[LINK] Renewable energy 'simply WON'T WORK'

[Jim Birch]

On 24 November 2014 at 21:07, Michael wrote:

> To respond to jore and common sense, of course growth is finite, but
> remember that in addition to growth through expansion, there is growth
> through efficiencies (productivity).
>

It's not even obvious that that growth is finite.

Economic growth is the increase in the market value of the goods and
services produced by an economy over time.  Some forms of growth are
environmentally destructive and unsustainable and give growth a bad name.
However, there are plenty of forms of growth that go the other way.  Puting
in a solar systems, insulating your house, improving medical services and
the education system likely contribute to growth but are environmentally
positive (and generally life enhancing.)  It is not obvious to me where
this kind of improvement would end.

The extreme version of this idea, that the modern industrial world has to
stop and we need to revert to some imaginary preindustrial pastoral
existence is even more whacky.  If you really wanted to trash the planet,
kill a lot of people and upset everyone else that would be a good way to do
it.

Jim