As someone who is just about to enter the workforce, I’m a bit nervous at my prospects for the future. I remember in my Environmental Classes hearing about how water was already scarce and wars were likely to occur over access to the stuff. Yet, I keep seeing on the news that data centers keep on getting pumped out. Cars and fossil fuel-based energy grids used to be the biggest culprits of resource of pollution; yet, these data centers are now requiring us to massively increase output! Not only that, but many are being set up in rural areas (where the people don’t want them) and sucking up all the already scarce water from the farmers.
It appears that resource wars have already begun. The United States has invaded both Venezuela and Iran with the likely goal of securing access to cheap oil, and Trump seems heck-bound on securing rare Earth minerals (such as from the DRC or Ukraine), going as far to threaten invasion to get them (as is the case with Greenland).
And, I truly feel so bad to worry about these issues. I recently watched a TedEd talk where an escaped North Korean woman thought it was nice that we were worried about climate change but pleaded us to also give hear to humans rights abuses. Yet, the “shining beacon of freedom” that is the United States is now doing such abuses! Yet again, East and West stare each other down in what appears to be another Cold War, with an even greater emphasis on civilian targets (as seen with drone and missile based attacks on infrastructure) than before. Who should get the priority? The humans living under oppressive regimes or our grandchildren who are going to be dealing with the environmental disasters we have wrought?
I feel so bad for everyone involved. Big business continues to trample on little guys across the world, governments continue to oppress their people and each other, and all the while God’s most beautiful gift of a livable planet is being wasted with fleeting attempts to make money.
The only positive side I can see right now is the research being put into space travel. Perhaps our resource woes could be fixed if we can perfect asteroid mining technology (but it is sad that we have to rely in other bodies to sustain our insustainable hunger in the first place).
Hopefully, you guys have some good news. It has been a bit of a depressing year so far, but I’m praying it gets better!