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Re: Ecological Economics and Entropy



jmc@Steam.stanford.edu (John McCarthy) wrote for all to see:

>Jay Hanson includes:
>
>     You may not remeber, but we humans have already appropriated
>     nearly 50% of the terrestrial net product of
>     photosynthesis. In other words, all solar energy is now
>     being used -- one way or another.
>
>The "in other words" is mistaken.
>
>Most of the sun's energy that strikes the earth is not causing
>photosynthesis of any kind.  It just warms the ground and is
>re-radiated.  It is available for solar electric power or for
>increasing the total amount of photosynthesis.
>
>He also repeats that uranium is only 4 parts per million of the
>earth's crust.  Correct.  He says we are nearly out of usable uranium
>assuming we don't use breeder reactors.  This is old information.  We
>aren't nearly out, because rich new uranium deposits have been
>discovered.  However, in the long run we will use breeder reactors.
>
>Hanson also includes:
>
>     As far as "nukes" go, 35 years wouldn't even get you past
>     the lawsuits.  Nukes are a political no-go.
>
>Coupling this with his prediction of industrial civilization
>collapsing, it suggests that humanity in general and the U.S. in
>particular would rather perish than overcome legal guerrilla warfare.
>Does he really believe that?

I don't know if he believes it or not, but I do think he hopes for it.

Regards, Harold
----
"If environmentalists  were to invent a disease to bring 
human populations back to sanity, it would probably be 
something like AIDS."
     - Earth First newsletter,  December 1989, 
	Vol. 17, No. 4, Access to Energy.


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