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I think the future is going to find the past 100 years or so an insane time in history as we used all the fossil fuels and water up in the blink of an eye on th

I think the future is going to find the past 100 years or so an insane time in history as we used all the fossil fuels and water up in the blink of an eye on the historical time scale.

withinboredom 3y ago
[flagged]
- NegativeLatency 3y ago
  Why invade another country when you can do such insane things as: - pipeline the Columbia River to the SW Region: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_interstate_water_pipelines_to_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_interstate_water_pipe... - tow icebergs for the fresh water they contain: https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/can-icebergs-be-towed-to-water-starved-cities/ https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/can-icebergs-be-towed-t... - pipe water from Alaska to CA: https://www.wired.com/2015/02/california-pipe-water-alaska/ https://www.wired.com/2015/02/california-pipe-water-alaska/
  - npongratz 3y ago
    - pipe water shared with Canada out of the Great Lakes, up and over the Rocky Mountains, and down into Phoenix and Las Vegas: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/04/10/great-lakes-water-piped-southwest-our-future-says-nasa-scientist/100301326/ https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/04/10/g...
    - cmrdporcupine 3y ago
      Move the people, the industry, and the farms... not the water, thank you very much. Lots of good arable land here in the upper great lakes basin.
Workaccount2 3y ago
IF we didn't find fossil fuels, in all likely hood we would still be living in the 18th century.
- leptons 3y ago
  Electricity came up around the same time and never stopped - the tech involved with electronics and electric everything has far surpassed that of oil and gas. There were electric cars at the same time ICEs were being invented. Oil and gas won for selfish reasons.
  - quickthrowman 3y ago
    Electrical generators were powered by fossil fuels (excluding hydro) until nuclear/solar/wind became economical. There would be no electricity without fossil fuels, full stop.
    - cmrdporcupine 3y ago
      From WP: "In 1878, the world's first hydroelectric power scheme was developed at Cragside in Northumberland, England, by William Armstrong. It was used to power a single arc lamp in his art gallery.[13] The old Schoelkopf Power Station No. 1, US, near Niagara Falls, began to produce electricity in 1881. The first Edison hydroelectric power station, the Vulcan Street Plant, began operating September 30, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin, with an output of about 12.5 kilowatts.[14] By 1886 there were 45 hydroelectric power stations in the United States and Canada; and by 1889 there were 200 in the United States alone.[1]"
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  - cmrdporcupine 3y ago
    O&G won because the energy density is so extremely high.
busyant 3y ago
> an insane time in history as we used all the fossil fuels and water up in the blink of an eye on the historical time scale. I'm probably not telling you anything you didn't already know, but this is what exponential growth does. Even when the exponent is tiny. If I had a solution to the impending energy / water crunch, somebody would've thought of it already. :-(
hristov 3y ago
That is the least of it. We also radically changed the climate without really seriously trying to change our lives and our methods of growing food to reflect the new climate.
deleted 3y ago
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I think the future is going to find the past 100 years or so an insane time in history as we used all the fossil fuels and water up in the blink of an eye on the historical time scale.

withinboredom 3y ago

[flagged]

NegativeLatency 3y ago
Why invade another country when you can do such insane things as: - pipeline the Columbia River to the SW Region: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_interstate_water_pipelines_to_California https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_interstate_water_pipe... - tow icebergs for the fresh water they contain: https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/can-icebergs-be-towed-to-water-starved-cities/ https://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/feature/can-icebergs-be-towed-t... - pipe water from Alaska to CA: https://www.wired.com/2015/02/california-pipe-water-alaska/ https://www.wired.com/2015/02/california-pipe-water-alaska/
- npongratz 3y ago
  - pipe water shared with Canada out of the Great Lakes, up and over the Rocky Mountains, and down into Phoenix and Las Vegas: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/04/10/great-lakes-water-piped-southwest-our-future-says-nasa-scientist/100301326/ https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2017/04/10/g...
  - cmrdporcupine 3y ago
    Move the people, the industry, and the farms... not the water, thank you very much. Lots of good arable land here in the upper great lakes basin.

Workaccount2 3y ago

IF we didn't find fossil fuels, in all likely hood we would still be living in the 18th century.

leptons 3y ago
Electricity came up around the same time and never stopped - the tech involved with electronics and electric everything has far surpassed that of oil and gas. There were electric cars at the same time ICEs were being invented. Oil and gas won for selfish reasons.
- quickthrowman 3y ago
  Electrical generators were powered by fossil fuels (excluding hydro) until nuclear/solar/wind became economical. There would be no electricity without fossil fuels, full stop.
  - cmrdporcupine 3y ago
    From WP: "In 1878, the world's first hydroelectric power scheme was developed at Cragside in Northumberland, England, by William Armstrong. It was used to power a single arc lamp in his art gallery.[13] The old Schoelkopf Power Station No. 1, US, near Niagara Falls, began to produce electricity in 1881. The first Edison hydroelectric power station, the Vulcan Street Plant, began operating September 30, 1882, in Appleton, Wisconsin, with an output of about 12.5 kilowatts.[14] By 1886 there were 45 hydroelectric power stations in the United States and Canada; and by 1889 there were 200 in the United States alone.[1]"
    - deleted 3y ago
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    - deleted 3y ago
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- cmrdporcupine 3y ago
  O&G won because the energy density is so extremely high.

busyant 3y ago

> an insane time in history as we used all the fossil fuels and water up in the blink of an eye on the historical time scale. I'm probably not telling you anything you didn't already know, but this is what exponential growth does. Even when the exponent is tiny. If I had a solution to the impending energy / water crunch, somebody would've thought of it already. :-(

hristov 3y ago

That is the least of it. We also radically changed the climate without really seriously trying to change our lives and our methods of growing food to reflect the new climate.

deleted 3y ago

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