[bbernard]

I guess that we see things differently.

On one hand, you see the economic value of airlines, cars and factories, so for you it justifies the environmental consequences that they have. Fair enough.

On the other hand, you don't see the economic value of asteroid mining and of getting things into space, so you talk about the consequences that it might have on the environment.

Did you know that asteroids represent an endless supply of rare metals (gold, platinum, etc.)? Take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_mining#Purpose if you don't believe me. This might represent the biggest economic opportunity of all times. And if we want to become a "multi-planetary species" as Elon Musk suggests, this will probably be essential.

Now, I personally tend to be more on the environment's side. So as long as we use those metals to build things on other planets and in space, I don't see any problem. We'll need to be responsible with this.