5/2/2006
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I would like to have a greater positive effect on the world. I feel like my juggling and yo-yo show does a good service by making people happy so that they don’t go on killing sprees at work, but my effect is pretty small at best. Part of what got me thinking about this is looking at the difference my Dad makes with his job. He does some pretty high-power, high-benefit stuff all around the world. If he can do it, I can do it. It’s all a matter of how big you can think, and of course, act. It seems to me that the combination of Harper and I could be a powerful force if we decided that we really wanted to do some good.
So what do I see as the problems of the world at the moment?
- War. It comes from pride, lust for power, racism, pursuit of resources (land and other things, but certainly energy, especially oil), and over-population
- The coming collapse of the oil economy. Through war, price gouging, environmental destruction, waste, dwindling supply, and increasing population; it’s only a matter of time until we run out of oil.
- Environmental degradation. Caused by both developed and developing nations, in their quest for stuff, and energy. Made worse by over-population.
- Terrorism. Although statistically a very small threat, it is a big one emotionally. Terrorists have power over us right now because we want oil from the Middle East. Without the need for oil, we have far fewer reasons to be over there, and that takes away some of the power of the terrorists.
- Pandemic disease. AIDS and some form of the flu (avian or otherwise) are going to really mess with us as a species. Over-population will make this worse, coupled with the ease of travel.
Here’s how I see all of those problems relating to each other: although there are many causes, they are all connected by over-population. Because of religious, national, racial, moral, and human nature issues I don’t think there is much I can do about over-population directly. And besides, just because you have fewer people doesn’t necessarily mean that any problems will be solved.
So we’ve got War, The Collapse of the Oil Economy, Environmental Degradation, Terrorism, and Pandemic Disease all connected by Over-Population. From watching the efforts of others over my lifetime I don’t think I can do anything about most of these either. However, with two of them, The Collapse of the Oil Economy, and Environmental Degradation, I think I might have a chance… and be able to kill two birds with one stone.
So what’s my big idea? You’re looking at it: start a community-driven website with all the information and resources anyone would need to fully utilize renewable energy.
If there is more information available, more people will be able to get involved more easily. The more people interested, the greater the demand for renewable energy technology, the better chance that industry and government will get involved and more products will become available that don’t solely rely on fossil fuels.
Certainly there is a lot of environmental degradation that comes from the pursuit of energy in the form of oil, coal, and firewood. If there were more environmentally friendly energy sources some of that destruction could be eliminated. Although there are some huge dark-sides to the spread of cheap energy, my hope is that there will be a net gain if we can wean ourselves off of fossil fuels. Also, I don’t have any sources to back this up, but I have heard that nothing slows down the birth rate better than getting a developing nation into the status of being a developed nation.
It’s a lofty goal, but it’s my hope that this website could help solve three problems at once.
