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This would be convincing if your message could be transmitted to the rest of us with only renewable energy. But your bullhorn is enabled by conventional power: all those servers that transmit your posts, and the computers owned by the people viewing your posts, are all plugged into coal power.

Moreover, the development of semiconductors and thus computers was done by people working air-conditioned laboratories using equipment that was also developed by people working in air-conditioned laboratories, and so on back many generations. The people working in these labs would normally be working on farms or other subsistence labor, but for the labor efficiencies provided by cheap energy. Their technical training at the high school, university, and post-graduate levels was similarly enabled by cheap energy. Reading the messages on this (or any other) blog is possible only through an economy that was depends on cheap power. You are a beneficiary of all this -- otherwise you would probably be working the land as a serf.

I hope Malthus is wrong and I hope I am wrong...

You need only look at the number of patents issued. It is increasing faster than the population.

and growth can continue forever on a finite planet without adverse consequences

That was never claimed -- adverse consequences are inevitable; the question is, can they be overcome? I say yes, and in support of this, consider the production of patents.

by goldfish on Jun 7, 2012 11:57 am • link • report