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The issue with free cheap energy such as fusion isn't its direct byproducts, but its impact on society. It will fuel an economic growth without precedent, whic

The issue with free cheap energy such as fusion isn't its direct byproducts, but its impact on society. It will fuel an economic growth without precedent, which in turn will increase the consumption of material goods, which in turn will increase the extraction of natural resources. Those resources will become rarer and more difficult to extract, thus leading to more destructive extraction strategies. Energy puts a cap to our ability to destroy the planet in order to satisfy our material needs. To top it all off, everyone around here loves to build new stuff, but finding ways to get rid of it without creating waste isn't as trendy. I don't believe one second that our civilization is capable of controlling itself. And don't tell me about multi-planetary scenarios or whatnot. They are neither realistic (regardless of the energy availability) nor desirable.

daveguy 3y ago
Thank you. Very clear and reasonable explanation. Mining of auxillary materials to pair with all that energy would be a problem. Multi-planetary scenarios for humans aren't realistic in anywhere close to the near term... But mining asteroids instead of the earth might be realistic. Many solutions which may not be realistic now could be with such an energy source. It will be a precarious time. That's for sure.
megaman821 3y ago
If energy is free and unlimited more can be devoted to recycling. Also the vast majority of people like nature, more energy is directed into cleaning up and preserving nature in the US than every before. What about free, unlimited energy would change this preference?
- jurgenaut23 3y ago
  Unless we live in orthogonal dimensions, you know that free unlimited energy is never devoted to recycling. Plus, fusion will produce electricity, which needs to be stored in batteries. Or it will be used to produce hydrogen, which in turn will lead to a massive conversion of our mobility and transportation infrastructure, causing massive extracting of materials required for their manufacturing. > Also the vast majority of people like nature, more energy is directed into cleaning up and preserving nature in the US than every before. Really? Definitely in an orthogonal dimension then...

daveguy 3y ago

Thank you. Very clear and reasonable explanation. Mining of auxillary materials to pair with all that energy would be a problem. Multi-planetary scenarios for humans aren't realistic in anywhere close to the near term... But mining asteroids instead of the earth might be realistic. Many solutions which may not be realistic now could be with such an energy source. It will be a precarious time. That's for sure.

megaman821 3y ago

If energy is free and unlimited more can be devoted to recycling. Also the vast majority of people like nature, more energy is directed into cleaning up and preserving nature in the US than every before. What about free, unlimited energy would change this preference?

jurgenaut23 3y ago
Unless we live in orthogonal dimensions, you know that free unlimited energy is never devoted to recycling. Plus, fusion will produce electricity, which needs to be stored in batteries. Or it will be used to produce hydrogen, which in turn will lead to a massive conversion of our mobility and transportation infrastructure, causing massive extracting of materials required for their manufacturing. > Also the vast majority of people like nature, more energy is directed into cleaning up and preserving nature in the US than every before. Really? Definitely in an orthogonal dimension then...