Think the Unthinkable: The recent floods in Australia have been called a “1 in 500 year event.” The extreme heat wave that struck the Pacific Northwest in the summer of 2021 was said to be a “1 in 1000 year” event. The year before that the “Derecho” which devastated Iowa was said to be another similarly rare weather event and, in 2017, the 55 inches of rain that fell on Houston was believed to be another “anomaly.” Now, temperatures at both the North and South Poles have soared 50 to 90 degrees above normal. This is NOT normal and it is well past time everyone began “thinking the unthinkable” and accept that such extreme weather events could cause severe unintended consequences for the planet–and for humanity.
Think Hard: Climate change is a “clear and present danger” and it does require an “all hands on deck” approach but there are signs of hope–the world recently passed 1 terawatts of energy produced by solar power (enough to power all of Europe) and, in the field of quantum physics, researchers are working to create batteries for electric cars capable of slashing the time it takes to recharge electric vehicles from 10 hours to less than 3 minutes. (If you’re using a supercharger, the time will be reduced from 20-40 minutes to mere seconds.)
Think Harder: I will admit that thinking about climate change is difficult but whether you want to think about it or not, as a business leader you must. This is because your customers and clients are thinking about the issue. To this end, in a recent survey of 10,000 young people (ages 16 to 25), 85 percent said “the future is frightening”–primarily due to climate change. These young people are already voting with their feet and their dollars to support companies that are serious about addressing climate change. These young people will only become more adamant and vocal in their actions in the days, months, and years ahead. (To this end, watch for news of today’s (March 25, 2022) global strike for climate change.)
Think Different: Robots could replace 90 percent of all long-haul truckers. There already exists a severe shortage of truck drivers. As the problem becomes worse and as self-driving technology continues to improve, as many as 500,000 truckers could lose their jobs in the coming decade. Given that the majority of these workers will be near the age of 50, they may not be easily retrained. The potential elimination of a half million jobs is an issue politicians, educators, and concerned citizens should be thinking about now.
Think Better: It sounds like science fiction but it is a science fact–a man has ordered a beer by thought alone! (On a more serious note, the man actually has ALS and the brain-computer interface technology referenced in the article allows him to communicate with his loved ones.)
Afterthought: “Dogmatism and skepticism are both, in a sense, absolute philosophies; one is certain of knowing, the other not knowing. What philosophy should dissipate is certainty, whether of knowledge or ignorance.”–Bertrand Russell
