Alex Steffen sees a sustainable future

Our society has some major flaws.

One of them is that every society has an ecological footprint - we have only 1 planet but use 10.

The second problem is that people do not have enough to survive - it is going to be eight billion people in 20 years.

A third of the people on our planet are kids and they want their own version of a life which is more prosperous, and more dynamic, and more enjoyable. But it can create a torque on the planet. If we cannot deal with that torque, we are going to be in a situation which is unthinkable.

We don't know yet how to build a society which is environmentally sustainable but we are looking for ideas.

So, first of all is a Bright Green city. We should reduce the impact that we have on the planet and create cities that are denser and more livable. We're able to build buildings that generate all their own electricity, that recycle much of their water, that are much more comfortable and cost less.

Thanks to developing information technologies we can do 2 things:

1) to know where things are and began to share them so end up using less

2) to start figuring out how to use less stuff by knowing, and by monitoring, the amount we're actually using and began to re-label things

Most of the people live in the emerging megacities which are growing incredibly quickly and don't have existing infrastructure; only enormous numbers of people.

To make developing megacities into Bright Green we need leapfrogging - to look for a low-cost or locally applicable version of the newest technology; and we need tools for collaboration - systems of collaboration, or intellectual property systems which encourage collaboration.

Nowadays all of us have the ability to start coming together and acting on their own behalf in political and civic ways.

We have to craft new political realities, not only in places like India, Afghanistan, but at home as well. Another world is possible.

Millions of people struggling to change world to be fairer, freer, more democratic, less corrupt and these tools are part of what's making it possible.

When we add all things together we get a Bright Green future for the developing world and water solutions.

We've got to make something better than what we've got. Better things are on the way.

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 1417