The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

The earlier, the better. Can someone say at what point we should stop trying?

The point when the black line on the graph goes below 0 http://i.imgur.com/sjH5r.jpg

(from: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/12/04/11/0435231/mit-fus...)

That only explains why the Wendelstein 7-X isn't being made in the US.

my prediction is we'll have fusion net positive within a decade of when alternative energy's growth is significant enough to show up in fossil fuel economy's future projection.

oh and no its not too late. if you have cheap and plentiful energy from fusion you can take on massive geoengineering projects to reverse global warming. its a whole another ballgame!

But where are you putting the waste heat from everybody's personal Mr. Fusion reactor?

Just imagine if everybody on Earth has a personal, nearly free 10 megawatt generator. Flying cars. Laser weapons. Direct desalination of seawater in coastal cities. Stomping around in powered exoskeleton suits.

Anyway, it would be awesome. But where do we put all the heat?

you are right, Waste heat would be a problem because the only way you can dissipate it is by radiation. but that would become a problem much much farther out. I mean we are talking 100+ billions people.

Also, if you have plentiful energy you can build way cheaper orbital launch tech. translation you are not bound to earths gravity well anymore. So its not too far fetched to imagine living in space habitats (forget mars that just good for gravity). those will be much better at dissipating waste heat (volume/surface area thing).

Like I said its a whole another ballgame.