[actwithclarity]

Regardless of the type of fuel used, the energy is coming from the same biosphere, from one area or another. If we take it from crops, we are removing potential surface area of the planet from other uses (human or natural). If we take it from wind or tides we are interfering with currents and harming wildlife. Everything is connected so there is always a cascade of little effects on the whole environment. Nothing is free! Perhaps the closest thing to free that we have is fossil fuels. These politics are all about finding an energy source where the effects are not very noticeable, such that most people won't know or care about them. In fact most ignorant people are tricked into believing there are no effects by all the talk about "sustainability" and "renewability", blah blah. It's only the tragedy of the commons again, and the way that humans trick themselves and others into thinking they are doing something better or worse for the planet, for political reasons, because the masses of ignorant people are empowered to make the decisions.

Perhaps in the future the effects will accumulate into something big (=people care about it), or perhaps not. They will always be there to one level or another whether the average person notices or cares about them or not. Does it matter at all? Under what circumstances? It all comes down to perspective anyways.

I think we'll be very lucky to create something "sustainable" when stupid people are in control. But it's a good thing, because sustainability is a goal which is only pursued by such people anyways. The real issue is how long it will take for our political systems to be revolutionized, and what is left at that point, and how we go forward from there. But I don't think that the whole discussion on fuels will be much of an issue then.