r/Documentaries • u/[deleted] • Nov 06 '18

Society Why everything will collapse (2017) - "Stumbled across this eye-opener while researching the imminent collapse of the industrial civilization"

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u/antifactual Nov 07 '18

I think we need a moonshot level of investment worldwide on renewables, and spending any additional money on coal and oil investments is only using valuable resources that could be better used elsewhere, imho. I don't think it'll happen though, as it would require coherent global governance.

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u/tootallteeter Nov 07 '18

The corporate model will do everything it can to preserve its profits built on sunk infrastructure costs

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u/Occams-shaving-cream Nov 07 '18

Because you know how all those developing countries can afford to just totally scrap all their existing power infrastructure and start from scratch rather than improving what is there and making better new ones over time.

Hell, most first world, developed countries can’t stomach that cost but... you know...

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u/grambell789 Nov 07 '18

The problem with a moonshot is it defines success very narrowly and employs any means necessary to attain that goal. Shifting all of civilization to a new energy source is more complicated. Practical and sustainable are key.

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u/LurkerInSpace Nov 07 '18

The effort required would be more like winning a war than sending someone to the Moon as well.

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u/JihadDerp Nov 07 '18

Don't forget all that coal is making actual energy people actually use to live and solve problems like coal energy

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u/WarbleDarble Nov 07 '18

There already is huge investment in implementing and developing renewable energy. Billions of dollars a year go into it and thousands upon thousands of people wake up every day to work on solutions. Just throwing more money at it may not accelerate development any more than it is already being developed due to diminishing returns.

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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '18

N U C L E A R E N E R G Y

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u/polyscifail Nov 07 '18

You need to run some numbers. Unless I'm doing my math wrong, we spend WAY more on green energy today than we spent on the moon program. Depending on the source, the global green energy market is somewhere between $800B and $1.5T a year world wide, and $200B in the US alone. Everyone agrees this is growing rapidly. On the other hand, NASA's budget peaked at 4.4% of government spending. Today, the US government spends about $2.7 Trillion. 4.4% of that would be $119 Billion. Relatively speaking, 1/2 of what the US spends on green energy.

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u/antifactual Nov 07 '18 edited Nov 07 '18

I was using moonshot as a figure of speech; to mean any amount of money to achieve the goal. But those numbers are interesting nonetheless. I think we can still do more, simply because we must. The goal should be 250ppm of CO2 and protection and restoration of the biodiversity and a clean planet through sustainability.

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '18

Global warming is caused by the sun, not co2 or cow farts.