A lot of things are changing in the world due to technology and climate forces. Three areas to watch are internet digital technology, energy sources and world opinion about climate change.
Technology.
A very high proportion of us now have smart phones which are just small but powerful computers we carry with us and we get our news, communication and entertainment from them. The big change here is that all the old media moguls are struggling to stay in the game or going broke. Most importantly they are losing influence and we have other people giving us information so there is les control than there used to be. Entertainment and communication are shifting fast and where it goes next is still being played out.
Energy.
Despite the huge increases in new electrical appliances we are using less electricity and to make the problem situation worse it is much cheaper to make your own energy by installing solar panels. To compound the energy problem we passed peak oil in 2007 and have only had cheap oil by an oversupply of fracking oil which is in itself expensive ‘tight’ oil and gas and is not going to last long. Electric cars are still rare but the technology is proven and the cars are in production and it only took ten years for a sea change in attitude between the horse and cars, busses and trains. The First World War was started on horses and finished with tanks. Electric transport is gaining ground and public opinion swinging in its favour so the sentiment is right for a sudden swing should the price of oil surge upwards. Can anyone venture a guess for the price of oil in five years’ time?.
Climate change.
There is a massive amount of research going into climate change and all the results are consistently bad and the information about this is slowly filtering into the mainstream media. The biggest polluter is coal and the price has plummeted and so has the share values of the companies which make it difficult for them to exert influence. This situation can only get worse as renewables provide a cheaper source of electrical energy. Even the big polluting countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia and China are finding that they are struggling to find support for their oil and coal industries.
If we have a few big droughts that force up the price of food, as has happened in the Middle East, we would get more civil revolts and this can crystallise and focus world opinion into cause and effect.
I am not going to make any predictions as the readers opinion is as good as mine but it is something we should all be thinking about and factoring into life’s decisions.
Technology.
A very high proportion of us now have smart phones which are just small but powerful computers we carry with us and we get our news, communication and entertainment from them. The big change here is that all the old media moguls are struggling to stay in the game or going broke. Most importantly they are losing influence and we have other people giving us information so there is les control than there used to be. Entertainment and communication are shifting fast and where it goes next is still being played out.
Energy.
Despite the huge increases in new electrical appliances we are using less electricity and to make the problem situation worse it is much cheaper to make your own energy by installing solar panels. To compound the energy problem we passed peak oil in 2007 and have only had cheap oil by an oversupply of fracking oil which is in itself expensive ‘tight’ oil and gas and is not going to last long. Electric cars are still rare but the technology is proven and the cars are in production and it only took ten years for a sea change in attitude between the horse and cars, busses and trains. The First World War was started on horses and finished with tanks. Electric transport is gaining ground and public opinion swinging in its favour so the sentiment is right for a sudden swing should the price of oil surge upwards. Can anyone venture a guess for the price of oil in five years’ time?.
Climate change.
There is a massive amount of research going into climate change and all the results are consistently bad and the information about this is slowly filtering into the mainstream media. The biggest polluter is coal and the price has plummeted and so has the share values of the companies which make it difficult for them to exert influence. This situation can only get worse as renewables provide a cheaper source of electrical energy. Even the big polluting countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia and China are finding that they are struggling to find support for their oil and coal industries.
If we have a few big droughts that force up the price of food, as has happened in the Middle East, we would get more civil revolts and this can crystallise and focus world opinion into cause and effect.
I am not going to make any predictions as the readers opinion is as good as mine but it is something we should all be thinking about and factoring into life’s decisions.
RSS Feed