Bringing About the Solar Age
Our species has the potential to bring about an era of abundance and luxury for every person on the planet. By harnessing the power of the sun and devising a more reciprocal relationship with the planet and one another, the future promises to be one of technological, social, and ecological harmony. By transitioning from the linear consumption of fossil fuels to the circular consumption of renewable resources, we can continue climbing the ladder of abundance and safety while repairing the damage that fossil fuels have done to our economies, societies, and environments.
We are at the beginning of what could be the solar age for humanity.
A historical lens I use to understand humans' socio-technological development is through the model of Biological Regimes. Biological regimes are a framework for understanding resource relationships connecting societal energy and labor organization with ecological relations. The first age, beginning with the dawn of agriculture, is what scholars call the biological old regime. Labor was conducted through the power of muscle, human or animal, occasionally augmented by wind and water. Production and consumption regimes were closely tied to environmental rhythms. This age was defined by circular resource use and low average energy consumption per person. While growth in energy use was possible under the old regime through more complex social organization and sophisticated engineering, it was always tempered by ecological limitations.
The average person of this age would have never disposed of a product they used. It would always be repaired or reused. Manure and biomass were returned to the field, and resource consumption was limited by its natural regeneration. However, far from being an idyllic cottage core dream of sustainability and harmony, daily life was close to a nightmare. Disease stalked the land before antibiotics and vaccines. Infant and maternal mortality rates were exceptionally high. Simply washing your clothes or cobbling a pair of shoes took hours upon hours upon hours of work. It was an existence of toil and struggle; luxury was barely a concept for most of humanity.
Then came our second era, the biological new regime
This rapid shift represented our departure from the toil and poverty of millennia past. By unlocking the power of coal and then oil, we introduced mass abundance to the world. Population growth exploded as consistent calories made it possible for more and more people to contribute to the human experiment. As our agricultural productivity grew and people moved off the farm and into the city, more individuals could dedicate themselves to engineering, science, liberty, and art. Medicine could finally begin vanquishing enemies of old, such as polio or tuberculosis. Innovation allowed a large portion of humanity to do more than survive; they could now thrive. Now we have refrigerators, video games, trains, and books. And while sharing in this abundance with the entirety of humanity is still far from our grasp, the average person is immensely better off than we were 400 years ago.
However, with this has come a significant cost. In addition to the usual suspects, ecological destruction and social upheaval from the imperial machine driven by and for mineral wealth, our relationship with our consumption in the biological new regime has broken its circular movement. Long are the days when every product was made to last a lifetime, and every resource was recycled. In the new regime, we have been slowly grinding down the natural world's wealth while our waste piles up.
The biological old regime combined low average energy consumption with a circular form of resource use. The biological new regime combines high average energy consumption with a linear model of resource use. Under the old regime, ecological equilibrium was achieved through the circular model, but great suffering was had due to low individual energy consumption. In the new regime, our linear consumption model has created havoc on the planet, but our high individual energy use has created an era of abundance never seen before.
As we enter the solar age, our goal as a species is to take the circular resource use and combine it with the latter model of high energy consumption. This shift will rectify our ecological and social relations while maintaining an era of wealth for all.
In my description of the transition between the biological old and new regimes, it's tempting to think that our transition into the solar age is inevitable. I wish it were, but it is not. This trajectory is open to us, but it is up to humanity to make that leap.
Many innovations that would make this transition possible are either undergoing commercialization or are actively being researched. The rapid deployment of solar energy is a sign that we are starting to move in the right direction, and eventually, I think most new power generation will be renewable. This trend needs to be massively accelerated, but it's a start. However, this is not simply a matter of energy generation. All manner of consumptive activities require reform to establish a circular economy properly. This includes chemistry, clothing, materials, land use, housing, transportation, and every other activity.
Almost every area of our consumption is in some way linear. It's not simply substituting a nonrenewable product with a renewable product. It's a matter of completely reorienting our economic structures away from one that allows for waste and towards one that incentivizes and requires reuse. Simply swapping out ICE cars for electric cars will not lead us to the solar age. Even swapping cars for trains does not wholly get us there. A social template and infrastructure that allows us to pee away valuable phosphate fertilizer or throw away a shirt after a couple of years of wear, even if the food and cotton is organic, is not true sustainability. It's simply green linearity. It does not follow the form of an ecosystem, and it will not be a model that can carry us into centuries beyond.
Some structures of consumption will need little change. For example, utilities will likely be delivered similarly. It'd be great if they were owned by the public, but the underlying method of delivery of electricity is conducive to both linearity and circularity. Other sectors, such as packaging, will need a complete reset. Even if it's biodegradable, single-use plastics are still a waste and draw nonrenewably from ecosystems. Durable and recyclable methods for delivering products are the circular alternative to this. Whether it's achieved through regulation or a deeper and more transformative paradigm shift, these types of social and economic reforms are necessary to bring about a true solar age.
I have great faith in humanity. No matter how sclerotic our governing institutions are and how powerful the forces of environmental devastation are, we can overcome great challenges. The innovations are there. It is up to us to see that they are put to proper use. One that is owned by and for the people. One that does not tolerate waste and damage to communities, human or not. One that seeks to generate life that is in tune with the functions and processes of ecosystems. One that brings abundance to all in this world. That is what the solar age can bring us.
What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening too
The Social Cost of Carbon Credits: In addition to being a poor climate solution, carbon credits wreak havoc on communities and their ecosystems (also, RIP Hakai Magazine, you will be missed).
See How Termites Inspired a Building That Can Cool Itself: A cool example of biomimicry, and beautiful architecture to boot!
Sh*ts on Fire, Yo: This two-hour presentation on fire codes is one of the best pieces of media I’ve ever seen.
The 1963 Salad Oil Scandal: It’s got bribery, it’s got export law, it’s got benzene, and it’s got canola. What more could you ask for?!