Heart-Centered Thinking: I love a great many things–my wife, my children, and my extended family and friends. I also love nature. Specifically, I love lakes, rivers, trees and the earth itself. I tell you this because I am convinced that we will only save what we love. Recently, I had the opportunity to deliver the keynote at the American Farm Bureau’s annual convention in Salt Lake City. As I flew into the city, I was startled to see how much the once “Great” Salt Lake had shrunk. It is now one-third of its former size and within 5 years the Great Salt Lake could be gone. This is an extremely serious issue and it is something all of us–not just those living in Utah–should be thinking about because it will have a wide variety of repercussions for the citizens of Salt Lake City, farmers and even millions of birds and other wildlife.
Think Different: Diabetes is a significant health issue in the U.S. Of course, technology and new drugs can help address the issue but there may be an easier–and tastier–solution. As this article explains there is an innovative new program in Stockton, California that is combating diabetes with healthy meal kits.
Think in Question: Eugene Ionesco once said, “It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” To this point, we may be asking ourselves the wrong question with regard to the president’s recent decision on liquified natural gas (LNG). The question we might want to be asking is this: What will the LNG replace? (The answer has significant implications for how many tons of CO2 emissions are displaced.)
Think Bigger: Late last year, I shared this article on Fervo–a promising new geothermal startup. Now, another geothermal startup, Quaise, has come to my attention with an even bolder plan for accessing the world’s virtually unlimited supply of geothermal energy. This company’s plans involving drilling a 12 mile hole into the earth. Will it work? I have no idea but, as a futurist, I pay attention to ideas that today may be on the fringe of society because they could flow into the “mainstream” of tomorrow’s world.
Think the Unthinkable: This is a long but important article. Personally, I try not to live my life from a place of fear and yet, at the same time, I recognize that it pays to spend some time thinking about “worst case scenarios.” One scenario that every individual, business and government should spend some time thinking about is the possibility of a solar storm. As this insightful article on what a solar storm could do to the planet explains, the costs to society and civilization of such a storm could be devastatingly big. Forewarned is forearmed.
Afterthought: “The future depends upon what we do in the present.” –Gandhi
P.S. Did you miss last week’s newsletter? Check it out here.
