1000x on conventional renewables compared to fusion. We can employ an absolute army of technicians and factory workers today to build out renewable generation infrastructure, while fusion gets a steady research budget for post-docs, career physicists, materials engineers, etc.