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Price Shocks May Be Coming For Helium Supply
Ars has an update on the potential helium shortage we discussed a couple of years back. A Nobel laureate, Robert Richardson, argues for ending market distortions that are resulting in an artificially low price for helium, which is accelerating the projected exhaustion of the supply. "Richardson's solution is to rework the management of the Bush Dome [so named for reasons that have nothing to do with the politician] stockpile once again, this time with the aim of ensuring that helium's price rises to reflect its scarcity. In practical terms, he said that it would be better to deal with a 20-fold increase in price now than to deal with it increasing by a factor of thousands in a few decades when supply issues start to become critical. But he also made an emotional appeal, stating, 'One generation doesn't have the right to determine the availability forever.'"
An obfuscating truth covering over a lie. Mineral resources need to exist in sufficient concentrations at any particular point and in sufficient quantity to make mining those resources cost effective. If you a talking about base elements your typical right wing idiot could argue that non of the mineral have been used up at all, it all still exists and hence you never actually use any, so this generation is fully entitled to mine all readily accessible concentrations of resources to profit itself and fuck future generations.
The mining of resources not only uses up all the 'MOST' viable concentration of resources it also results in pollution of the planet, not only from mining but also from refining (which becomes much worse as you deal with less viable mining resources).
Whilst today's psychopaths care little for the current generation and even less for future generations including their own descendents, the rest of us the majority still should consider all future generations of humanity in the way we use and abuse our mutual resources, not just the next but thousands of years even hundreds of thousands of years into the future. Of course for the psychopath the whole of humanity can cease and die when the psychopath does as they will no longer be able to exploit them.
The best way to reduce mineral scarcity, eliminate the psychopaths who consume resources beyond all reason, no more mega yachts, mansions, private jets et al. the planet can no longer cope with them.
Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
doesn't seem fair
Life ain't fair.
But don't worry, you are not required to realize that. It just means you're far more likely to exit life quite soon. We'll laugh at the very surprised look on your face as you leave.