I first saw this article on ZDnet -- unusual because it doesn't really discuss technology -- and tracked it back to the original source. Fractal Stupidity. It really is all around us.
Posted by PyeCat at March 26, 2004 03:24 AMI like the core concept of the article, but I think it's written at far too superficial a level to successfully address the mentioned issues.
For example, he takes the cost of driving cans and bottles to a recycling plant into account when determining if it is beneficial to the planet to recycle. In truth, the transportation expenses are a sunk cost that cannot be considered when deciding whether or not to recycle: even if you send the cans and bottles straight to the dump, they still have to be driven there. Additionally, in order to thoroughly evaluate the cost/benefit ratio, one would have to analyze the planetary costs involved in mining additional aluminum, then compare those costs to the costs of recycling the same amount of useable material.
I'm not saying the author doesn't have a valid point, merely that I would need to see a more thorough, objective case made for the theory before buying into it. The human transportation issue is particularly interesting to contemplate.
Posted by: Thinky at March 26, 2004 05:18 PM