Anything with "technology convergence" and "climate change" in the same sentence captures my attention. Contextualize it in the "making or breaking of human civilization as we know it" and Im hooked and admittedly a tad skeptical.
Thats why I buckled up and dug into the recent 90-page report put forth by think tank RethinkX, co-founded by internationally recognized technologists and futurists Tony Seba and James Arbib. "Rethinking Humanity" makes the case that the convergence of key technologies is about to disrupt the five foundational sectors that underpin the global economy, and with them every major industry in the world.
Super heady stuff, to be sure.
The vision Seba and Arbib detail reads somewhat like a distant techno-utopia. But the vision they lay out isnt all that far off: Climate change solved and poverty eradicated within the next 15 years? Got my attention.
Given that Seba and Arbib have been impressively accurate over the past decade in predicting the speed and scale of technological disruption, I figured it was worth giving the analysis a closer look.
Focusing on the disruptive potential of emerging technologies in the information, energy, transportation, food and materials sectors, the report predicts that across all five and within the next 10 years we could see costs of key technologies fall by 10 times or more, production processes become 10 times more efficient, all while using 90 percent fewer natural resources and producing up to 100 times less waste.
What Seba and Arbib are calling the "fastest, deepest, most consequential transformation of human civilization in history" isnt just a reframe of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which we know is underway and being enabled by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D printing. Indeed, many of their predictions will sound familiar to those conversant in technological change. But its not just the march of progress of individual technologies that will save us.
The report does not introduce this alluring vision as an absolute quite the contrary. Therein lies one big variable: Humans need to make it happen, and fast.
Instead, the report posits that we are on the cusp of the third age of humankind what they describe as "The Age of Freedom." This new era will be defined by a shift away from models of centralized extraction to localized creation; ones built, they say, not on coal, oil, steel, livestock and concrete, but on photons, electrons, DNA, molecules and qbits (a unit of quantum information).
They predict, for example, that the combination of cheap solar and grid storage will transform energy systems into entirely distributed models of self-generation in which electrons are virtually free. And that as the widespread adoption of autonomous electric vehicles replaces car ownership with on-demand ride sharing, well completely reimagine and redesign our roads, infrastructure and cityscapes.
Their vision for the future of food, outlined in greater detail in another report last year, predicts that traditional agriculture soon will be replaced by industrial-scale brewing of single-celled organisms, genetically modified to produce all the nutrients we need (say what?). Similar processes, combined with additive manufacturing and nanotechnologies, will allow us to create all the materials necessary to build infrastructure for the modern world from the molecule up, rather than by continuing to extract scarce and depleting natural resources.
These transformations mirror, in many ways, what weve seen already in the information sector in which the decentralization enabled by the internet has reduced barriers to communication and knowledge in ways unimaginable 25 years ago.
What may sound like a pipe dream is what Seba and Arbib claim could be a lifestyle akin to the "American Dream" in terms of energy consumption, transport needs, nutritional value, housing and education accessible to anyone for as little as $250 a month by 2030.
To be clear, the report does not introduce this alluring vision of The Age of Freedom as an absolute quite the contrary. Therein lies one big variable: Humans need to make it happen, and fast. Will the public embrace self-driving cars and genetically modified foods, among other innovations? Futurists have been wrong before about such things. (Werent we all supposed to be getting around in flying cars by now?)
"We can use the upcoming convergence of technology disruptions to solve the greatest challenges of humankind inequality, poverty, environmental destruction if, and only if, we learn from history, recognize what is happening, understand the implications and make critical choices now; because these very same technologies that hold such promise are also accelerating civilization's collapse," Seba said.
We can use the upcoming convergence of technology disruptions to solve the greatest challenges of humankind inequality, poverty, environmental destruction if, and only if, we learn from history ...
Indeed, we face an epic choice.
But, are utopia or dystopia really our only options? Is framing the path forward in a binary win-or-lose scenario actually accurate, let alone helpful for the business leaders, policy makers and citizens in whose hands such a complex set of decisions rest today? And what about the millions of people without access to jobs, food, housing or healthcare right now? Where do they fit into this grand, seemingly idyllic plan?
The report outlines a set of recommendations which, in many ways, seem as unlikelyas the vision theyre intended to enable. Giving individuals ownership of data rights, scaling new models for community ownership of energy and transportation networks, and allowing states and cities autonomy on policies such as immigration, taxation and public expenditure, for example, take time.
The rapid reimagining and restructuring of what they call our societys fundamental "Organizing System" is no small feat. And the report seems to gloss over many messy realities of how social change actually occurs.
Still, theres something compelling here. Regardless whetherSeba and Arbibs techno-utopian dream materializes in the ways theyve outlined, the report offers compelling ideas for building a more robust, resilient and equitable society than weve ever seen. It's certainly good fodder as we enter a decade that will, without question, be defined by great disruption and already is.
Go here to see the original:
Are we on the cusp of the 'Age of Freedom'? | Greenbiz - GreenBiz
- Travel & Resources: HONG KONG - Gay Asia and... - Utopia [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2016]
- DELHI / NEW DELHI: Massage and Spas - Utopia [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2016]
- Utopia (book) - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: December 8th, 2016] [Originally Added On: December 8th, 2016]
- Who is authorized to bind your family business to contracts? - Lexology (registration) [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Meanwhile in Canada Things Are Just as Bad - New York Times [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Stellaris: Utopia expansion lets you craft megastructural ringworlds - PC Gamer [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- JME Will Play Himself In A New Movie About A Vegan Utopia - The FADER [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- 'Stellaris' Utopia DLC Gets First Trailer; Will Introduce New Buildings And Perks - iDigitalTimes.com [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Utopia Pipeline project to bring 300 temporary jobs to New Philadelphia - New Philadelphia Times Reporter [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- With violin in hand, Mark Menzies finds hope for the future in the past - Los Angeles Times [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- The village aiming to create a white utopia - BBC News [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Brooklyn's A/D/O Co-Working Space Is Building a Utopia for Creatives of All Kinds - Artsy [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- Revolution: Russian Art review from utopia to the gulag, via teacups - The Guardian [Last Updated On: February 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 7th, 2017]
- A notable show BAMPFA's 'Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia' - Berkeleyside [Last Updated On: February 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 9th, 2017]
- In praise of utopias, not dystopias: Salutin - Toronto Star [Last Updated On: February 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 10th, 2017]
- British Airways Concorde 'Alpha Foxtrot' Arrives at New Bristol Home - AirlineGeeks.com (blog) [Last Updated On: February 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 11th, 2017]
- The Bannon-Trump Arc of History | The American Spectator - American Spectator [Last Updated On: February 13th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 13th, 2017]
- Plotting 'No-Place' in 'Utopia Neighborhood Club' - Seattle Weekly [Last Updated On: February 15th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 15th, 2017]
- Bruno Ganz on New Film About Last Days of East Germany: 'This Is a Subject That Will Never Let Me Go' - Variety [Last Updated On: February 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 16th, 2017]
- Utopia releases its next version of master data governance solution for enterprise asset management - SDTimes.com [Last Updated On: February 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 16th, 2017]
- Drought-crazed utopia flushes away common sense - NewHampshire.com [Last Updated On: February 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 16th, 2017]
- New Barbarians: Inside Rolling Stones' Wild Seventies Spin-Off - RollingStone.com [Last Updated On: February 16th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 16th, 2017]
- Katy Perry's New Music Video Might Just Be Her WILDEST Yet - TeenVogue.com [Last Updated On: February 18th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 18th, 2017]
- Lenkom Theater: From Soviet utopia to post-modern dystopia - Russia Beyond the Headlines [Last Updated On: February 20th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 20th, 2017]
- Utopia Opera Presents THE GRAND DUKE, 3/3-3/11 - Broadway World [Last Updated On: February 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 21st, 2017]
- Chuck Huckelberry: Pima County sees the world as it is - Arizona Daily Star [Last Updated On: February 21st, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 21st, 2017]
- Mardi Gras brings on the fun - Tullahoma News and Guardian [Last Updated On: February 22nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 22nd, 2017]
- Anglea Henderson-Bentley: New take on Jack the Ripper an idea whose 'Time' has come - Huntington Herald Dispatch [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Knowledge can fight ignorance: New speakers series will shed light on Yemen - Detroit Metro Times [Last Updated On: February 23rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 23rd, 2017]
- Utopian sci-fi survival horror game, PAMELA, enters Steam Early Access on March 9th New Screenshots - DSOGaming (blog) [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- Reese Witherspoon on New Zealand: 'You can't capture it in pictures' - Newshub [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- $168000 headphones to go on display - The New Paper [Last Updated On: February 24th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 24th, 2017]
- A peek inside the Downtown Project with Aimee Groth - Las Vegas Review-Journal [Last Updated On: February 25th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 25th, 2017]
- Utopia is coming, with a basic income for all - The Times (subscription) [Last Updated On: February 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 27th, 2017]
- Government shakeups and political unrest are coming to Stellaris in its Utopia expansion - PCGamesN [Last Updated On: February 27th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 27th, 2017]
- The board hoard: your guide to the best new board games - The Guardian [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Tempted To Move Out Of The U.S.? New Zealand Wants To Help ... - Forbes [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- New Utopia | Prometheism.net - Part 4 [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- Utopia expansion for Stellaris coming in April, new trailer - PC Invasion - PC Invasion (blog) [Last Updated On: February 28th, 2017] [Originally Added On: February 28th, 2017]
- THE SOUND OF MUSIC to Welcome New 'Georg von Trapp' on Tour in Hershey - Broadway World [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- At BAMPFA, 'Hippie Modernism' Proves the Fight for Utopia is Far from Over - KQED [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Watch brutal Xenomorph attack in new 'Alien: Covenant' trailer - CNET [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Stellaris: Utopia Path to Ascension release date trailer - Gameplanet [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Utopia Frozen Yogurt and Coffee House | Ellensburg, WA [Last Updated On: March 1st, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 1st, 2017]
- Stellaris Utopia Gameplay Expansion Out In April - Attack of the Fanboy [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- Dr. John to headline Utopia Fest in final year at Four Sisters Ranch ... - austin360 (blog) [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- JUSTIN JOHNSON: It's a TRAP! - SCNow [Last Updated On: March 2nd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 2nd, 2017]
- Want utopia? Start with universal basic income and a 15-hour work week - Wired.co.uk [Last Updated On: March 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 3rd, 2017]
- Extreme Channel 4 reality challenge Mutiny makes its sailors suffer - iNews [Last Updated On: March 3rd, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 3rd, 2017]
- Rutger Bregman: 'We could cut the working week by a third' - The Guardian [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- March 4, 2017 - EDP Foundation - Utopia/Dystopia / Hctor Zamora: Order and Progress - E-Flux [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2017]
- Utopia for Realists and How We Can Get There by Rutger Bregman ... - The Guardian [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2017]
- A taste of 'Utopia' - Otago Daily Times [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2017]
- Father John Misty references Taylor Swift in new song, 'Total Entertainment Forever' - EW.com [Last Updated On: March 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 6th, 2017]
- 'Time After Time' delivers Jack the Ripper to modern-day New York - The San Gabriel Valley Tribune [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- Father John Misty Explained The Taylor Swift Sex Line In 'Total Entertainment Forever' - UPROXX [Last Updated On: March 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 7th, 2017]
- Why everyone hates the GOP's new health plan - The Week Magazine [Last Updated On: March 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 8th, 2017]
- Hello Cuba, Adios Utopia: Cuban Art in Texas - Observer [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2017]
- Why Canada will come to regret its embrace of refugees - New York Post [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2017]
- Utopia in the Time of Trump - lareviewofbooks [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2017]
- Whole of It: 'Free Cake at the Top' - Scottsbluff Star Herald [Last Updated On: March 12th, 2017] [Originally Added On: March 12th, 2017]
- Portugal's MAAT could become the world's most exciting venue for art and architecture - The Architect's Newspaper [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- Stellaris Utopia DLC Review - Paradox's spacefaring grand strategy ... - PC Invasion (blog) [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- The post-Brexit fantasy of a utopia of flammable sofas - New Statesman [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- Why Open Borders Would Strengthen Our Economy | The Huffington ... - Huffington Post [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- Best of the Week: Focal Utopia, Sonos Playbase, Sgt. Pepper reissue, new 4K Xbox and more - What Hi-Fi? [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- Stellaris: Utopia review | PC Gamer - PC Gamer [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- Utopia lost: Man wants Berrien 'town' on the map - Valdosta Daily Times [Last Updated On: April 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: April 8th, 2017]
- Psych Ward: The Hulk - Marvel (press release) (registration) (blog) [Last Updated On: June 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 6th, 2017]
- Men Are from Mars, Wonder Woman is Also from Mars - VICE [Last Updated On: June 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 6th, 2017]
- Jordie Bellaire: Vision Visionary - Marvel (press release) (registration) (blog) [Last Updated On: June 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 6th, 2017]
- The Dark Side of Globalization - American Spectator [Last Updated On: June 6th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 6th, 2017]
- China's next 'city from scratch' called into question - Financial Times [Last Updated On: June 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 7th, 2017]
- Wonder Woman's dueling origin stories, and their effect on the hero's feminism, explained - Vox [Last Updated On: June 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 7th, 2017]
- Introduction: Open Utopia | The Open Utopia [Last Updated On: June 7th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 7th, 2017]
- Paperback Row - New York Times [Last Updated On: June 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 8th, 2017]
- NEXUS pipeline revved and waiting - News - Times Reporter - New ... - New Philadelphia Times Reporter [Last Updated On: June 8th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 8th, 2017]
- MAVI Museum of Visual Arts - E-Flux [Last Updated On: June 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 9th, 2017]
- World-famous author has found his writing utopia outdoors, under a tarp, in Davis - Sacramento Bee [Last Updated On: June 9th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 9th, 2017]
- Let's break down the incredible Black Panther trailer - The Verge [Last Updated On: June 10th, 2017] [Originally Added On: June 10th, 2017]