Astronomer royal calls for 'Plan B' to prevent runaway climate change

[oNobodyo]

65. Seriously?

"What is the pollution from running 3D printers on earth that needs to be avoided?"

3d printing can produce virtually any product so therefore it could negate the pollution of any of those industries that produce... products...Is that not a broad enough target for you to aim at?

'Remember, this is about saving the Earth (so what billionaires fancy having waiting for them for a few days in space is irrelevant)."

Unless it happens to a be a product that would be made by materials mined on earth, with energy generated on earth and it's something that will be used on earth...thereby displacing all the subsequent associated pollution in that manufacturing stream.

"Again, what is gained by putting the robots in space?"

Asked, answered and ignored previously...

The simple answer is that they can build things and things that can build things. A lot of things like electronics and solar cells require a vacuum to produce. Producing a vacuum on earth is energy intensive and free there. Moving things on an assembly line require more energy to do because of a little thing called gravity. The moon and asteroids contain more, cheaper to transport, less destructive to mine materials.

"Remember that a lot of industries get offshored because they need cheap labour."

Which was my point about humans competing with robots. It's already too expensive to have a human do most factory work in the US and the trend is continuing to the point where it threatens the jobs of those pennies per day workers.

3D Printed Guns Won't Hurt You - but Jobs of 50 Million Women Could Be in Danger (of losing their jobs to 3d printers)
http://truth-out.org/news/item/18622-the-3d-printed-guns-wont-hurt-you

I repeat for what feels like the bazillionth time...3d printing can replicate virtually any product and if done in space it doesn't need earth bound power generation or mining once it's established.