Now predict where those suburbanites will live. And how long will be
the transition.
Then invest.
(I'm normally somewhat rational, but not tonight):
Here's a factor that may not have been mentioned on the list since I
joined: The Birth Rate. Here's how it might go: "All those
suburbanites" finally get the message and stop having babies, or at
least have way fewer. They teach their children, the fewer and fewer
that there are, not to have so many children.
Eventually in suburbia, one of every five houses is occupied. The
folks who live in the one are using the wood from the other four for
heat. (Hmmm... how long will that last till the four houses are
reduced to nearly nothing and the grass and trees can take over.)
Hey, what a concept. Live in one house, not need more and more (Of
everything) for more and more children, and plant some food on the
lots that used to be the other four houses.
I just watched a tv show about how Japan developed a rocket that
delivered a sattelite to orbit so we can watch the planet in higher
fidelity. The satellite cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The
rocket cost as much. The flames from the rocket were maybe a quarter
of a mile long. What is the "carbon footprint" of all that? Oh, and
the likely conclusion from the satellite data? "Hey, this global
warming thing may be real. We better launch more satellites to gather
more data." (What's wrong with this picture?)
Most people don't see things like this one: a few days ago I drove
across the bridge over the rail yard at Brunswick MD. That is between
West (By God) Virgina where they dig coal and some other place where
they burn the coal. There was a coal train parked there. I
commented to folks in the car; "There is a mile of coal cars." A
MILE of them! A couple days later the train was gone. Likely it was
gone that day. Where? I dunno. But I bet the coal went into the
atmosphere. I wonder if we really need that satellite.
Maybe-related event: I used to walk from my office to get lunch and
pass the Hummer dealer. One day they had a few original Hummers and
some H-2's parked there. I looked at the price tags. Original
Hummer: $122,000. (One hundred twenty two thousand dollars.) The
H-2: $55,000. I guess the milage on the original Hummer at 6-8 miles
per gallon, and the H-2 maybe 12. Now they have the H-3, I think.
Lighter, smaller, ever ,more like a normal SUV. I think this is
going in the right direction. But it won't be right till there are
zero Hummers. And kids have little wooden replicas only, and they
toys are not made of plastic and not brought here on a ship from the
Pacific Rim in a ship that burns guess what: oil.
And what is the carbon footprint of an original Hummer.