We live in a finite world with finite resources; it is not possible to continue increasing our consumption, our expenditures, or our production forever. The problems that face us as we move through the next century are dependent on many factors- population, economics, political policy, culture, international law, individual behavior, natural processes, industrialization, and war. None of these problems exist within a vacuum-- every single one is intertwined with another, and as we move forward in analyzing the major categories of challenges, we will understand to what extent these are interrelated.
The largest factors in the equation are growth in consumption and growth of population, as they will tend to influence all other areas within our Human world. We must understand growth in order to understand where we stand today and where we are certainly headed for tomorrow.
Here are two videos on the subject that I highly recommend watching:
One is by Dr. Albert Bartlett, from the University of Colorado:
Another is called "There is No Tomorrow," which I think is an entirely unfortunate title. However, this video concisely sums up many of the issues I will be addressing in more detail throughout the Global Dynamics series:
As Global Dynamics progresses, I will be bringing the discussion back to a 1971 book by Prof. Jay W. Forrester, of MIT, called "World Dynamics," after which I have named this series (you can find that on Amazon.com or through inter-library loan). His book studies the effects of reaching the limits of consumption and growth-- and addresses the consequences.
I would like to point out one more detail, and I hope that I can get this across effectively: Our Human world does not exist within a vacuum. We share our planet with countless other species, our world is part of a system of bodies that revolve around our sun, and our sun is influenced by the motion of our galaxy-- which in turn is influenced by the universe itself. None of the events that happen here on Earth, whether in our Human world, within the physical confines of the planet, or at any point in outer space, are entirely closed systems.
Quantum physics has shown us that particles created under similar conditions can become "entangled" and affect each others' behavior over great distances in "no time"-- and this provides a fantastic allegory for understanding the world-- and even the universe-- at large.
Quantum physics is the study of laws of particles-- these govern processes that cause the phenomenon we call "chemistry" to operate. Chemistry is a driving force of biology, behavior and physics are major influences on chemistry and biology, biology and what we call "history" determine the behavior of people around the world, the environment influences our lifestyle and our culture, which influences our political processes, our economics, and the shape of our future. Ultimately we influence the environment, the chemical processes that govern the Earth, and these processes will influence the individual behaviors (and very existence) of all individual organisms on the planet.
Seemingly unrelated factors in the world are "entangled" to an extent that we are only in the earliest stages of beginning to understand, and the Earth is guided by cosmic (and sometimes intergalactic) forces that we have not yet even imagined.
Up until this point in Human history, we could write off our destructive tendencies to our ignorance or our more animal impulses. But we now have the cause and opportunity to create a world that is governed by rules that are both Ethical and Rational. Up until now, the Human race has failed quite stupendously in doing this.
We can do better.
