this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2024
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.crimedad.work/post/91685

cross-posted from: https://jorts.horse/users/fathermcgruder/statuses/112563861339745778

Solar project to destroy thousands of Joshua trees in the Mojave Desert
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/solar-project-destroy-thousands-joshua-100000768.html

It's crazy to me that a destructive photovoltaic solar project like this one is considered reasonable, but a new nuclear power plant within or adjacent to a city is beyond the pale.

@usa

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[–] surewhynotlem 45 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Oh no, there destroying 1000! That must be a lot!

Oh wait, there's 10 million in existence.

Thanks, but I think this is a fine trade.

[–] rsuri 7 points 5 months ago

If people think solar destroys the environment, wait till they find out about coal and natural gas

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

What about all the sunny land that doesn't have Joshua trees? Why are we even trying to build power plants so far away from where the electricity is mostly needed?

[–] surewhynotlem 13 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Do you think there are no reasons? Would you accept this if there were, or would you just say the reasons were bad?

[–] Vandals_handle 3 points 5 months ago

Build over existing infrastructure. One example is current project to cover water canals with solar. Don't need to acquire land, reduces evaporation saving water, reduces plant growth in canals lowering maintenance costs.

[–] Badeendje 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Cheap ground cannot be a reason then, OK?

[–] surewhynotlem 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] Badeendje 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The issue with ground prices is they fail to account for stuff humans really need like clean air, clean water, biodiversity. So if you stripp all these factors in valuation and then start building while at the same time chopping down trees in need of protection. You are kinda rigging the game, or not?

[–] surewhynotlem 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

That doesn't mean it's not a reason. It's just a reason you don't like.

[–] Badeendje 0 points 5 months ago

I knew I should not have taken the bait.

[–] Vandals_handle 0 points 5 months ago

The land is only cheap when you pretend those externalized environmental costs do not exist. They still have to be paid, usually by the public at large. I think the saying goes; socialize the cost and privatize the gains.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

To me, good reasons would align with the goals of environmental protection and wealth transfer to the working class. How do Aratina-type projects do so better than a nuclear power plant (or concentrated solar or deep-well geothermal) within or nearby to a population center? If they ever do it's just incidental. The real reason for the Aratina development is that this was deal that satisfied the various capital interests involved in it (the land owner, “Avantus, a California company that is mostly owned by KKR, the global private equity firm”, and the bourgeois interests served by the county).