I've come to believe that having enough energy (assuming enough raw materials to kickstart the process) solves a ton of society-level problems. For example, the supply of potable water is nigh endless if we have the energy available to run desalination plants. Or, if we never end up figuring out an alternative fuel for planes, the carbon emissions they produce don't really matter if we can just expend energy sequestering it afterwards using energy from a more sustainable source.

I've heard it put this way: energy is the only resource. If we have enough energy almost anything can be recycled or turned into anything. Wastewater and saltwater can be turned back into fresh water. Trash can be separated and recycled. With sufficient and sufficiently cheap energy vertical farming is even an option.

That is absurd. If you only have energy, you have nothing that is worth transforming. It is more appropriate to say that land(including the atmosphere surrounding it) is the most important source of wealth, as you can both extract energy and elements from it.

The land on the moon is worth very little as there is almost no water on it. If we could extract rocket fuels from there we would already be sending people to mars. People don't seem to understand how valuable our planet is.

> The land on the moon is worth very little as there is almost no water on it.

For water, the moon mostly lacks hydrogen. There's lots of oxygen in the rocks up there.

In general, I have sympathy for your position.

I think the person you replied to meant that being on earth, all you need is electricity. The rest falls into place.

Yes, the earth is extremely convenient.

Well, it's not so much energy by itself, but an energy gradient.

In simple terms, having electricity is great. In contrast, oceans full of water at a balmy 20C have lots of heat energy, but you can't really use it, if there's no gradient.

See the second law of thermodynamics.

Or in other terms: you want electricity and a way to get rid of waste heat, like being able to radiate into outer space.

> energy is the only resource

Hum... It's the only one we have to consume. But we still need the others, even if on fixed amounts.

The real problem is wealth. A lucky few will be able to hole up, but that'll only be the ones that can afford it; the rest will die from starvation.

I mean there was already alarm bells from UNESCO today or yesterday that the food program is at risk due to rising food costs due to the conflict in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, which in turn puts a lot of people that depend on that food program at risk.

And it's closer to home as well; the amount of people that start to rely on food banks has gone up sharply with the high inflation.

I mean it's dumb IMO; while all companies are eager to raise prices with inflation as soon as it happens, wages lag behind.

Are you willing to make any predictions firm enough to bet on?