O/T - Sadly, there is a lot of truth in what you say. The Luddites do have the upper hand, and the degree of distrust in information provided by any institution, private or governmental, is widespread.
As you point out, these institutions have themselves to blame for the mistrust.
Chernobyl was an appalling mixture of bad technolgy, bad management, sloppy practices, and in the end, a refusal to 'come clean' while clouds of radiation drifted over Europe. People won't soon forget.
OTOH, I wish I could transport everyone back to the winter of 1973. Many have forgotten. People (and governments) were scared. There was fuel rationing in England. Television stations were turned off at 1030. In Germany, the autobahns were almost empty. Truckers were demonstrating in the States, and the infamous double-nickel, 55 MPH, was introduced. There were fistfights at gas pumps.
People in cities were most vulnerable. Disregarding the questions of powering transportation and industry, what were citizens supposed to do, burn their furniture, to keep warm?
There was not a damn thing that anyone could do. There was no practical way to "turn on the taps", neither by force nor diplomacy.
While we are still far from exhausting existing fossil fuel resources, the problems lie in interim (spot) shortages, or worse, the possibility that some maniac may decide to nuke Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, as the resources decline, their prices increase, and the expense of developing alternatives increases with them. Whether you're talking about hydroelectric, nuclear, tidal, solar, fuel-cell - any kind of power on a meaningful scale - there is a long lead-time, and a tremendous cost in energy and materials, simply to get them built. And what are people supposed to do in the meantime?
One of the benefits of France's program was that standardization cut the costs of construction, while simplifying the process. It also alleviates short-term vulnerability to shortages.
As Frank pointed out, water behind a dam, wind, sun, coal in the ground, natural gas, or the atoms in uranium, all represent potential data - or heat, or motion, when transduced.
But the internet ain't gonna run without power, and as you pointed out, Ray, there'll be trouble when someone is freezing to death so somone else can watch porn on the 'net.
In the near-term, the problem will be freeing ourselves from local, and transitional shortages.
We will need consensus, planning, and a continental policy. Does anybody seriously believe the market can give us these things? Remember 2.4 GHz! >smile<
Best wishes,
Jim |
