4 ms·
Given that we have a history of 'start doing it already' that has led to: - ozone destruction - plastic pollution in the seas - potential runaway global warming
by arbitrary_name 7y ago
Given that we have a history of 'start doing it already' that has led to:
- ozone destruction
- plastic pollution in the seas
- potential runaway global warming brought on by fossil fuel use
- use of DDT and neocotinoids
- introduction of pest species that destroy ecologies
do you really think we should be repeating the exact same approach? Because to me it sounds insane.
Our thoughtless embrace of technology has caused much of our current problems - thoughtless embrace of technology will not magically solve them.
- TeMPOraL 7y agoIt also led to vaccines, detergents, anesthetics, fridges, microwave ovens, books, computers, and everything else man-made that now makes our lives better. So let's not cherry-pick. It's not our thoughtless embrace of technology that caused much of our problems - our problems were and are caused by people. In particular, by coordination problems. By our inability to do things together for long-term benefits. Our cherished democracy and free market only exacerbate this problem. So it's a good idea, IMO, to have a backup plan that doesn't require everyone to change their life styles - otherwise, in 50 years we may be wishing we had some prototyping done instead of it just being a theoretical idea.
- beerandt 7y agoBut we didn't, for example, first test vaccines on the entire world population simultaneously. The scale of the potential initial risk is critical. Not "what could happen?" but "If there's an unintended consequence, how many people (or how large of an area) could it affect? I think in the case of the solar shields, the risk is beyond what most of us can comprehend.