It looks challenging for sure, but most things that have a worth to us humans can be challenging, and if anything it's great to see a path like yours wandering through the problem space from energy sources to societal considerations. Rescue vs salvage, the way you put it, seems to be a mindset of opposition vs growth - and you chose go with the latter. As a clinically depressed person, none of what you shared seems depressing to me but rather constructive with a foundation of hope.