AQUATER PAPER 2.7 RULES OF OPERATION OF A STATIC CIVILIZATION

The Problem

In the Aquater Papers 1.1 to 2.4 various problems in sustainability have been discussed for our current static civilization. Our current civilization is static in that it is limited to earth and earth resources. It was found that most of the goods and services our civilization needs to survive appear to be amenable to a sustainable solution on earth if the oceans are opened to colonization. Here, the principles of sustainability and equilibrium will be investigated and a conclusion will be reached as to exactly which of the necessary goods and services can be sustainably achieved by our civilization for a population of 8 billion or less.

 

Sustainability and Equilibrium

There are certain goods and services that our civilization needs to survive.

 

First, it must have energy and certain materials that will be referred to as goods. Specifically, these are:

  • Energy for food production, heating, cooling, and transportation.
  • Water
  • Soluble (fixed) nitrogen for fertilizer for food production
  • Phosphorus and potassium for fertilizer for food production
  • Certain metals for construction and electronic devices.

 

Second, our civilization must provide certain services, namely:

  • Jobs as a means of distributing the goods and services produced
  • Medical services
  • Arts and entertainment

 

Third, our civilization must be able to recycle, sequester or eliminate certain dangerous substances we have generated from our environment, namely:

  • Carbon dioxide and methane
  • Certain radioactive substances from fission reactors

 

Finally, it will be argued in AP3.1 that our civilization probably needs one more item to ensure that it thrives, namely:

  • A purpose for existence

 

In this paper, equilibrium for our civilization will be defined as our ability to generate the above goods and services as fast as we use them. Sustainability will be defined as the ability to generate the most critical portion of the above goods and services as fast as we use them for a time long compared to the expected lifetime of our civilization.

 

Four of the requirements are not truly in equilibrium in our current, static civilization, because

  • Potassium and phosphorus are being mined rather than being recycled, and so are being depleted.
  • Metals are being mined, and so are being depleted.
  • The sun and the solar system have a finite lifetime, and so our main energy source is being depleted but at an extremely slow rate.
  • In this static civilization, our only purpose for existence is to continue to exist.

 

In Aquater Papers 1.1 to 2.4 a means accomplishing most of the above requirements with a static, earth-based civilization in a sustainable fashion has been shown to be feasible as long as the population stabilizes at about 8 billion or less. The four requirements that do not appear to be sustainable are:

  • Phosphorus and potassium are currently mined, and end up in the ocean where they are so diluted, that it is impractical too recycle them. Thus, they are being used up.
  • Metals are currently mined. A portion of the metals used is recycled, but it is impractical to recycle all of the important metals. Further, the use of metals is expanding, so they are being used up.
  • Radioactive substances can be recycled to some extant, but a portion must be sequestered, and a completely safe place to sequester them on earth has not yet been found and agreed upon.
  • Our static civilization does not currently have a purpose for existence other than to continue to exist. It is not clear that this purpose is enough (see AP3.1).

 

Thus, our static civilization is not completely sustainable, although it might be argued that our current ability to obtain the four unsustainable requirements appears sufficient for now.

 

The Solution

The only solution to complete sustainability is to extend our civilization into space and start inhabiting satellites and mining the asteroids. Static, earth-bound civilization is not capable of obtaining a completely sustainable civilization. In AP3.0 to 3.4, this expanding, open-ended, space option is explored.

 

Conclusions

It has been found that our current closed, static civilization, although capable of meeting civilization’s most critical needs, is not capable of complete sustainability in meeting all of civilization’s needs. However, it may be argued that our ability to obtain all but four requirements limiting our sustainability appears sufficient for now. Nonetheless, a solution to the problem of the remaining needs does exist and will be explored in AP3.0 to 3.4.