Can a "systems overview" bring us towards a more sustainable future? Nate Hagens urges scientists to jump over their siloes
We enjoy Nate Hagens’ wise, multidisciplinary overview of the human predicament, from the perspective of our transforming energy systems. The “About” page from his podcast The Great Simplification - where conversation topics span human behavior, monetary/economic systems, energy, ecology, geopolitics and the environment - captures it well:
The goal of the show is to inform more humans about the path ahead and inspire people to play a role in our collective future. Guests will be from a wide range of scientists, leaders, activists, thinkers, and doers.
We have spent the last century harnessing enormous amounts of fossil energy to build a world of complexity like nothing seen before. In the coming century, humanity will experience A Great Simplification, beginning with the onset of financial and economic turbulence, followed by contraction. The ensuing simplification will be among the most significant events ever experienced by our species.
Those who look through a systems lens can serve as early visionaries of a simpler life with new ways of relating to technology, to consumption, to each other and to Earth’s ecosystems.
Our system - and the components, processes and interactions that comprise it - is incredibly complex. On this podcast we will try to ‘simplify’ the ‘great’ issues of our time to expand the number of people making sense of our reality.
The embed video above is, according to Hagens, the most definitive expression yet of his analysis. We paste its basic structure below, along with hotlinks to exact thematic points in the presentation:
an explanation of the core drivers of the human ecosystem
a synthesis of how the emergent property of these is a (mindless) energy/material hungry economic superorganism
scenarios and implications for the future
suggested interventions and responses at various scales (global, community, academia and personal)
00:03:01 - Overview of the Presentation
00:04:08 - The Human Ecosystem
00:07:42 - The Role of Energy
00:11:08 - Industrialization Impact
00:14:49 - Renewable Energy Myths
00:18:13 - Technology and Efficiency
00:22:34 - Money as a Claim on Energy
00:28:10 - Environmental Impact
00:34:05 - Human Behavior and Evolution
00:39:57 - Superorganism Concept
00:44:43 - Implications and Scenarios
00:48:17 - The Four Horsemen of the 2020s
00:53:23 - Financial System and Debt
00:58:28 - Geopolitical Risks
01:03:48 - Climate Change and Ecosystem Impact
01:08:51 - Social Contracts and Community Resilience
01:14:25 - Cultural Shifts and Regenerative Society
01:19:46 - The Role of Academia
01:24:20 - Mental Health and Well-being
01:28:12 - Localized Solutions and Community Actions
01:33:42 - Technology and Innovation
01:37:35 - Personal Actions and Simplification
01:42:10 - The Great Simplification
01:47:20 - Conclusion and Call to Action