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As Bruce Sterling says: "I'll believe that people will colonise Mars when they start colonising the Gobi desert."

TeMPOraL 14y ago
They probably will - to test equipment, as a part of preparation to colonize Mars.
vidarh 14y ago
The incentives for colonising the Gobi desert are vastly smaller than for a (small) colony on Mars or the moon, even just in perceived prestige.
- kibwen 14y ago
  But the costs are also vastly larger, and the payoffs likely smaller. And prestige? 1/3 of the Earth's land surface is covered by desert. If you could suddenly transform that from a life-hostile to a life-flourishing environment, you'd win as many Nobel Peace Prizes as they can possibly stamp out.
  - adrianN 14y ago
    Transforming the desert into a life flourishing environment is really easy, you just have to add enough water. I believe that's how they do agriculture is large parts of Africa. It's of course quite expensive to do so if you can't get the water from, say, an aquifer. Sometimes you can even flood the whole area, if you want to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project
    - stcredzero 14y ago
      > I believe that's how they do agriculture is large parts of Africa Adding lots of water is how California turned into an agricultural powerhouse.
    - kibwen 14y ago
      That's an interesting link, but it doesn't really discuss the ecological effects of such a project regarding human habitablity in surrounding areas. I'm more hopeful for something like the Green Wall of China[1], but aggressive enough to actually reclaim desert rather than merely halt its advance. It's also a plus if it works on a timescale of less than a century. :) Though we should also note that turning desert into (ideally) arable land could have disastrous unforeseen effects; consider how much of the Amazon is fertilized by the Sahara.[2] [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Wall_of_China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Wall_of_China [2] http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=7279 http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=7279
    - UnFleshedOne 14y ago
      Transforming a desert into a life flourishing environment will also potentially affect rainfall patterns and climate in general all over the globe. Can't find the source right now, but fine dust from one particular desert provides large portion of condensation kernels in the world.
qiqing 14y ago
I see your skepticism, sir, and raise you the colonization of the Gobi desert with solar panels: “It’s the Gobi Desert,” said Wang Yu, the vice director of economic planning. “There’s not much other use for it.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/business/energy-environment/03renew.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/business/energy-environmen...

They probably will - to test equipment, as a part of preparation to colonize Mars.

The incentives for colonising the Gobi desert are vastly smaller than for a (small) colony on Mars or the moon, even just in perceived prestige.

kibwen 14y ago
But the costs are also vastly larger, and the payoffs likely smaller. And prestige? 1/3 of the Earth's land surface is covered by desert. If you could suddenly transform that from a life-hostile to a life-flourishing environment, you'd win as many Nobel Peace Prizes as they can possibly stamp out.
- adrianN 14y ago
  Transforming the desert into a life flourishing environment is really easy, you just have to add enough water. I believe that's how they do agriculture is large parts of Africa. It's of course quite expensive to do so if you can't get the water from, say, an aquifer. Sometimes you can even flood the whole area, if you want to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project
  - stcredzero 14y ago
    > I believe that's how they do agriculture is large parts of Africa Adding lots of water is how California turned into an agricultural powerhouse.
  - kibwen 14y ago
    That's an interesting link, but it doesn't really discuss the ecological effects of such a project regarding human habitablity in surrounding areas. I'm more hopeful for something like the Green Wall of China[1], but aggressive enough to actually reclaim desert rather than merely halt its advance. It's also a plus if it works on a timescale of less than a century. :) Though we should also note that turning desert into (ideally) arable land could have disastrous unforeseen effects; consider how much of the Amazon is fertilized by the Sahara.[2] [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Wall_of_China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Wall_of_China [2] http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=7279 http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=7279
  - UnFleshedOne 14y ago
    Transforming a desert into a life flourishing environment will also potentially affect rainfall patterns and climate in general all over the globe. Can't find the source right now, but fine dust from one particular desert provides large portion of condensation kernels in the world.

qiqing 14y ago

I see your skepticism, sir, and raise you the colonization of the Gobi desert with solar panels: “It’s the Gobi Desert,” said Wang Yu, the vice director of economic planning. “There’s not much other use for it.” http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/business/energy-environment/03renew.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/business/energy-environmen...