12-29-2016, 04:20 AM
Does anyone else see an imbalance in the unique concern folks reserve for the telescope?
A telescope once leaked a tiny amount of mercury, some of which was not recovered; anti-TMT folks use this as an example of the "massive environmental impact".
Meanwhile, people throw flourescent lights away every day, each of which contains a small amount of mercury, all of which ends up in the landfill.
But nobody protests the flourescent lights, in fact they were (until recently) considered "environmentally friendly" due to the lower power consumption. (Today's LEDs are cheaper and even more efficient, tomorrow's landfills will be full of plastic...)
A telescope once leaked a tiny amount of mercury, some of which was not recovered; anti-TMT folks use this as an example of the "massive environmental impact".
Meanwhile, people throw flourescent lights away every day, each of which contains a small amount of mercury, all of which ends up in the landfill.
But nobody protests the flourescent lights, in fact they were (until recently) considered "environmentally friendly" due to the lower power consumption. (Today's LEDs are cheaper and even more efficient, tomorrow's landfills will be full of plastic...)