Saturday, November 03, 2007

Environmentalism visits the moon

Author Andrew Smith is concerned about "plundering the moon." There is some speculation about mining He-3 on the moon for use as a fuel for nuclear fusion on Earth. Compared to other power sources, such as coal or nuclear fission, He-3 would, if practical, be an environment boon. However, environmentalist Andrew Smith sees a downside:
Earth's sister [i.e. the moon] has played a role in teaching us to value our environment: how extraordinary to think that the next giant leap for the environmental movement might be a campaign to stop state-sponsored mining companies chomping her up in glorious privacy, a quarter of a million miles from our ravaged home.
On Earth, the environmentalists talk about our "fragile" ecological system and the "delicate balance" of nature. By contrast, the moon has no eco-system and no delicate balance: it is a lifeless barren rock. That environmentalists would be concerned about it, I think, reveals their agenda less as pro-environment and more as anti-man.

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