Could life in solar system complicate space settlement?

On Apr 12, 2012, at 4:38 PM, Lucio de Souza Coelho wrote:

> Of course Brazil, China and other emerging countries not-so-worried
> about
> the environment are not the whole of Humanity

It should be noted that many civilizations have collapsed due to
environmental degradation. Often deforestation. In the case of one
Pacific Island, the inhabitants ate a great deal of sea food caught
from canoes. The canoes where hollowed out trees. They cut down ALL
of the trees on the island to make canoes. When the existing canoe
fleet rotted, most of the population starved to death.

If you think this is irrelevant, remember that the center of
Mediterranean/European civilization used to by the Mid East. Look at
the terrain if you want to know why that region is weak today.

You can trash the environment and make money -- and if you trash it
enough you die, along with most or all of your friends and family.