(posted on Oct. 23, 2017)
Over a month ago, on Sept. 6, Earth asked me to ask others to think about what must be done for humans to live in harmony with the environment and also go to other planets. Here is my own answer:
1. Aquaponic skyscrapers (go ahead, google it):
Most likely you’ve heard of hydroponics: growing plants indoors, without soil. A system of tubes brings water and nutrients to the plants. Imagine hooking up a hydroponic water system to a big aquarium. The waste from the fish in the aquarium becomes fertilizer to help the plants grow – and that is aquaponics. Now imagine stacking rows of growing plants on top of each other. Aquaponic skyscrapers in the middle of a city could raise fish and grow rice and beans and vegetables. This way cities could grow their own food, instead of importing food from far away. In addition, fish is healthier than beef, and we should shut down the cruel cattle “factories” where cows are crowded into enclosed areas. Moreover, with aquaponic skyscrapers we won’t need as much farmland, so we can start re-growing forests in places that used to be covered with trees. Furthermore, aquaponics will eventually be a good source of food on spaceships and space stations. However, aquaponic skyscrapers will take a lot of electricity, so we need a clean supply of abundant electricity.
2. Ultra-high-speed vacuum tube trains.
Imagine a train in a vacuum tube going 1000 miles an hour or more. This is an idea that has been around for a long time. China is developing a prototype, and the billionaire industrialist Elon Musk has been getting others interested in such a project, which he calls “hyperloop.” With this type of system, we could cut down on the use of airplanes, which would reduce air pollution and noise pollution and traffic congestion in our cities. However, as with aquaponic skyscrapers, vacuum tube trains need a clean supply of abundant electricity.
3. And of course, as soon as we develop good enough batteries, electric cars and trucks can completely replace polluting gasoline and diesel engines; but once again, we need a clean supply of abundant electricity.
4. Fusion Power
For a clean supply of abundant electricity, we must develop nuclear fusion power – the same source of energy that powers the Sun. And of course fusion power will facilitate space travel, as a power source both for spacecraft and for colonies on other planets. The problem is, developing fusion power will take a lot of resources and effort, until we finally get it right; so fusion power won’t happen unless we embrace short-term sacrifice toward a long-term goal. The development of fusion power is too expensive for one nation to do alone: we need cooperation among nations as a common human effort. We need to embrace a vision for a healthy future, and be willing to commit to a difficult and risky project. The long-term alternative, unless somebody suddenly comes up with a science fiction miracle energy source, is that we will slowly lose our capability to maintain our existing level of technology, with ongoing conflict between nations as we fight over dwindling resources.
5. Promote the General Welfare
Initiatives such as these depend on citizens and leaders sharing a general concern for the well-being of others and the well-being of society as a whole – in other words, habitual benevolence. (In the minds of the Founding Fathers of the USA, habitual benevolence was the path toward happiness, which is where the phrase “pursuit of happiness” comes from.) We need to expect this benevolent orientation from our leaders. Our society tends to discourage this natural development of habitual benevolence, especially in the all-important teenage years. Imagine having regular yoga classes as part of physical education in high schools. Yoga both relaxes the body and promotes emotional health. It is also important to restrict things like pornography and commercial advertising. Constant sexual stimulation inhibits the development of a benevolent orientation, as does thinking of ourselves as a “consumer society.” We must learn to live with less. In addition, we need inspiring, long-term collective goals, and Earth’s prime goal for humans to go to other planets fits this need well. Other long-term collective goals: reduce the ravages of pollution, and re-grow forests. The Sahara Desert, for example, doesn’t have to stay a desert. But none of this likely to happen without widespread public-spirited commitment to the betterment of humanity, a commitment that should regularly inform the decisions of our political leaders.
At the societal level, an orientation toward ongoing technological progress is essential for cultivating habitual benevolence in the population, and an orientation toward habitual benevolence is essential for ongoing technological progress. Both are necessary for our long-term survival.