Can a rich country still build things?

Structural engineer and writer

Their wordsPolitical costs and civic opposition will often make a technology unviable regardless of how the dollars and cents add up.

Economist at the Hoover Institution

Their wordsEndless lawsuits, cost-exploding contracting requirements, decades to get permits, and more bedevil any attempt to invest here.

Physicist, formerly at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Their wordsYet solar development is hopelessly snarled by dozens of different development regulations which begin with the assumption that it will permanently and severely harm the environment unless proven otherwise, at exhaustive length.

Physicist, formerly at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Their wordsThe primary driver of increased impact, longer time scales before displacement, and catastrophically high levels of avoidable pollution is environmental protection regulations.

Physicist, formerly at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Their wordsThe terrorist attacks on 9/11 killed 2996 people in a day of singular horror. Our ongoing indifference to regulatory inefficiency, considering only the area of green energy development, kills more people every year – more than 10 people per day, and that’s only within the US.

Co-founder and CEO of Stripe and co-founder of the Arc Institute

Their wordsMet a German founder this week and asked him if all the stories one reads about the challenges of startups in Germany are exaggerated. "No, they're understated." Proceeded to describe spending a full day having a 90-page investment contract read to him (mandatory under German law; § 13 BeurkG) by a notary that then charged €30,000. That was for his first company. His second company, needless to say, was not incorporated in Germany.

Data scientist at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World

Their wordsIf the UK is to survive water-starved summers in the future, it will need to build more reservoirs and plug holes in our existing pipelines at the same time.

Data scientist at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World

Their wordsI think Britain has a real problem with building almost anything, from train lines to houses, and reservoirs to energy infrastructure.

Mathematician turned transport researcher

Their wordsIt’s turned entire countries, like the United Kingdom, incapable of building more than about one line per generation.

Data scientist at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World

Their wordsThere is also a clear rationale for why privatisation would lead to a drought in reservoir-building.

Co-founder of Counsyl and of Earn.com

Their wordsThis US government can’t build a bathroom in San Francisco, let alone a costeffective fighter jet, destroyer, combat ship, or aircraft carrier.

Co-founder of Y Combinator and Viaweb

Their wordsPreventing companies from building data centers in America wouldn't slow down the rate of progress in AI. It would merely slow down the rate of progress in AI in America.

Security engineer; founder of Matasano Security and Latacora

Their wordsIt seems pretty clear that the only thing data center opposition is doing is pushing data center construction to the (many) places in America that won't regulate energy or pollution. Weird thing to pat oneself on the back for.

Physicist, formerly at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Their wordsIn summary, it is hard to imagine a lower impact use of low-value land than solar development.

Physicist

Their wordsPeople love renewable energy, unless it is bigger than a figleaf. If the British are good at one thing, it’s saying “no.”

Data scientist at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World

Their wordsSupplying drinking and household water through desalination is really quite cheap, and uses far less energy than I’d have guessed.

Data scientist at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World

Their wordsReservoirs are not automatically cheaper than desalination plants.

Data scientist at Our World in Data and author of Not the End of the World

Their wordsThe problem is that reserving desalination for emergency situations does not seem to work well.

Physicist

Their wordsSo, while markets may play a role, it’s silly to say “let the market handle it all.” Surely we need to talk about legislation, regulations, and taxes.