And Then What?: Using Wide-Boundary Lenses

(Recorded July 8 2024)

Description

There are many so-called ‘solutions’ out there that, upon first glance, seem like great ideas – yet when we look beyond the narrow scope of the immediate benefits, we discover a slew of unintended (and often counterproductive) consequences.

Today’s Frankly offers a series of examples of modern issues using a “wide-boundary” lens – and in the process demonstrates the importance of asking “…and then what?” when thinking about our responses to future events and constraints.

How would incorporating wider boundary lenses into our lives change our plans and expectations for the future? What are we missing when we go all-in on plans to expand renewables, electric vehicles, and AI? Could a growing number of ecologically literate people guide us towards more pro-social policies, institutions, and infrastructure?

Show Notes

PDF Transcript

00:00 – “Peak Oil, AI, and the Straw” | Frankly #56

00:55 – Garrett Hardin, Tragedy of the Commons, Ecolate

02:18 – Corn Ethanol, Energy Conversion, Effects on Food Supply, 10-20% increase in Nitrogen Run Off

04:05 – Modern Monetary Theory, State of the World’s Debt

04:33 – US Debt, French forecasted debt

05:28 – Debt/money connection to energy

06:14 – The effect of US debt on other countries, The View From Nairobi-Washington

06:33 – The Cantillon Effect

07:38 – Electric Vehicles marginal benefits

08:28 – Everything that comes from a barrel of oil

08:53 – 100 million new cars are produced every year

09:41 – Finite oil supply

10:06 – Olivia Lazard (Ep 58), Simon Michaux (Eps.), Ed Conway (Ep 127)

10:19 – Rematerialization

11:27 – Rebuild turnover of renewables

12:35 – A Chat GPT search will use 10x that of a Google Search, and emissions from data centers will double by 2030

12:43 – AI will be help rather than hindrance in hitting climate targets, Bill Gates says

13:57 – Backfire and Rebound Effects

15:09 – Daniel Schmachtenberger + TGS Series

15:53 – 80% of our economies energy inputs are fossil-fuel based

16:52 – Non-climate environmental risks

17:14 – Johan Rockström, Planetary Boundaries

18:25 – Degrowth

22:07 – Daniel Schmachtenberger on Naive vs Authentic Progress

Asset Attribution:

“Electric Vehicles” Car Charging:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Berlin_-_Potsdamer_Platz_-_E-Mobility-Charging.jpg

Changes were made to the image.

Hawaiian Island Chain “Islands of Incoherence”

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISS-38_Hawaiian_Island_chain.jpg

Public Domain – Taken by NASA

“Renewable Energy” – Nellis AFB Solar Panels

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Nellis_Solar_Power_Plant#/media/File:Nellis_AFB_Solar_panels.jpg

Public Domain – Taken by U.S. Federal Government