The present economic set up has scarcity of commodities built into the system. Put very basically, this means that the prices of these commodities are kept at a level that is profitable. If commodities were in abundance then no one would want to buy them, and the whole capitalist system would simply tumble. For example, if wheat began growing everyone, if every field on the plant suddenly began sprouting the crop, then there would be no trade and thus no profit in wheat. There would be no speculators either to artificially fix its price and no one in the world would go hungry. Believe me, there is enough land to grow all of the wheat needed by the population of the world.
We can get to this new way of existing through the system of a resource based economy, where life isn’t governed by money, by how much something will cost, but instead it will be based on resources, resources that are help for the benefit of everyone, not just a privileged few. These resources will be available by the application of technologies.
There is abundant food in the world right now, to feed everyone, and there are abundant natural energies, to provide all of the requirements for the planet indefinitely. The only thing that is stopping us from exploiting these bountiful resources is a system where profit is the prime motivating. For with abundance there is no ability to make profits.
Here are some of the exciting possible technologies available right now; of course these are never fixed ideas, for like everything ideas change, and new ways are being developed all of the time.
Transport
Maglev trains, which operate on the principles of magnetic levitation, are the proposed method of high speed transportation. Capable of exceeding speeds of 4000mph in evacuated tunnels, this would likely be the preferred method of long distance travel for both people and resources. These trains could travel over land and under the seas.
The big difference between a maglev train and a conventional train is that maglev trains do not have an engine- at least not the kind of engine used to pull typical train cars along steel tracks. The engine for maglev trains is rather inconspicuous. Instead of using fossil fuels, the magnetic field created by the electrified coils in the guideway walls and the track combine to propel the train.
VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) aircraft would be used for emergency medical vehicles, as well as personal travel.
Automobiles would be redesigned with accident prevention technologies in place, operating solely on abundant electricity. Sonar and magnetic repulsion could be utilized to detect, and effectively repel other automobiles from collisions. A simple pendulum could be put in place to detect drunk driving, and initiate the override of manual control to an automated system. The materials in the car would be intelligent, so that in the case of an accident say, these materials would be able to repair any damage themselves
Seacraft would most likely be utilised for the transportation of resources and people across the oceans, where it is potentially impractical to build Maglev systems, and for undersea exploration.
Energy
This would primarily be obtained through modern renewable technologies, with collection, storage and distribution methods being constantly updated as innovation is discovered. These modern technologies include: Geo- thermal, tidal, wind and solar power.
Geo- thermal energy alone has more potentilal energy for te world then all of the others put together. It comes from the original formation of the planet, from radioactive decay of minerals, from volcanic activity and from solar energy absorbed at the surface. It has been used for bathing since Paleolithic times and for space heating since ancient Roman times, but is now better known for generating electricity. Geothermal power is cost effective, reliable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly
There is enough energy in a hours worth of sunlight alone, to power the whole world for a year. The only thing that is stopping us from exploiting these free energy sources more, is the present limited teachologies, that only produce a frwtion of the engry avaible from these natural sourses. There is no need to use any form of polluting fossil based energies.
Water can be taken from the seas and put through desalination proecesses, fit to drink. Jaques Fresco, talks of digging canels from the sea, and every mile or so, place transparent desalination filters along its side, to filter the evaporation of the water.
Already drinking water is being purified into drinking water in Orange County, California. The plant uses microfiltration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light, and hydrogen peroxide disinfection. 70 million gallons of sewer water is treated a day in Orange County, meeting the drinking needs of over 500,000 people,
Michael Reynolds builds what he calls Earthships, houses made out of what other people call junk; tyres, cans and plastic bottles and clay are all features. And each house only uses renewable energy. Water is collected from the roof and used four times. Electricity is produced with by a photovoltaic / wind power system. This energy is stored in batteries and supplied to your electrical outlets. And the houses reuse all household sewage in indoor and outdoor treatment cells resulting in food production and landscaping with no pollution of aquifers. Toilets flush with greywater that does not smell.
He created the alternative word Biotecture to describe "the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. His earth ships can be built anywhere in the world and won’t cost a lot to make either. The homes use totally sustainable methods to generate energy.
There are many new ideas coming along that can rid us of the toxics that are created by our present lifestyles.
Typical of this new breed of green technologies are a foam that converts CO2 into energy, and mushroom mycelium that will gobble up oil spills.
The foam is inspired by the meringue-like nest of a South American. The foam, which could help to tackle climate change, soaks up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and generates sugars that can be converted into biofuel. The foam, which will be installed in the flues of coal-burning power plants, captures carbon dioxide and locks it away as sugar before it has a chance to enter the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. Due to its frothy structure, the foam can be up to five times more efficient than plants at converting carbon dioxide into sugar. What’s more these sugars couyld be turned into the bio- fules that could be one of the energy souces foir a future sustanble society. Thus saving valuable land that would otherwise be used to grow bio mass plants.
Mushroom expert, and Bioneer, Paul Stamets, has a viable solution for the long-term clean-up of oil and other pollutants. He has devised a method of using the mycelia, the fungal roots, of mushrooms, that spread outwards to create a vast mat of underground cells that permeate the soil.
These Mycelia can clean up after oil spills, pollution, storm damage, floods and volcanic clouds. It’s a process he has called mycoremediation. Once the Mycelium has taken root, it gets to work as a super-filter, producing enzymes and acids that break down the components of woody plants. But importantly, these same enzymes are excellent at disintegrating hydrocarbons – the base structure of all oils, petroleum products, pesticides and pollutants.
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