228_Optimistic Futurism for the Environment

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 228

Optimistic Futurism for the Environment

The challenges we face in our world today are truly unnerving. All we hear about is one bad news story after another. Big governments and big business are still arguing about climate change instead of focusing on actions needed  to build a greener future. All the while, the average person sits back day to day and feels as if our future is uncertain and is completely out of our control.

Younger generations in our society also feel the pressure of an unknown future and even experience a certain level of anxiety because they are unsure of what tomorrow will bring. While there may be reason for feeling this way, I want to present a different option, and that is optimistic futurism. So, join me for episode 228.

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E228 Optimistic Futurism for the Environment.

Despite all the bad news that we hear today, what I want to accomplish in this episode is to give you a new, improved way to look at our future, and it is called optimistic futurism.

But before we do that, let’s talk about the good news story of the week.

This story comes out of England and is more of an inspiration that it is directly related to good news. A 49 year old Paralympic gold medalist has become the first blind woman to swim across the English Channel. She completely the swim in 12 hours and 14 minutes.

Melanie Barrett was born with scarred eyes after her mother contracted congenital toxoplasmosis during pregnancy. She has grown up virtually blind as she is only able to see bright colors and shapes. She first began swimming with the British Blind Sport charity. So far she has won two gold medals, two silver, and a bronze at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Paralympics.

Melanie says, “Life is incredibly difficult being blind, and it’s very limiting, but sport and open-water swimming have given me a newfound confidence and made me proud of who I am. My husband and two boys always know I love to push myself and that I always need something to work towards, and I hope I’ve inspired others to do the same.”

And just when we think our lives are difficult, we meet someone else that has surpassed everything we thought we could do.

Alright, let’s move on to this week’s episode.

More than likely there are a considerable number of us that are not exactly feeling optimistic about the future of humanity. And sadly there is good reason to feel that way.  With all the bad news we hear these days it is difficult to have a positive frame of mind. It is easier than ever to slip into dystopian thinking which envisions a future society or world where conditions are extremely bad and maybe characterized by human misery.

In contrast, optimistic futurism is a perspective that focuses on identifying and shaping positive outcomes for the future by analyzing both positive and negative scenarios.

So, allow me to ask a simple question because it’s something you really need to think about.

What do you think the world will be like in 50 years, better or worse for both humanity and the environment? Your answer to that question reveals your personal perspective about our future, either positive or negative.

Now, what we already know is that climate change has already begun. There is plenty of science that stands behind the fact that, no matter what we do at this point, climate change will worsen before it gets better. The mitigation of those changes is not something that will be appreciated by anyone that is alive today.

That said, I truly believe that the future of this planet has not yet been decided. But I also believe that we are past the point of easy. We are going to have to make some hard choices. Climate change happens more on a geologic scale. We have been altering our climate for a couple of hundred years and it is going to take longer than that is we are going to reverse those changes if we take steps in the right direction.

But, that being said, we have to begin with the end in mind. After all that sort of an approach tends to be more optimistic. Allow me to explain.

To begin with the end in mind means we have to start with a clear understanding of our destination, and this stands to reason with anything we do in life. In this case we are literally focusing on the future of humanity, which of course is a brighter, greener future for us and this planet. But in order to focus on our destination we have to have a clear understanding of where we are now so that the steps we take are always in the right direction. In this case we are talking about reversing the effects of all the ways in which we have altered the planet.

When you think this way, you realize that what you do now will affect your quality of life 5 years from now. Knowing that causes you focus on what is deeply important to you. If you keep that picture in mind, you manage yourself each day so that you do what really matters most. But to look at that from the big picture, that means a greatly improved future for humanity. But we have to focus.

A good example, or at least a comparison of this way of thinking, is when I was going through my educational process. This took me about 10 years to complete. It was a very step wise process. It completely dominated my life. Every thing I did, every decision I made affected whatever I did in the months to come and eventually lead up to my graduation with a doctorate. But I had to think and plan carefully and I had to think about every single decision.

Several years ago, very early on when I was working on this podcast, I asked myself the question if there was anything I could do that had zero impact on the environment or this planet. Turns out the answer to that question is no. Everything we do, every choice we make has some sort of impact.

So, imagine a world in which everyone every day focused on the fact that our world is in trouble and we have to do something about it. But, everything we do has an impact. So, we have to choose wisely. But it was much the same when I was getting my education.  Everything I did affected everything else so I had to choose wisely. But if everyone thought that way, they would buy this instead of that. They would eat this instead of that. Imagine what a difference that would make.

With that in mind, I will ask this question again. What do you think the world will be like in 50 years, better or worse for both humanity and the environment? Better yet, from the perspective of optimistic futurism, what do you think the world COULD be like in 50 years.

There are two ways to think about this, dystopian or optimistic futurism, and in particular optimistic futurism for the environment. But regardless of what you think the world could be like in 50 years, in order to guarantee a brighter future for all of us we have to take responsibility for ourselves and our choices because everything we do affects everything else. 

For example, our advances in technology have indeed changed the course of history for humanity. We have experienced vast improvements in our standard of living, we have a stronger economy, we have improved healthy care and more efficient means of transportation.  However, there is a different side to this. It is also this technology and how we have used it that has resulted in a lot of the environmental changes that we see today. Consequently, it is easy to blame technology for our societal problems instead of taking responsibility for how we chose to use that technology.

The flip side of that coin is that humanity also tends to view our current global issues in a cavalier manner. Most of us still think we can solve our problems with money and technology. But this is just another version of not taking responsibility for the choices that got us where we are today. 

But, I have a tendency to be an optimist. I truly believe that our future has not yet been decided. The true power behind being optimistic is that it motivates us to focus on the best path to achieve the best possible outcome.

Think of it this way:

Climate change is real. At the end of the day, that’s not good. We have known about this for over 100 years and we have done nothing about it.

Despite that fact, a more positive way to think about our current situation is that innovation is also very real.

For example:

Breakthroughs in renewable energy are completely transforming sustainable power generation. For instance, solar energy innovations are making it possible to produce more power from the sun, with efficiency upgrades and design shifts leading to significant cost reductions. Solar power is now cheaper than oil and gas in most scenarios, and investment in renewables is set to double the investments made in fossil fuels this year.

In wind energy, floating offshore wind turbines are being developed to increase energy production efficiency by harnessing stronger and more consistent winds typically found further offshore. Additionally, hybrid solutions combining solar panels with vertical-axis wind turbines are being designed specifically for urban rooftops, capable of generating 40% more energy than stand alone solar panels.

Other notable breakthroughs include the development of solar windows by Next Energy Technologies, which coats glass with organic materials to generate energy from the sun while maintaining transparency. These innovations not only enhance energy efficiency but also drive significant environmental and economic benefits, contributing to a sustainable and carbon-free future.

Moreover, breakthroughs in green hydrogen and energy storage are also playing a crucial role in the transition to renewable energy. For example, researchers are exploring ways to capture and store solar energy for up to eighteen years, releasing it when needed.

Although we already have the technology to run the entire planet off of renewable energy these advancements push that time of transition even closer. While the use of fossil fuels has truly become that bane of our existence, advances in technology are changing that scenario.

So, as you can see there are plenty of reasons to focus on the positive things our future could bring. Doomsday futurism only focuses on negative outcomes without seeking any way to mitigate them. But optimistic futurist want to face those challenges and find solutions and opportunities. They believe in the power of human effort to alter the conditions of our world for the better and strive to create a radially different future.

In my opinion, hope fuels action. Despair does not. We should be focusing on what COULD go right. Instead of living in despair we need to embrace innovation and imagination and then take action. 

So, let’s look at some other positive things.

We already know that our agricultural practices are by far one of the worst ways in which we are altering the planet. Furthermore, the United Nations Agricultural Program states that we are going to have to produce 70% more food by the year 2050 in order the feed the entire planet.

Now, if you want to focus on the negative you would ask how can we possibly do that and still have a planet left to live on. But if you want to be the optimist then you focus on innovations in farming practices that would make that all possible. For example, vertical farming.

This is a farming practice that grows crops vertically in horizontally stacked layers, often indoors in controlled environments such as warehouses. This method of farming maximizes space efficiency, significantly reducing the land use required for traditional farming. It is essentially controlled-environment agriculture, which allows for precise regulation of temperature, humidity, and light, creating a stable and predictable growing environment year-round. 

Vertical farming often employs soilless farming techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics, and aeroponics, and uses specialized LED lights to optimize plant growth. This approach can result in over 10 times the crop yield compared to traditional farming methods.

Vertical farming also promotes sustainable practices. It minimizes food waste, uses significantly less water than conventional farming, maximizes the use of local resources and is less susceptible to local weather conditions and climate changes. The flexibility of this type of farming enables farms to be location close to consumers, reducing the need for long-distance transportation.

So, I will ask the question again. What do you think the world will be like in 50 years? What do you think the world could be like in 50 years?

But this concept of optimistic futurism is not about predicting a better future but actively working towards it. It involves designing for the future, focusing on positive and practical future outcomes. It is not naive but grounded in possibility. It is a concept that combines foresight with proactive action to shape a better future while emphasizing the potential for positive change through human effort and innovation.

Granted, humanity has not been the best at managing our resources. Consequently, our planet is truly in trouble at this point. But we cannot be naive and ignore the problem any longer. Human innovation is truly powerful and that is evident from what we have accomplished for ourselves. But, from this point forward we truly need to choose carefully because everything we do affects everything else. But pessimism lead to apathy. Optimism leads to engagement. We do not have to invent the next solar panel. Changing things is simply a matter of one small action at a time because that is what supports a bigger shift.

So, what do you think the world is going to be like in 50 years? Regardless, we have the power to shape our own future through proactive actions and innovation.

I would like to close this episode with a quote that is attributed to management consultant Peter Drucker,
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” So, let’s get busy creating a future that is worth living in.

This is your host Patrick signing off. Until next week, always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.