Voice from the Future Contributed By John B. Mahaffie, Futurist
This is a 2040 scenario, one of many possible outcomes for society in that future year. The story shows a world in which greater sustainability and circularity come from changes led by industry consortia and incentivized by government, not relying on voluntary individual corporate or consumer action.
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Asynch Blast. August 22, 2040. [Human-generated]
Sam,
Hope you and the kid are well. I thought of you this morning when I found my AllWaste backed up. As my Agent talked me through the fix, I was thinking of the arguments you and I used to have.
I’m coming clean here, you were right back in the 20’s. And I was wrong, (but not entirely).
Remember when I had that reusable water bottle made from ocean plastics? I was pretty fired up about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch back then (still am). They had projected that the amount of plastic waste in our oceans would outweigh fish by 2050. I said I had to at least try to waste less. You said it was B.S. that my water bottle was gonna save the Earth.
I was trying to live green, and you kept telling me I was an idiot. I still believe that every little action we take can make a difference. But individual efforts didn’t add up. So, yeah, the law and industry had to make things happen.
Well, I’m glad things are on the mend Earthwise. Warming finally started to slow in 2031. I still feel good about believing and acting like something was possible. Same vision, different way there, right? I’ll admit I’m still a reducetarian at heart. But we needed industry to kick things into gear.
The Loop6 Profiles and EcoMedallions are kind of on my side of this, aren’t they? I know, you’re going to say they’re really just a form of enforcement. But they’re getting folks in line and showing a different way to consume. And yeah, tech did matter. The throw it all in and everything is taken care of approach is pretty fail safe.
Not keeping score, but you were right about some of this, and I was right about some too.
You Called It – Enforcement:
- Industry had to take the lead on waste reduction, materials recapture, with a total materials system
- It had to be monetized or driven by regulation
- It wasn’t enough to, basically, yell at people—guilt won’t change the marketplace
- People weren’t going to: stop driving, turn the heat down to 64, take cold showers, etc. all on their own initiative
- Artificial intelligence and automation were going to be key to going circular
- Digital tech really did make a difference
- Industry is not entirely profit-driven
- My ocean plastics water bottle wasn’t going to make a enough of a difference
I Called It – Reduction:
- We would be living with less consumption
- We would have to all be educated and act differently
- You can only get so far with automation and systems; people have to fall into line
- People can learn about and understand climate and environmental issues, they are not entirely selfish or ignorant
- Automation isn’t going to do everything (witness me unjamming the digester unit this morning)
- We would actually be using recaptured ocean plastic!
Keeping Score
So now the throwdown! My Loop6 Profile is a 841 as of 9 am this morning. My house is generating carbon offset and solar credits that cover about 40% of my mortgage. We’ve zeroed out food waste with the AllWaste Composter add on. We actually consumed more net total packaging this year, but recovered at better than 99%. And by living in a Shareborhood, we’ve cut down on a lot of big purchases that bring a heavy footprint. And all three of us have ocean plastics water bottles! So I guess individual action still counts, right?
How about you? What’s your Loop6 Profile? Blast me back! Your words, please, not your AI.
Connor
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About John B. Mahaffie, Futurist
John B. Mahaffie, futurist and writer, works intently to deepen and refine his writing, fiction as well as non-fiction. His daily work is as a consultant who helps organizations explore their futures, and thrive in them. The focus of his work in futures, as evidenced by his blog, Foresight Culture, is in finding ways for real people, in real organizations to explore the future, and find meaning in it. The ideal is a culture of foresight. John lives in Washington DC with his wife Jane and two sons.