Energy, Earth And Everyone

[NOTE: These posts are an ongoing presentation, meant to be read beginning with the earliest and ending with the most recent. If not read in that order, there is a potential loss for the reader in an overall understanding of what is being presented. You have been warned.]

One of the things that Bucky Fuller is remembered for is the creation of the World Game. The World Game was originally a 2-week session in which anyone could participate if they had a few hundred dollars to cover registration. One of the results that I’ve always found fascinating and helpful are the Worldometers. Nowadays the World Game can be downloaded from the internet as a free software program. Anyway, the original game consisted of a week of getting to know the tools and aspects of the research systems that were available to the participants, principles of game theory, listening to world experts speak in regard to the session’s topic, and getting to know other participants who might be housewives, students, business people, laborers, professionals, or whatever.

The group would then dive in to answering the world challenge for that particular session of the game. It might be a question having to do with world health care, world food supply, or world communication. The session I want to highlight, however, was confronted with the question: “what would it take, and how long would it take, to provide everyone in the world with enough energy so that everyone could live at a higher standard of living than anyone has experienced before, without using an non-replenishable fuel and without anyone taking away from anyone else.”

The results of that session of the World Game were soon published as a book entitled: “Energy, Earth and Everyone” by Medard Gabel. Medard was a coworker with Bucky and had helped coordinate the sessions. Free copies of the book were mailed to all of the major world leaders of the time. The book reported that the participants of that World Game session had determined that the goal could be achieved in ten years. The book then proceeded to explain, with tables, charts and graphs, how this could be accomplished using solar, wind, tidal, geothermal and biomass as sources of energy. No wood, no coal, no nuclear, no petroleum products. And all in just 10 years. Hurrah!

Oh, and did I mention when this happened? It was 1972. That means this could have been achieved by as soon as 1982. So, what the hell happened? We’re 25 years overdue for completion of this project. Oh, I also forgot to mention that there was one minor problem: this scenario would require world cooperation in building a world-encompassing international energy grid for the sharing of all of the energy that these plans would generate. I mean, really, that is asking a little too much. World cooperation? And this was 1972. It’s hard enough to get 2 people to agree on what’s for lunch, not to mention agreeing to share the world’s energy.

But, be that as it may, stranger things, I’m sure, have happened. However, here we are, 35 years later, deeper in servitude to the energy monster, possibly destroying the ecosystems of our planet and even jeopardizing the very existence of humanity, and we’re just getting around to paying some attention to these issues and proposals from 3 ½ decades ago. And now we’re hearing that these “alternatives” may not be sufficiently cost effective and pollution free in their own creation to be much of a fix.

I remember 30 years ago hearing people say that solar energy costs too much. But I never heard any ideas about how to correct that imbalance. Well, actually I did near one reasonable, intelligent suggestion on how to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of solar power while lowering the price of same. Part of the industrial cycle is that new products cost a lot. The reason is that development costs beg for reimbursement. This stems from our desire to have everything now. Quick return on investment trumps intelligent long term residuals any day. For example, I remember early VCR’s selling for over $800 each and the quality couldn’t begin to stand up to an $80 VCR today (if you can even find one anymore). Why did the price come down? A demand was created that caused an increase in sales, which, in turn, generated an increase in production and more competition and the market rules say that the price therefore goes down.

My recommendation was that the Federal Government mandate that in a 5 year period of time, all government buildings be converted to 100% solar power as the source of their energy. That would create a demand and spark new research that would result in higher quality and lower prices. So, in this scenario, we have the government setting the example through its own action, and, in the process, inspiring new technological advances and a reduction in prices, thereby bringing solar energy within the reach of the average citizen. We haven’t had to mess with subsidies and all of the government intervention in the market that they entail. The government’s energy utility bills drop to nothing, thereby recouping the initial investment and then requiring less taxes to be paid by tax payers who are able to take advantage of this new technology.

It disturbs me that I don’t detect this kind of clear thinking from most of our elected government representatives. I’m further concerned for I feel that this kind of thinking is deliberately discouraged under the current federal administration.

Back in the 1970’s when we first began having energy problems, we should have become proactive and begun doing something about it. President Jimmy Carter knew this and for his efforts to help us set a new course he was drawn and quartered by the namby pamby press and their sponsors, those who thrive on sucking energy sources into their own pockets and the rest of humanity be damned. President Carter took steps to improve the performance of internal combustion engines only to have those gains reversed in the last decade by the power hungry idiots that, unfortunately, people whom I actually know helped to put in power to allow them to rape this country and its potential. And look at what we’ve got to show for it.

Well, my friends, for as bleak as things have become through the efforts of the past decade to castrate this great country’s government, there is still hope. And even though every once in awhile I will be moved to share some of my disgust with people who have tried to destroy my country, stick with me, for my run for the Presidency is going to be perhaps one of the most unique political runs you’ll ever see with a gathering of solutions beyond what any politician has the guts to offer.