I think BenBradley's issue is he doesnt want people telling him to alter his way of life. Moving from cheap dirty energy to expensive cleaner energy is terribly inconvenient...and it is.
A few simple questions:
1. Does the planet have some sort of capacity limit, population wise?
2. Do we care?
3. If yes, do we:
(a) slow down economic growth and conserve 'stuff' to squeeze a few more future generations on the planet? or
(b) push the economic envelope hoping technology sorts all this out in the fullness of time?
If we get (b) wrong, who wears the consequences? Does Ben? Nup. Not his problem.
Ben has a fixation with greenies based on his ideological confusion.
It's not just inner city greenies being stakeholders in these issues, it's farmers (on their and our behalves) worried about certain energy developments impacting food and water tables, it's urban NIMBYs not wanting anything built in our backyards that might impact our quality of life or property values, its countries like Kiribati, who are currently finalizing the purchase of 6,000 acres in my current location to guarantee food security for its people, etc.