[FRIAM] Cautionary Tales: CliFi

[Steve Smith]

On 1/27/22 10:01 PM, Marcus Daniels wrote:
>
> < Musk is trying to kick our cans from fossil fuel 
> extraction/combustion/spills to Lithium (and heavy metals) 
> extraction/discarding as well as the can of an out of-balance 
> biosphere on earth to terraforming Mars (with care and thoughtful 
> intention and no unexpected side-effects?).  >
>
> https://www.xprize.org/prizes/elonmusk#prize-activity
>
yes to electrolizing water into hydrogen (and even creating ammonia as a 
more easily stored/transported/cracked "carrier" for hydrogen, up to 
ammonia fuel cells, etc.)   technically very likely and "doable" with a 
somewhat limited *known* downside. Though the fossil fuel and battery 
industries have a long enough list... but clearly biased.   We 
neo-luddites have long lists as well, with similar caveats.   I was 
raised by Calvinists so I recognize in myself when I am generally just 
being negative about anything  that might be "fun", but that doesn't 
stop me from being skeptical anyway.  I am also of the "if it feels 
good, do it" generation...  extreme Hedonism and Calvinism only polarize 
an otherwise complex and rich space.  TANSTAAFL in my (post-Libertarian) 
vocabulary is "there aint no such thing as a free lunch, but that 
doesn't mean you can't eat someone else's when they aren't looking".

And yes to Musk being a puzzling and mixed hero/villain.   I don't doubt 
his *intentions*, I think they are (by his values and view of the stakes 
at hand) righteous.  That doesn't preclude him being an egomaniac with 
an exponentially growing clout/sense ratio.   I can't see any of his 
earth-focused tech as anything but a (very well crafted) double-pronged 
strategy...  gathering the economic leverage of doing "useful" things on 
the earth (electrifying and solarizing)... whilst developing technology 
useful for colonizing/terraforming mars.   CO2 harvesting is an obvious 
one, as is tunneling and broad electrification  (are his residential 
heat-pumps on the market yet?)...   perfect for taking to Mars.

I believe that GeoEngineering is inevitable, given who we are (Homo 
Faber) but I also believe our future exercises in this realm will 
"rhyme" with all of our previous engineering "miracles". Maybe we *can* 
rhyme our way out of the corner we rhymed ourselves into...  but I fear 
that most if not all of our R&D is biased toward short-term and narrow 
goals (Glen's rant about "values" and corruption), and defined by 
confirmation biases...

I'm probably just barking at the church choir here...


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