DDD Special - Abundance - Wednesday August 14th

A friend recently challenged me to watch this TED talk by Peter Diamandis, because he was concerned I was being too negative about the outlook for our country and indeed the planet. 

The talk, 16 minutes long, is positive, upbeat about the future and full of hope that technology will solve our problems.

So I watched it, and you should too.......it's excellent.......

I have some comments, but have put them below so you can form your own opinion.....

http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_diamandis_abundance_is_our_future.html

Stop - watch the video first!!!

A most interesting talk and it's wonderful to see the kind of optimism he generates, but.........

Diamandis underestimates the power of the forces trying to prevent change and preserve the status quo. One obvious example is the way green energy initiatives he talks about have been stifled by the oil, coal and gas industries which are some of the most powerful corporations on the planet. To get solar power going will need government assistance, and the energy corporations have made sure not much is done by our politicians. 

I absolutely hope I'm wrong because we are past the tipping point for climate change - even if we implemented everything to prevent more CO2 into the air. No matter what the temperature will rise 2 degrees C. over the next few decades, causing extreme weather.

And just to get a reality check I sent this video to a friend whose judgement I respect.......her comments....

Interesting perspective on the technical advances coming.  While I agree that technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, he leaves out the human factor.  Concerns about overpopulation were minimalized by asserting that if more people are educated, the population explosion will slow.  Let’ face it, people are not that smart.  He also left out the primary human weakness:  greed---which leads to corruption---ultimately widening the gap between the rich and the poor.  I like what he says, but you can’t put everything into the same box.  There is a much bigger picture.

This was a comment on the TED site which I thought was interesting..........

6 days ago: It's a complex world we live in. There's so much inequality - increasingly so - so much corruption among politicians and among increasingly powerful corporations and financial institutions, so much cynicism about political internationalism, a population explosion in places where economic opportunities are the least and political institutions are weakest, and there is climate change on the march. Large migratory movements of the poor will test 'affluent' societies. These are some of the things that should rightfully trigger our amygdalas. 

I believe the future technological developments Diamandis talks about will be fantastic, but social and political ills are not easily solved by means of technology. 

And another........

Oct 28 2012: A wonderful talk and some inspiring ideas. But how does abundance fit into the profit mechanism? Coca-Cola may be quick off the mark noticing that desalination is going to be a huge cash cow in the developing world, but what are the chances that they will charge just 2c per litre? What are the chances of them employing sustainable energy to power the desalination plants if it costs more, and responsibly dispose of the excess salt if it is expensive? In a monetary economy, profit must always come ahead of all other considerations. 

And that's a sobering thought - all of the technological advances in the talk are likely to be owned by 

corporations, who will charge what the traffic will bear for the items to maximise their profits....

It's ironic that Coca Cola, whose business model is to make the world obese with their chemical laden sugary drinks, is held up as a model by Diamandis.

So in conclusion, let's hope Diamandis is right but don't bet the farm on it.......