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In my last articles I have been focusing on all the trends that concern Bitcoin, Crypto and new technologies. I firmly believe that they have changed (and will continue to do so) the landscape in which we operate. This has made our current social and political structures completely obsolete, outdated and vulnerable. My goal of pointing this out is so we can adapt quicker to the new paradigm, hoping that we can make the transition as smooth as possible while avoiding most of the pain that usually comes with change.
Today, I need to switch topics for a bit, but keeping that same train of thought. I believe energy is going to become a more present issue in the coming years. Before I start talking about it though, let me say that I’m no sense an expert, and therefore you should not take what I say as proof of anything. Always do your own research, I only want to point out certain things so we can start at least thinking about this.
I’d like to start by telling a little story about my grandfather. Unfortunately he died when I was very young. Apart from the few memories I have of him and the countless tales my parents tell, I have a deep admiration of him as a person and as a professional. He was in the navy and had 4 children when he was asked to study nuclear energy. He moved up the mountains where the best Argentinian university was located. He had to live in a small cottage, work full time, take care of his family and study a completely new field, all at the same time. Many people describe him as someone of superb intelligence, and he quickly became an expert in this area. After getting his degree he continued to work for the government until he reached the highest ranking, he was the president of the country’s nuclear program. All this was before I was even born.
I always knew this but never paid much attention to it, until I was in my early twenties, and I found a book, written by my long gone grandfather. Being the curious person I am, I read it and was blown away. In it, he was warning the high officials of the state of an upcoming energy crisis. He clearly stated the steps that needed to be taken to be able to avoid it, and what would happen if the issues were not addressed. Needless to say, his warnings went unheard, and we were now living through exactly what he was trying to avoid.
Of course the book and his solutions were all about the proliferation of nuclear technology. I will admit, when I started reading I was against it, I have been taught in school to fear nuclear energy. I’ve seen enough images of Chernobyl and the accidents in Japan, that was the current view back then, in part it is still the same today. My grandfather’s work changed my view and sent me on a research frenzy, once again I felt like the people I had been trusting to keep me informed have lied to me and knowingly kept me in the dark.
I am writing this today because I live in Australia now, and many of the nuclear power plants are being decommissioned. This is happening worldwide. At the moment when we need energy the most, shutting down one of the cleanest and most secure sources of energy doesn’t seem like the smartest move to me. We all want renewable energy, nobody likes depending on oil and fossil fuels, we would all love to live in a world where solar and wind is enough. Yet sadly, for now, it isn’t. Every country that tries to move to green energy is seeing the price for it skyrocket. At the same time we have inflation on the rise, debt at an all-time-high, and our structures becoming more vulnerable than ever. This is not the time to shut the power plants down.
By turning the plants down and raising the cost of energy we make the poor people poorer. Those rich enough won’t feel it, yet those who struggle would do so even more. We would become more vulnerable to blackouts and energy shortages, it doesn’t make much sense to me. Jordan Peterson once said something really interesting -”If you don’t understand why someone is doing something. Look at what action accomplishes, maybe that is the reason”.
So what would this accomplish? Well, it would definitely increase the wealth divide. It would most certainly reduce the power of the individual, and increase the reliance on the state. If everyone relies on the state it is very difficult to stand up against them, since they can easily shut you off.
I know we are getting dangerously close to conspiracy theory here, but I can’t believe that they don’t understand what they are doing. Either knowingly or unknowingly it seems we are being led into this direction and I don’t like it.
Taking a macro vision, the government is rapidly losing power and this seems to be another futile attempt to stop the inevitable. So, long term I am not worried, but the transition period will be a tricky one. Especially if you consider how my Grandfather was having these same discussions in 1970, and here we are at the end of 2021 and the same lies and misinformation are used to keep pushing in the wrong direction.
To me this is only more clear proof that we can’t depend on politicians for anything. That is why I’m very bullish on the decentralized future. If I had to make a prediction I’d say some countries will continue to move away from nuclear, and some might not. Those who don’t will probably do much better. As it becomes easier for us to freely move around the globe we can “vote with our feet”, and choose to live and support the places that enact laws that are consistent with human flourishing. That will help move the balance to where is best for everyone.
Anyway… Those are my 2 cents in this issue, please research this on your own, arrive at your own conclusions and let me know where you think I got it wrong. Thanks for reading and have an amazing day!
