why outer space?

--- Bill wrote:
>
> We live on 6x10^24 kg of rock. Material shortages
> are simply a
> question of economics.

I really don't know what percentage of the rock we
live on contains which metal and mineral resources and
in what ammounts. To say that it is only a question
of economics, though, is to say, not only that these
resources will never run out but also that the only
cost of mining them are economic costs. I'm of the
belief that there are environmental costs associated
with mining as well.

> What most people forget is that all this takes
> energy, and todays
> energy situation is we are depended on fossil fuels.
> The known
> reserves a finite, and the expected reserves no
> matter how high are
> also fixed.

The industrial revolution was followed by an increase
in energy use of 10,000 times. It was also followed
by ennormous increases in the consumption of natural
resources and the production of waste. If we solve
our energy problems (via the widespread adoption of
clean renewables for example), and energy is no longer
a limiting factor for industry or anything else, what
implications would this have for the consumption of
other resources and the production of wastes?

Dave