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American_in_Europe Wrote: Feb 02, 2013 8:31 AM
You might as well get used to recycling because its in our future. Raw materials are extracted in concentrated form and scattered around the world as waste - in i-pads, in gases, in bottle caps etc. The original concentrations needed for re-usage can only be achieved through strict controls and the use of large amounts of energy (entropy can only be reversed by expending energy). You might think this foolish now, but as key industrial materials (rare earths, copper, etc) become scarce we will have no choice. Think of the current recycling as practice for when things get serious. Or do you think we will find new sources forever?
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ron766 Wrote: Feb 02, 2013 8:45 AM
Did not read the article, did you?
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American_in_Europe Wrote: Feb 02, 2013 9:09 AM
I was responding to DuaneUrban and his implying that governments should not be making laws concerning recylcing. But as to the article and the question of control: As resources become tighter I suspect there will be a debate as to if someone has the "right" to throw something away that is needed by the country.
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restoreliberty Wrote: Feb 02, 2013 10:02 AM
Rare earth materials are not scarce. The U.S. has plenty of these same metals but the nation is restricted from mining these resources. Stop blathering talking points and do some real research.
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American_in_Europe Wrote: Feb 02, 2013 10:37 AM
I said "as the become scarce". Sooner or later they will of course like everything that is non-renewable.
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Vic156 Wrote: Feb 02, 2013 6:28 PM
The Orion project... Mine an asteroid!
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scott s. Wrote: Feb 02, 2013 6:49 PM
Well, that is point -- the assumption that they "become scarce". Contrary to your assertion raw materials typically are UNconcentrated and require an industrial process to convert them by concentrating or combining with other resources to make them useful. The amount of resource is essentially unlimited. It's just a question of cost of creating utility from them. And for that the market is a much better mechanism, than some "expert" predicting the future.
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Companies everywhere extol their sustainable development programs and goals. Sustainability drives UN programs like Agenda 21, EU and US green energy initiatives, and myriad manufacturing, agricultural, forestry and other efforts. But what is sustainability? What is – or isn’t – sustainable?
Former Prime Minister of Norway Gro Harlem Brundtland said sustainability means we may develop … and meet the needs of current generations … only to the extent that doing so “will not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”
At first blush, that sounds logical, perhaps even ethical. But on closer examination, it is...
Real Sustainability Versus Activist Sustainability