Technology is always a double-edged sword that can benefit us but can also have severe consequences when used inappropriately without wisdom. We have reached that time when moving blindly forward with uncritical thinking and unquestioning hubris about long-term consequences of technological innovations are swiftly coming back to haunt us all.
I’ve talked a bit about electricity (use electricity as a key term) but perhaps another foray into the problem might illuminate how human hubris is still a problem. In the linked chart (see link) I point out how ‘un-green’ all our current so-called renewable energy sources really are. When added to the Gadarene rush to electrify everything through renewables, the question I often ask that usually get ignored, because it is so damned inconvenient, is “How is all this extra electricity going to be generated?”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for using renewables, but I like to think I am not sanctimonious about it. I have solar panels on my home and drive a hybrid car (it’s hard to get a plug-in hybrid in Colorado). But even if I could get a plug-in hybrid, the question is still the same, where is the electric coming from, and then the driving range of electric engines is still problematic, let alone the paucity of charging stations on any longer drive. In sum, the electrical infrastructure for such a far-reaching goal is still years away, and certainly unlikely by 2030 at present projections of commitment.
Trying to point out to my Environmental friends about the problems of renewables is a lot like dealing with fundamentalists of any persuasion, they are so convinced of their flawed beliefs that rational discourse is nigh impossible. Renewables are only ‘green’ during the energy generation phase. The building and disposal phases are as bad as any polluting technology. Even if we could build enough electrical generation systems from Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Hydropower, Biomass, Tidal, or Nuclear, to cater to people in the developed countries, there is no way we could do it for everyone in the world at this time. So, at this time, global equity for all humanity is still not possible. And especially if the developed countries of the world want to continue with their obscene levels of consumer-materialism.
Even if the next generation green fuels (Thorium reactors and hydrogen) are mass produced in the very near future, global equity is still unlikely under current paradigms of thinking. The powers-that-be that control energy generation around the planet have no interest of giving us clean and cheap energy. They want profits and the ability to keep acquiring more and more power and control.
If we make concerted efforts to expand current renewable energy options that are not mass grid centered then they can be a great transition to a sustainable energy future. That would mean making every house its own energy generation point, with solar panels, mini-wind generation, geothermal, and anything that is localized, like wave (tidal), and mini-hydro with thorium and hydrogen then we have a chance. But even that is expensive and potentially out of the reach of many less developed countries.
I’ve read up a lot about quantum energy possibilities and talked a bit about it in previous posts (see links 1, 2, 3, and 4). It’s fascinating to read about quantum (zero-point) energy because it an extremely polarized topic. When you read rational discussions about zero-point energy and then read the mainstream scientists’ rebuttals, it is clear that we are dealing with fundamentalist scientism versus many genius outsiders. Then add to the melee, big energy companies and their profit driven mindsets, and you start to see the major key problem. It isn’t technological, but financial. I shake my head when physicists (usually classical material physicists), who should be trying to figure out this form of energy just deny its possibilities.
If you think within a box, then everything you know fits within that box, and anything outside that box is unknown and disturbing to your paradigms. Consider that quantum physics knows that most of the universe is comprised of a dark-energy. They don’t know exactly what it is since we cannot yet measure the frequencies that exceed the speed of light. Indeed, all the energy in the known universe that we ‘see’ within the speed of light is but a fraction of what exists. The electromagnetic spectrum (gamma through Long-radio waves) is but 0.005% of the probable spectrum of energy. The visible light and sound spectrum in which we observe our world, is but 0.01% of that. So, most of the universe is ‘full’ of energy at much higher frequencies than we understand.
When non-academic people like Nikola Tesla and Nassim Haramein (just a couple of many) make claims that they have tapped into a source of ‘free-energy’ the scientific world should be clamoring to understand the science behind their claims. But scientism and profit generation get in the way. In the 1917 when Tesla made his claims, his financial backer, W.P. Morgan, withdrew his support. You can’t make much money off a free-energy system. That same financially constricting mindset is still dominant today. This is true across the whole spectrum of how we live in the material-consumer driven world. It’s why I say that the big change we need is socio-cultural-spiritual and not just technological. If profit and acquisition are the sole outcomes measured, then every focus becomes predicated on meeting those outcomes – everything else is secondary and tertiary. It’s why standard of living is indirectly measured and quality of life merely inferred as a correlating assumption. I have a feeling that when the ‘big crunch’ happens, we will find that the needed research for quantum systems has already been in the pipeline for many years already. We are just not hearing about it in mainstream reporting.
Think about how a free-energy system would radially transform the hierarchical power structures on this planet that currently dominate how we live. We have large electrical generation centers (large power electrical plants, solar field, wind farms, etc.) that are all linked on a fragile grid system that can be monitored and costed. When everything in our lives is dependent on that system (think what happens during a power outage) it is easy to see how easy it is for the hierarchy to control everything. The solution has to be for localized systems to develop that can simply move-off the grid. I have spent long hours pondering how that kind of mass-transition could happen, and especially so when everyone is brain-washed into accepting that the ‘current energy system’ is the only one.
We can do it individually if we have the cash resources to do so. We can do it in new sustainable living villages (like Findhorn ecovillage in Scotland) because they do not interfere too much with the countrywide grid system. But if we all made that choice, it would be a major shift in the control aspect. That’s why I call it a ‘Sustainability Revolution’ – it would overthrow a whole system. The magical ‘They’ will not let it readily happen, which is why after talking about this for over 40 years now, I conclude that only a global ‘meltdown’ of some kind would create the conditions for the Relocalization change needed by most people. But, this transition doesn’t have to be a dystopian one if we are prepared to act when change is needed.
Since greed and avarice are the driving forces within the material-consumer system the change would by necessity also mean a spiritual increase in how we view how we live and interact with all of life and the planet itself. That seems like a tall order, but the good news that I have also concluded is that most people are quite ready for this kind of change. Only fear of the unknown and uncertainty keep them trapped within the rut they know, even if they don’t like that rut. It’s why my mantra for many years has been “paint a different picture for people to look at that is more preferable than the one they keep fixated upon.”
So, to end this post on energy, we have options to dramatically decrease our energy technology impact on the planet, but we have to make the choice to relocalize to make them happen. Big money isn’t really interested in resolving global problems no matter how many world forums they hold. ‘Transition Town (e.g., Rob Hopkins)’ ideas among many others are already trying to make this a reality. Currently, it is piecemeal, but the way global economic and control systems are currently deconstructing (you could say unravelling), the energy transition we need may happen sooner than later. We who see this happening will be the ones to help communities respond adaptively, resiliently and with more self-reliance.
To Be Continued ………………
Energy, New Physics, Technology
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