As new technologies emerge and the pace of emergence grows ever faster, our ability to understand the consequences of these technologies grows less clear every day. Coupled with shrinking or more expensive energy sources, depletion of potable water supplies, arable land, and a host of other environmental “issues”, we need a way to begin sorting out what the future might bring and develop strategies for dealing with them.
While it is important to have a global view, most of the future we face will be local. I would propose regionalization as a way to simplify the issues are far as possible and as a way to establish a comprehensible working model that can at least be understood by the average person.
So what does regionalization look like? How does it work? I would suggest a model that looks like a series of rings, or a target if you will. At the center is you and your immediate family. The next ring might be your neighborhood, or city. Then outward to county, state, nation, and finally, the world at large. Inside each ring the plan is to create as much self-sufficiency as possible. The plan is fairly simple in itself, because there are only two questions even though there may be multiples of answers. The questions are: What assets do we possess? What assets do we need that are dependent on others? This gives us a simply organizing scheme to work from. It incidentally forces sorting out need -vs- want as well. As an example, look at potable water supplies. Is the water supply centrally located? Or do we all have a well and a way to raise water for use? If we draw water from a nearby river, does that water require a treatment plant? If we draw water from an underground aquafer, do we have the necessary pumps and distribution network? Where does the electricity come from to run either scenario? What sort of conservation measures are possible? These are the kinds of questions that need answers, and the answers will be different in every geographical area, hence regional thinking and regional solutions. This doesn’t even begin to address emerging technologies but as an opening it is about establishing a method that allows thinking and acting without getting lost in the chaos.
Got questions? Have a pet concern not being addressed? Let’s hear it.