🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <27CCC4BE.2884@ics.uci.edu>, mludwig@bonnie.ics.uci.edu (Michael Scott Ludwig) writes:
> In article <5806@optilink.UUCP> cramer@optilink.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) writes:
> =In article <820011@hpcc01.HP.COM>, gph@hpcc01.HP.COM (G. Paul Houtz) writes:
# =Let me give you a hypothetical example to consider.  What if there
# =were a commodity that was non-renewable, but was in very abundant
# =supply at $1/ton.  Now, imagine a renewable alternative available
# =at $100/ton.  By your reasoning, the renewable resource is
# =preferable -- even though the costs of using it will dramatically
# =lower everyone's standard of living.
# 
# Would it be reasonable to use the non-renewable resource to fulfill part of
# the demand and the renewable resource to fulfill the rest of the demand for
# the resource?  (This would make it easier than if only the non-renewable
# resource was being used to switch over to complete use of the renewable
# resource when the non-renewable resource runs out, which it eventually will.)

What is going to happen when the non-renewable commodity gets in
short supply?  The price isn't going to stay at $1/ton -- it's
going to rise as the number of buyers gets out of balance from
the number of sellers.  Do you suppose that when the non-renewable
commodity gets to about, oh, $70/ton, that the renewable $100/ton
resource might start to get some attention?

Remember that modern oil drilling started in response to EXACTLY
this sort of problem -- with whale oil.  Shortages of whales
led to rising prices, and attempts to find an alternative. 
Fortunately, these sort of changes take place fairly slowly,
unless the government figures out how to screw things up (that's
their job), so there's plenty of time for changeover and conversion.

# =#     While there is no such thing as non-polluting
# =#   energy, there are forms of energy that are much less polluting than
# =#   gasoline powered cars, for instance, electric cars and solar chargers
# =#   for those cars.   The idea is to encourage investment and interest in
# =#   those areas, rather than just using oil until it's gone.
# =
# =Why do you assume that oil will ever be "gone"?
# 
# Because we use it up faster than natural processes produce it.
# 
# Planet Bog - pools of toxic chemicals | Michael Ludwig

We are using up gold faster than natural processes produce it 
too -- but for some reason, we haven't used it up yet.  Do you
suppose that the high price has encouraged recycling and careful
use of gold?
-- 
Clayton E. Cramer {uunet,pyramid,pixar,tekbspa}!optilink!cramer
"Well, maybe the Holocaust was right *for that culture*." -- a moral relativist
with whom I work.
You must be kidding!  No company would hold opinions like mine!