How about some reverse expansionism. Let's make New York State (or at least the city) and maybe the West Coast states provinces of Canada. If you move fast, you get to lay claim on the first congestion pricing in North America!
But there is good news! Thanks to the movie Dr. Strangelove, we will always be reminded of the character Bat Guano who darkly hinted at the need to "preserve our precious bodily fluids." Today, he seems almost mainstream, as the insanity promoted by the the current US administration swirls around US.
Great piece. But let's push American (ecological) imperialism a bit earlier, to 1776, when British expansion in our part of N.A. (for natural resources) formally became American.
I think most science fiction authors including resource imperialism in their created worlds have focused on asteroids (which presents an interesting parallel to your guano covered rocks!) over planets. Traveling through space to land on other planets is complicated compared to traveling through space and then setting down on an asteroid. Current technology seems to lean towards mining the asteroid followed by some initial processing and then shipping the more high value cargo back through space. Alternatively, you move the asteroid itself through space into a more convenient location perhaps orbiting the Earth or even the Moon (which offers less intereference with or growing band of satellites and debris). It won't surprise anyone to hear that most such fictional efforts rely on poorly payed low skilled workers recruited from among the poorest and unemployed populations on earth.
How about some reverse expansionism. Let's make New York State (or at least the city) and maybe the West Coast states provinces of Canada. If you move fast, you get to lay claim on the first congestion pricing in North America!
Can't have California - the Danes have already put in an order for it.
For me, you can have the southern part of California...!
But there is good news! Thanks to the movie Dr. Strangelove, we will always be reminded of the character Bat Guano who darkly hinted at the need to "preserve our precious bodily fluids." Today, he seems almost mainstream, as the insanity promoted by the the current US administration swirls around US.
I just want to let Canadians here know that this American woman absolutely despises everything *Rump/Musk.
Great piece. But let's push American (ecological) imperialism a bit earlier, to 1776, when British expansion in our part of N.A. (for natural resources) formally became American.
I think most science fiction authors including resource imperialism in their created worlds have focused on asteroids (which presents an interesting parallel to your guano covered rocks!) over planets. Traveling through space to land on other planets is complicated compared to traveling through space and then setting down on an asteroid. Current technology seems to lean towards mining the asteroid followed by some initial processing and then shipping the more high value cargo back through space. Alternatively, you move the asteroid itself through space into a more convenient location perhaps orbiting the Earth or even the Moon (which offers less intereference with or growing band of satellites and debris). It won't surprise anyone to hear that most such fictional efforts rely on poorly payed low skilled workers recruited from among the poorest and unemployed populations on earth.