It could be happening sooner than we think

For years now, TV shows have been predicting that the world’s energy and transportation systems are about to experience a major change and even “resolution” that will result in basic adjustments in how we live.

They will also have a major impact on global problems like pollution, climate change, war and peace, and poverty.

What’s frustrating is that most shows don’t or can’t put a timeline on all of these revolutionary changes, blaming their lack of clarity on recalcitrant governments, and other factors that are delaying the implementation of these and other eventually high-impact changes.

Last Nov. 12, however, we caught a show on the Bloomberg channel that “dared” to predict when energy and transportation changes would significantly impact life as we will soon live it: Believe it or not, it could happen as soon as 2030—within most Filipinos’ lifetime!

The Bloomberg show’s predictions merited viewers serious attention and scrutiny because it wasn’t just whistling Dixie, and backed up its conclusions with solid statistics.

For starters, it listed the countries that already derive around 10 percent of their energy requirements from natural and renewable sources like solar and wind. It went to cite other encouraging statistics like the cost of solar steadily going down since 1990.

Improvements

In addition, improvements in lithium-based batteries now make it affordable to store energy for use when needed.

Even more encouragingly, the show pointed out that major societal and institutional changes are characterized by a slow rise that is often frustrating to people impatient for global change.

But, there invariably comes the time when the slow accretion of changes accelerates and finally reaches a “tipping point” that makes their full fruition come faster than anticipated.

For instance, in the field of natural and renewable energy, production costs have come down low enough for more governments to opt to make the key shift from fossil-based fuels with their cheap cost but polluting effects to the clean energy provided by sun, wind and wave-generated “renewables.”

In the field of transportation, the tipping point is similarly in the process of being achieved, as many more car production companies make the key shift to electric power.

In addition, the change to self-driven vehicles is gaining ground, so it won’t be too long before computer-driven cars go from experimental mode to actual practice.

This will make transportation safer and more economical, and the complementary move to ride-sharing is predicted to reduce road use by as much as 60 percent, resulting in all sorts of benefits and savings.

Will we see these developments happen by 2030? That sounds like a sci-fi scenario, but fiction could become fact—sooner than we think!