Colonizing Antarctica

[lutzj]

Seriously. The three main resources humanity will need most going forward - energy, water, and space - are all abundant in Antarctica. All we need to do is build hydroponic farms deep under the ice and power/warm them with wind energy. Global warming will help too. Also, there is a very good chance that the continent is jam-packed with minerals and oil, and it obviously has plenty of fresh water.

 

[LucyDuke]

First let's answer the question "how would we colonize Antarctica?" (I don't think your way is economically plausible.)

 

[lutzj]

We would have to nuke the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula to clear ice, then keep going from there.

 

[StarWorms]

Seriously. The three main resources humanity will need most going forward - energy, water, and space - are all abundant in Antarctica. All we need to do is build hydroponic farms deep under the ice and power/warm them with wind energy. Global warming will help too. Also, there is a very good chance that the continent is jam-packed with minerals and oil, and it obviously has plenty of fresh water.

Energy: Scarce
Water: Scarce unless you want to melt the ice to get it

Powering hydroponic farms under the ice = melting. Is there much wind in Antarctica? Is the "very good chance" just your own random estimate, or is there any evidence? Ice isn't a great base to build something on: It can break, melt etc. Then there's pollution, the effect on the wildlife. How will you dispose of waste? Dump it on the ice? Drill a giant hole? Or just live near the sea to either dump it there, or ship it elsewhere? If people are to live there, you'd need a lot of energy to heat the homes, which would need to be well insulated.

You'd be completely dependent on the rest of the world for survival: Thought about hospitals? That's going to be a lot of shipments. What about food? More shipments. Houses? Need wood, bricks etc. More shipments.

It's simply unsustainable.

 

[LucyDuke]

We would have to nuke the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula to clear ice, then keep going from there.

That would be ********. Seriously. It would make it even less hospitable to colonization.

 

[Masquerouge]

Maybe there is a reason why it has not been colonized yet?

 

[Babbler]

Seriously. The three main resources humanity will need most going forward - energy, water, and space - are all abundant in Antarctica.All we need to do is build hydroponic farms deep under the ice and power/warm them with wind energy.

Methinks you don't understand the properties of glacial ice. I doubt ANY light can reach down to glacier's bottom, and pressures are a cause for concern. There are some fierce winds in Antarctica that could be harnessed for wind power - if you can equirement to work at Antarctic temperatures.

Global warming will help too. Also, there is a very good chance that the continent is jam-packed with minerals and oil, and it obviously has plenty of fresh water.

First, all continents are made of minerals . Global warming isn't going to do much. Any land uncovered by the retreating ice cap will either be bellow sea level (said ice pressure over thousand of years depresses the ground) or be completely unlivable.

 

[dutchking]

No. Simple. They're already melting as we can see. The only reason why human beings should be on antarctica is for Scientific Research. Lets leave one area of the Earth be.

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

Melting the ice off Antarctica would lead to a massive rise in sea levels. The resulting crisis would put off development of the continent for years to come. Not to mention the region has some of the harshest surface winds on the planet.

Antarctica was not, and likely never will be, capable of human habitation.

 

[ohcrapitsnico]

We would have to nuke the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula to clear ice, then keep going from there.

Are you friggin kidding? This isn't some game of civ you [stupid person].

We shouldn't colonize it would be ridiculous to try. Conflict is only inevitable with colonization of new land.

 

[Archbob]

No, the penguins will put up too much of a fight and it will cost too many lives.
Besides that, I don't think anyone wants to live there.

 

[LightFang]

Antarctica will become capable of sustaining life. I know it will. It just has to become economically viable before so.

 

[LucyDuke]

Antarctica was not, and likely never will be, capable of significant long-term human habitation.

Fixed that for ya.

 

[LucyDuke]

Besides that, I don't think anyone wants to live there.

I do.

 

[StarWorms]

Antarctica will become capable of sustaining life. I know it will. It just has to become economically viable before so.

Well some people already live in Antarctica. However the idea of having towns in Antarctica is absurd. We should just wait for the plate to migrate north.

 

[lovett]

You'd be completely dependent on the rest of the world for survival: Thought about hospitals? That's going to be a lot of shipments. What about food? More shipments. Houses? Need wood, bricks etc. More shipments.

It's simply unsustainable.

Not to mentioned the fact that relying on melting ice creates a nasty side effect.

Namely, Icebergs,

Not exactly conducive to commercial shipping, eh?

 

[LightFang]

Well some people already live in Antarctica. However the idea of having towns in Antarctica is absurd. We should just wait for the plate to migrate north.

It won't be once there's enough economic initiative for us to make Antarctica sustainable for life in the long run!

 

[Ramius75]

Only for ppl who dont like to bath.

 

[lovett]

It won't be once there's enough economic initiative for us to make Antarctica sustainable for life in the long run!

Why would that happen?

In the next <500 years, that is.

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

Antarctica was not, and likely never will be, capable of significant long-term human habitation.

Fixed that for ya.

Thanks.
One thing I'm sure of: ice or no ice, we won't be able to properly colonize the interior unless Antarctic weather patterns change drastically.