In the 1990s, there was “no practical way” to extract oil from the Canadian tar sands. And now look. If it’s doable, “practical” is just a matter of money and will.
Maybe someday but I think it’s a long way off, and again, other sources of water would be far more practical so even if it becomes possible it’s unlikely to be economical.
But putting distant future hypothetical tech aside I doubt this is a factor here. The emerging mineral resources are reason enough on their own.
In the 1990s, there was “no practical way” to extract oil from the Canadian tar sands. And now look. If it’s doable, “practical” is just a matter of money and will.
Maybe someday but I think it’s a long way off, and again, other sources of water would be far more practical so even if it becomes possible it’s unlikely to be economical.
But putting distant future hypothetical tech aside I doubt this is a factor here. The emerging mineral resources are reason enough on their own.