No doubt you have been hearing that NASA has discovered what could be other “Earth-like” planets … and in astronomical terms, they are just 40 light-years away. On a cosmic scale, that’s right next door. Of course, practically speaking, it would still take us hundreds of millions of years to get there with today’s technology – but again, it is notable in that the find speaks volumes about the potential for life-as-we-know-it beyond Earth.
Now, let’s see how many news articles point out that these planets are irrelevant to us. They may in fact be gone, if their demise occurred any time in the last 40 years. But, don’t get me wrong. This is still interesting, but just not important or relevant today.
Meanwhile, here on planet earth we are trying to decide how we persist for the next forty years or more. We have energy choices to make, lifestyle decisions about how and where we live, and of course how we use energy as a result. We certainly have enough fossil fuel to get through this time span, but we are not making any more … so we will eventually run out. Thinking this way means we need a long-term portfolio that will include a full range of technologies far beyond wind and solar alone.
But, a news article on this very real and relevant challenge will not get air time. Watch how much air time the NASA discovery gets.