Dan Abelow: The journey to our full potential

Futurists often explain our potential consumption in the number of planets we would need if everyone lives like a Westerner with large homes, multiple cars, and a dependency on consumerism to drive the economy - the last count I read was six Earths. It's a fair assumption and a questionable habit. In fact, I believe teaching my daughter to control her consumerism will be a key asset in her future no matter where or how she lives.As part of an ongoing series to introduce his new book, Dan Abelow introduces chapter 1.2 about the Age of Crisis, which he refers to as The Crisis of Success. He sums the crisis up very well in a single sentence:Our growing Crisis of Success comes from who we are: Everyone wants it all, wants it now, and won’t stop.Considering the largest economies and last two superpowers are the United States and China, it's important to recognize their connection. When the economy in the US slows down, it's usually because individuals begin saving more and spending less. As a result, the use of credit slows, sales diminish, and companies begin to lay off as their profits shrink. Higher unemployment decreases savings and the economy struggles until credit is available and purchases increase. Thus interest rates have remained very low in the US in order to keep credit available to the masses.On the other side of the Pacific, China manufactures most of the products sold by American companies, both in and outside of the US. The economies of both countries are linked and dependent on the consumer-focused, disposable products the US creates and China makes. China, wanting to reduce dependence on the US economy, is attempting to increase its own internal consumption to the point of a self-sufficient economy (some resources such as lithium and precious metals used to produce products put the threshold above what the average Chinese worker can afford until the average income in China is high enough to make these products affordable).In this sub-chapter, Abelow points out the best way to repair the crisis is to find a way to slow down and adapt our current surroundings by further enabling ourselves, by using the technology of the Expandiverse to "remove our ceilings" and allow all of humanity to prosper without the negatives of our current impact.It's an interesting theory and the graphic provides a list of the real-world groups, systems and services that could be used to remove our current ceilings and help everyone achieve their fullest potential.I'm not certain I understand how this impacts each item on the list, but I do understand we humans do not want to give up our current infrastructures as our habits are built around them. Transportation is a great example:Our current trend in most First World NationsFamilies own one or more vehicles. Some individuals may own more than one vehicle.ProblemsDependence on foreign oil.Individual cars use a great amount of energy to produce and operate.Highway overload causes accidents and slows travel wasting even more energy.Possible solutionPublic transportation is a better option as it uses less energy per individual per mile.HurdleOwnership of a personal auto offers immediate access to transportation and maximizes time efficiency for most drivers.Switching to a public transportation system would require us to be less efficient and willing to adapt to public transit interfaces.Our cars are climate controlled and offer comfortable seating - two things buses, trams and subway trains do not offer.Potential long-term solutionAutonomous auto subscription services would change the interface of driving. Individuals "call" a car or schedule for a daily commute.Autonomous vehicles create free time for commuters to relax or complete tasks while in transit.Research shows autonomous vehicles may reduce road congestion to the point our current highway systems would be larger than necessary.Autonomous vehicle services would easily adapt to public transport in order to offer more savings to the consumer. A smart grid could, as an example, identify which stop a bus or train would offer the shortest commute while able to modify plans due to real-time issues, passenger needs or to connect commuters to enjoy a ride together.Shared ride systems would save money for members and the system would be capable of adjusting pickups and drop-offs based on passenger needs.Autonomous vehicles would see peak use during morning and evening commute times, returning to hubs for charging (all electric?) and service centers for repairs during slower midday use.Autonomous vehicles are still in development, though the companies testing this technology are reporting advances every quarter. It's not an if, but a when as to how soon these will be available. Taxi-like car sharing services are expected to be a major change in our current transportation practices, though these do not exist at this time. For our family, I could see owning a vehicle for immediate use and also paying for a single subscription for a second daily commuter and for our daughter to use in the evenings. (Should I expect her to learn to drive thirteen years from now?)Going back to Abelow's graphic, the right column eradicates another hurdle: lost time in commute. If autonomous cars are 13 years out, I can only expect several other technologies to mature in that time as well: ubiquitous computing, retinal interface (contacts/glasses), omnicient cloud services, and personal artificial intelligence support systems would allow commuters to communicate, work, play games, consume media - any of what we can do via the Internet today, only with more options - while traveling.The question is: does this actually reduce our consumption and impact on the planet? A year ago, it was reported the average daily commute was 25.5 minutes one way or 56 minutes total. Let's say autonomous vehicles cut the commute by 1/3 and free up half that time to do other things in place of driving. This could equate to a savings of 40 minutes per day, for a savings of 3:20 per week and a whopping 173 hours per year. 173 hours is equal to a month of work days (21.6 8-hour work days). This is time we could spend caring for our home, visiting with friends, exercising, and learning new skills. Each of these can act as stress reducers and could reduce our addiction to consumerism.Moving to electric autonomous vehicle ownership would reduce oil use, local air pollution, and cut down on wasted time in gridlock. These vehicles could seek out recharging stations, shared by vehicles able to charge and move on to waiting lots during the day, providing constant charge for the owner and removing concerns over drained batteries. As pointed out above, subscription services would be able to keep batteries charged or swap them through the day and maintain the vehicle as well.There are no numbers to compare until these services are up and running, but it is easier to create energy at a plant than generate it in a heavy and hot fuel-burning engine on the road. Expectations should prove Abelow correct, that upcoming technologies will help reduce individual footprint on our planet. Advances in home design, heating and cooling, and additive manufacturing will also reduce energy and resource waste. We just need them to arrive fast enough to minimize the rising crisis as global consumption continues to grow.What about you? Will you consider a subscription autonomous car service when they become available? Do you see this as a step forward or just another loss of your current lifestyle to automation?