Dresden Codak is a science fiction webcomic by Aaron Diaz, mixing one-off strips with longer stories about science and technology.
HN commenters recommend it as well drawn and fun, and frequently cite its "Caveman Science Fiction" strip when discussing technology and progress.
> Now consider that if the planet is a burnt out carcass that can't support life beyond bacteria that the project of technology maybe didn't serve us humans too well in the end.
Sure, but as far as I can tell, it doesn't seem to be.
If you don't feel the need to put a probability on your hypothetical scenario, you can doomsay anything, including what I would guess your preferred strategy to be: "Now consider that if the planet gets struck by a rogue cosmic body and shattered into an asteroid belt that the project of controlled deindustrialization and focus on conservation and social justice maybe didn't serve us humans too well in the end."
Relatedly, a classic take: http://dresdencodak.com/2009/09/22/caveman-science-fiction/
I must have missed it, was there some multi-billions-in-damage quake caused by reinjection? I suspect the lack of consequences will simply be due to the fact that they haven't caused enough damage for it to be worthwhile.
The reality is that quakes are treated by the anti-drilling lobby as a proof of "me am play gods"[1]. A sign from above/below that we're angered mother earth. I think the more sober minded should realize that the important numbers when talking about "consequences" is not how angry mother earth is, but the quakes' cost in terms of damage and human lives.
http://dresdencodak.com/2009/09/22/caveman-science-fiction/
Would fitness landscapes help for part of it?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitness_landscape
They're typically used for reasoning about other things, but there's a few useful intuitions you can draw.
Notably, you can't optimize to a point that is not on the fitness landscape in the first place... so the following comic can't happen: http://dresdencodak.com/2009/09/22/caveman-science-fiction/
Which doesn't mean there can't be any surprises of course!
I know the story is intended to be "caveman science fiction" [1], but I can't help but think that that hole is probably still an excellent way to dispose of most of the things they're disposing of, particularly nuclear waste. After all, it spends, what, a couple decades totally isolated from the rest of the world? Great place for it to decay and become less active.
1: http://dresdencodak.com/2009/09/22/caveman-science-fiction/
The portrayal of technology and its invention reminds me of this:
https://dresdencodak.com/2009/09/22/caveman-science-fiction/
Not 'bad' really, but it's clear that in this plot the all-to-human morality tale takes precedence over what's actually possible in the physical world.
For what it's worth the comic is Dresden Codak by Arryn Diaz. It started out as random one off's and somehow found a story along the way. Very well drawn with fun science fiction. Highly recommended.
http://dresdencodak.com/