Tim Flannery Article

I read an article in the Globe and Mail today by Author Tim Flannery who just released a book The Weather Makers: How We Are Changing The Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth. It puts some things into my mind that I thought I would share. The article states that we are at the brink of destruction and without a massive shift in mentality we will not really exist much longer. He offers solution to this problem that I think seem extreme now but will be common practice in a few years. He believes that each individual consumer has the power to start this change because industry and government will only act to please the people.

The point that caught me most was that if green technologies are put in the hands of the majority of the population that change can happen. By creating demand prices will only drop and the technology will only spread further. I couldn’t help but see the parallels between the green technologies and those involved in the IOT. One point Flannery points out is that not only is the environment at a tipping point but the economy is as well. He compares the near future state of the energy sector to that of the Internet. By dispersing the technology the power is in the hands of the user and big businesses and energy suppliers will be cut out of the loop. This is very much similar to what Alex was discussing on the de-centralized grid communication possibilities. I wonder what role will these companies play in the future? If you have seen the Enron documentary you know how much power these energy business hold. Are they able to shift? Who will be the new “big business” when the people are empowered?