Although I've done a hundred or so public talks around the world in the last few years around my book The Great Disruption, speaking at the opening session of the annual TED event is an experience and opportunity like no other. Another speaker backstage, feeling similarly hyped about the opportunity, described it to me as being like "the world series of public speaking"!
For me the pressure was really on because I was going into the lion's den of "techno optimists" -- those who believe that technology can solve everything. My message is a tough one for this audience -- that sure technology will do wonderful things for us, but the reality is we are going to face some very difficult consequences of our overloading of planet earth, and its too late now to stop those consequences. I argue strongly that humans are amazingly capable and will recover from this inevitable crisis and indeed in the end build a stronger and happier society.
My focus in life is to motivate and inspire people to act on the urgent challenges of climate and sustainability and it is a real honor to speak to the TED crowd. This passionate and engaged community has an amazing capacity to make a difference in the world with their creativity, influence, innovation and entrepreneurship so I was delighted to make a contribution in the opening session.
Deron Triff: Peter Diamandis: Abundance Is Our Future (Video)
And frankly, I'm tired of the blaming. We all know these things--big business, overconsumption, religion, war, greed--has ruined a lot of the good. Stop blaming and do something, even if it's small. Stop blaming and trying to leave it to someone else to do a job that everyone in society is supposed to work for. Society sucks, I agree, but I believe it is time for society to GROW UP, get out of denial, and do something.
Religion is such an excuse. Get over it. I currently am not associated with religion in any aspect, but give it up. Figure out what's really wrong: greed and power. Power is the root of how humans act. Drop the power greed know-it-all face and be humble.
I do appreciate your words and hopefulness though. That is definitely a start. Thank you for that ;)
Well at least there are more people to buy your book.
Did I really have to explain those differences to you?
The gasses given off by their farts alone could reduce the ozone layer.
Tha fact that they left so much oil from their decay further illustrates the great numbers they attained.
We're talking millions of years, not a few hundred thousand years of mankind..
Super T-REX, just discovered , there is so much we don't know and are still discovering.
Every country needs to move to a more sustainable future.
We need to balance population, resources, food, water, oil, and jobs.
It's easter island all over again. History repeats. This time on a global scale.
Today we largely rely on natural processes to assimilate wastes and regenerate resources, but it doesn't have to be that way. When push comes to shove, we are capable of deploying advanced regenerative life support systems. Consider the International Space Station, for instance.
We can process organic waste (including plastics) into hydrocarbon fuels at over 80% efficiency.
It's just cheaper to rely on natural processes as long as they remain sufficient, and industrial planners aren't doing much to price future conditions into the current marketplace. When we hit the wall, we may have a disruptive transition, but the challenges will not be insurmountable.
jsarets, I hope we don't have to "hit the wall" as you said. But having dialogues with folks of the MikeDu sort makes me feel like half my face is way past the wall already.