[mnemotronic]

I thought I heard that once the helium is gone, it's gone. We can't make it; we can't pump any more out of the ground. That would seem to be a hard-stop. Is that really the kind of resource we want to turn over to capitalists; who are driven primarily by stock incentives and short-term profit?

[dtgriscom]

Helium is produced by extraction from natural gas:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium#Modern_extraction_and_d...

[credit_guy]

Nope, that's not true.

It's a popular misconception, with a kernel of truth, but the kernel is very, very small: hydrogen and helium are light enough that they are not gravitationally bound to our planet. In other words, if you release some helium in the atmosphere, in time it will eventually escape to space.

While this is true, it's also irrelevant. Once you release a gas into the atmosphere, it's economically lost. It does not matter if it stays in the atmosphere forever, or it makes its way to the larger Universe. For example neon. Or kripton. Or chlorine for that matter.

Separately, there is plenty of helium in natural gas fields. We extract about 4 trillion cubic meters of gas per year. Natural gas contains between 0.01% and 7% helium. At the lower end, we pull out of the ground 400 million cubic meters of helium per year, but we simply don't bother to separate it. This is more than three times the entire Federal Helium reserve.

Now, if you read the article, you'll find out that this Federal Helium reserve is being sold as per a law enacted in 2013. Why did Congress pass such a law? I don't know, but presumably they have looked into the issue and determined that it's worth their time to bring it to the floor and hold a vote on it. The original helium reserve was instituted before WW2, when dirigibles were a thing, and the US was concerned with the Nazi Germany's lead in this particular technology. After WW2 though, dirigibles are only a curiosity here and there. Helium is not a strategic resource anymore.

[bhhaskin]

You can make helium, it's just not very feasible. Make me wonder if the government has an alternative method to manufacturing it.

[DennisP]

Nuclear fusion can do it, but producing that much helium from nuclear fusion would have to be done off-planet. Quick napkin math, it would release about as much energy as the entire planet gets from the sun in a month.

[dullcrisp]

Mine the sun.

[perilunar]

Easier to mine Uranus or Neptune I would think.

[voidfunc]

You'll be long dead and gone before it matters. Try not to worry about things that won't impact you in the slightest.

[SideQuark]

Except it will matter if your lifetime is more than a decade or so.

https://www.google.com/search?q=world+helium+shortage

Why are the least knowledgeable about a topic the most certain of their uninformed opinions about it?

[sporkland]

I'd say dunning kreuger but I saw something once that it didn't mean what the popular interpretation claims it means. And I also worry about social sciences reproducibility in general.

[jeppesen-io]

Compassion for those alive or will be alive, is a worthy goal

I'd argue it's one of the ideals of living a worthwhile life

[tchbnl]

Ah, because who cares about the people who come after. That's their problem.

[voidfunc]

It is their problem. It's not your problem or anyone else's problem right now. Stop trying to control the future.

[bastawhiz]

The inability to respect the people who come after you is how we've ended up with every single generational problem that we face today. Literally every single one.

[coherentpony]

Well, I can't control the past. My options are the present, and the future, and the latter depends on the former.

So what are my options?

[voxelghost]

>So what are my options?

Trust in the market forces to self regulate?

Let Jesus take the wheel?

Leave it to beaver?

They all seems about equally realistic.

[coherentpony]

Do you realise that doing nothing is also making a choice about the state of the future?

[jeppesen-io]

> Stop trying to control the future

Every choice we make in life impacts and "controls" the future, by choice or not

[plussed_reader]

Why not try to hand off an easier 'playing hand'? Or is that controlling the future as well?

[stuaxo]

It is already controlling the future to let it be used up.

[arrowsmith]

I'm guessing you don't have children?

[rgrieselhuber]

This is basically boomerism in a nutshell.

[RIMR]

This is selfishness bordering on psychopathy. Just because you'll be dead doesn't mean you should be complacent about things that will fuck over future generations.

[gonzo41]

Strong #boomer energy there buddy.