Sahara desert project aims to power half the world by 2050

[The_Dude 1,142]

It'd wash away my essence.

Come on Steven, wash your hair, get rid of the birkenstocks and come join society.

If you don't, I will be forced to buy you an NRA membership, then you'll lose all your librul hippy cred.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Come on Steven, wash your hair, get rid of the birkenstocks and come join society.

If you don't, I will be forced to buy you an NRA membership, then you'll lose all your librul hippy cred.

I think I just threw up a little granola in my mouth....but then I swallowed it again because I don't like to waste food - especially organic, dolphin-safe granola.

[keysjangle 145]

I have to ask - what effect will this have on the desert ecosystem?

Putting manufacturing facilities out there will create waste. How do they plan on dealing with that?

[The_Dude 1,142]

I have to ask - what effect will this have on the desert ecosystem?

Putting manufacturing facilities out there will create waste. How do they plan on dealing with that?

Who gives a ####### about lizards and snakes

[^_^ 5,021]

Seriously. Nobody cares.

One good reason the Sahara is perfect for this is that those nations don't have legions of over-privileged rich kids who sit around thinking about freakin tortoise populations.

[keysjangle 145]

Who gives a ####### about lizards and snakes

I DO!!

My baby girls

Here's the way fauna work:

Balance. Example: you go and ruin all the dragonfly and bat populations in your area you are suddenly overrun with mosquitoes. You ruin all the native predators in an ecosystem, you're overrun with a rodent population. Take a look at the cane toad situation in Australia. It was introduced to control native rodent species, and now the toad (with no natural predators there because it is TOXIC) is taking over. These balances should be treated with more respect than they get

Edited December 2, 2010 by Gervl

[The_Dude 1,142]

I DO!!

My baby girls

Here's the way fauna work:

Balance. Example: you go and ruin all the dragonfly and bat populations in your area you are suddenly overrun with mosquitoes. You ruin all the native predators in an ecosystem, you're overrun with a rodent population. Take a look at the cane toad situation in Australia. It was introduced to control native rodent species, and now the toad (with no natural predators there because it is TOXIC) is taking over. These balances should be treated with more respect than they get

I think the long term survivial of humanity trumps lizards and toads.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

One good reason the Sahara is perfect for this is that those nations don't have legions of over-privileged rich kids who sit around thinking about freakin tortoise populations.

There's nothing in the Sahara as far as the eye can see. Well, there are probably some creatures there but nothing in terms of population. It looks cool from a plane - huge areas of nothing but sand. It's perfect for installations that gather sunlight for energy production. Of course, I wouldn't want to be out there building, maintaining or operating those installations. That would truly suck.

[^_^ 5,021]

So let's imagine a large uninhabited (with the exception of the people working the solar plants) desert overrun by toads or lizards or snakes or freakin gila monsters.

Who cares? They can have the desert.

This is why this Sahara idea is so kickass.

... I wouldn't want to be out there building, maintaining or operating those installations. That would truly suck.

This world is full of able bodied people who want work. Finding a workforce will be no problem as long as local governments don't act like bi'tches.

[keysjangle 145]

I think the long term survivial of humanity trumps lizards and toads.

This is a very narrow sighted outlook. They've outlived us so far, they're perfectly capable of doing it again. We, as humans, are a part of the same network that the lizards and toads are in. What happens to them effects us because we are up the food chain. Look at how mercury is being moved through tuna. The higher up the food chain, the more concentrated it becomes. You could say "#### tuna, I eat them, stupid little f*ckers HAHAHA" but when you understand how much mercury is being stored in your body because of improper industrial waste handling, maybe you'll realize you're closer to the situation than you thought. Remember DDT? Yeah. That should have been all people needed to realize how connected they are.

[^_^ 5,021]

You could say "#### tuna, I eat them, stupid little f*ckers HAHAHA" ...

funny.

[keysjangle 145]

I post while enjoying water dispensed from a glass jug, eating organic rye and sunflower seed bread with organic crunchy peanut butter on top of it ... and chain smoking. Can't win 'em all

[Ban Hammer 12,861]

This is why this Sahara idea is so kickass.

so instead of us sending our money there for oil, it will be for electricity?

[^_^ 5,021]

so instead of us sending our money there for oil, it will be for electricity?

and when gadaffi's son acts up and threatens to bomb a solar plant, soldiers too!

it'll be just like the good ol' days.

[Boiler 43,597]

The bigger problem is transmission losses.