1 00:00:00,623 --> 00:00:04,437 The name of this presentation is 'Visualizing a Systems Approach.' 2 00:00:04,577 --> 00:00:06,399 This is a single aspect 3 00:00:06,539 --> 00:00:09,164 regarding the direction advocated by The Zeitgeist Movement 4 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,053 and of interest to me since it's a key factor in understanding 5 00:00:12,193 --> 00:00:16,577 human decision-making and problem-solving beyond this political sphere. 6 00:00:17,075 --> 00:00:19,541 As you go through the materials we often reference, 7 00:00:19,681 --> 00:00:22,842 you will come across many terms and phrases that sound impressive 8 00:00:22,982 --> 00:00:26,151 and are actually fun to say. Some examples of this would be: 9 00:00:26,291 --> 00:00:28,614 A Resource-Based Economic Model, 10 00:00:28,838 --> 00:00:32,025 Technological Unemployment, Dynamic Equilibrium, 11 00:00:32,165 --> 00:00:34,515 The Scientific Method for Social Concern, 12 00:00:34,655 --> 00:00:39,304 A Systems Approach (to resource management), along with many others. 13 00:00:40,489 --> 00:00:43,454 We spend a lot of time in the Movement speaking about the root causes 14 00:00:43,594 --> 00:00:47,051 to persistent problems of social operation on the planet, 15 00:00:47,258 --> 00:00:49,771 especially in regard to the more notable, negative outcomes 16 00:00:49,911 --> 00:00:52,045 such as crime, poverty, war, pollution, 17 00:00:52,185 --> 00:00:54,515 debt, and other forms of corruption. 18 00:00:54,740 --> 00:00:57,383 While it's logical to understand the problems first, 19 00:00:57,523 --> 00:01:00,983 we can sometimes miss the focus on aspects of the solutions we propose, 20 00:01:01,123 --> 00:01:04,400 even though there is plenty of information available. 21 00:01:05,359 --> 00:01:08,860 At the foundation of what The Movement advocates is a global system 22 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,247 which can be termed 'A Resource-Based Economy' 23 00:01:12,455 --> 00:01:16,482 made known to many of us by the work of The Venus Project in Venus, Florida. 24 00:01:16,701 --> 00:01:19,873 A resource-based economic model is a social structure 25 00:01:20,013 --> 00:01:23,679 that is global in its operation, based entirely on the Earth's resources 26 00:01:23,819 --> 00:01:27,180 as the starting point for societal decision-making, 27 00:01:27,596 --> 00:01:30,476 where all goods and services are available without the use of currency, 28 00:01:30,616 --> 00:01:34,268 credit, barter or any form of debt or servitude. 29 00:01:34,762 --> 00:01:37,839 All social and industrial operations are arranged in what we call 30 00:01:37,979 --> 00:01:41,301 'A Systems Approach,' which logically treats the planet Earth 31 00:01:41,491 --> 00:01:44,166 as a single system it happens to be. 32 00:01:44,496 --> 00:01:48,131 We also advocate the application of technology to the automation of labor 33 00:01:48,271 --> 00:01:51,792 to free humanity from the mundane and arbitrary occupational roles 34 00:01:51,932 --> 00:01:54,731 which have no true relevance for social well-being; 35 00:01:54,871 --> 00:01:58,058 and at the end of the day, we want to encourage a new value 36 00:01:58,198 --> 00:02:00,495 and incentive system through this social design 37 00:02:00,635 --> 00:02:03,688 which maintains a focus on attributes such as community, 38 00:02:03,874 --> 00:02:08,764 human well-being, relevant education, social awareness and creativity. 39 00:02:09,477 --> 00:02:12,612 That's as far as I'm going to go into the overall direction 40 00:02:12,814 --> 00:02:15,467 since it's far too much information to share with you tonight. 41 00:02:15,607 --> 00:02:19,002 Instead I wish to spend a few minutes visualizing a core attribute of this model 42 00:02:19,142 --> 00:02:23,184 to give us a working understanding of one piece of the technical jargon. 43 00:02:23,324 --> 00:02:28,363 The attribute of focus in this presentation will be a Systems Approach. 44 00:02:28,649 --> 00:02:31,520 Our relationship to the earth and the environments we live in 45 00:02:31,660 --> 00:02:35,219 is not a political issue or a religious ideal. 46 00:02:35,421 --> 00:02:37,722 It is a technical relationship. 47 00:02:37,862 --> 00:02:40,789 Separate a living organism from its surroundings and it will die 48 00:02:40,929 --> 00:02:43,200 from a lack of oxygen, water and food. 49 00:02:43,340 --> 00:02:45,895 Organisms are open systems that cannot survive 50 00:02:46,035 --> 00:02:49,919 without continuously exchanging matter and energy with their environment. 51 00:02:50,059 --> 00:02:53,693 Since we observe systems interacting with each other as part of a whole, 52 00:02:53,833 --> 00:02:57,300 it is then logical to start with the unifying system of the biosphere 53 00:02:57,507 --> 00:02:59,499 in which we all inhabit. 54 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:05,112 'Systems Thinking' can be defined as an approach to problem solving 55 00:03:05,310 --> 00:03:07,749 by viewing problems as part of the overall system 56 00:03:07,889 --> 00:03:10,210 rather than reacting to individual problems 57 00:03:10,350 --> 00:03:13,970 as isolated or unrelated phenomena from the larger order. 58 00:03:14,110 --> 00:03:16,880 When taking it separate, such patchwork notions 59 00:03:17,020 --> 00:03:20,239 may further the development of unintended consequences, 60 00:03:20,423 --> 00:03:25,015 such as trying to resolve the problems of monetary inflation with more inflation 61 00:03:25,155 --> 00:03:27,587 or trying to fight the destruction of the rain forests 62 00:03:27,727 --> 00:03:31,390 or the increase in plastic waste in our oceans by more laws and legislation 63 00:03:31,530 --> 00:03:35,368 rather than addressing the cause of the behavior to begin with. 64 00:03:35,678 --> 00:03:39,170 Systems Thinking is not one thing but a set of habits or practices 65 00:03:39,310 --> 00:03:43,445 within a framework that is based on the principle that the component parts of a system 66 00:03:43,585 --> 00:03:46,359 are best understood in the context of relationships, 67 00:03:46,499 --> 00:03:49,497 rather than in isolation from one another. 68 00:03:50,094 --> 00:03:52,832 This brings us to an attribute that is often mentioned, 69 00:03:52,972 --> 00:03:54,889 which is a systems approach. 70 00:03:55,029 --> 00:03:57,737 A systems approach to resource management on the planet 71 00:03:57,877 --> 00:04:00,654 is comprised of real-time data and statistics. 72 00:04:00,794 --> 00:04:04,392 This approach combined with the attributes of peak efficiency, 73 00:04:04,532 --> 00:04:07,006 strategic preservation and conservation 74 00:04:07,146 --> 00:04:11,143 become necessary components to what we would call a sustainable society. 75 00:04:11,283 --> 00:04:15,422 The process of unfolding, which you may call decision-making, 76 00:04:15,606 --> 00:04:17,865 is based on natural law and reason, 77 00:04:18,005 --> 00:04:22,648 not on political ideologies or religious notions or a group's opinion. 78 00:04:22,832 --> 00:04:25,929 When using a systems approach we are arriving at decisions, 79 00:04:26,069 --> 00:04:27,934 as opposed to making them. 80 00:04:28,074 --> 00:04:32,761 Making a decision is a subjective act often based on incomplete information 81 00:04:32,901 --> 00:04:35,255 or affected by one's cultural bias. 82 00:04:35,395 --> 00:04:39,019 Our goal is to remove the basis of one's opinion as best we can 83 00:04:39,159 --> 00:04:43,006 by using the most up-to-date knowledge we have to align with natural processes 84 00:04:43,146 --> 00:04:46,590 to the best of our abilities at a given time. 85 00:04:46,774 --> 00:04:49,660 This is an emergent process because the body of knowledge 86 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,679 of human understanding changes over time as 87 00:04:52,908 --> 00:04:56,499 new discoveries are made; there is no final frontier. 88 00:04:57,337 --> 00:05:00,822 Human management of the environmental equilibrium on this planet, 89 00:05:00,962 --> 00:05:04,166 which is an initial variable to how well society functions, 90 00:05:04,346 --> 00:05:06,523 comes first from understanding 91 00:05:06,663 --> 00:05:09,808 what the carrying capacity of the earth actually is. 92 00:05:10,032 --> 00:05:14,206 It follows that the needs of the human population must be in balance 93 00:05:14,346 --> 00:05:17,729 with the resources of the Earth or negative outcomes occur. 94 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,596 So, where do we start? 95 00:05:20,736 --> 00:05:24,037 What is the first step to determining the carrying capacity of the Earth? 96 00:05:24,177 --> 00:05:27,366 This is where a systems approach comes in. 97 00:05:27,568 --> 00:05:31,867 A logical start would be with a full survey of the Earth's resources 98 00:05:32,007 --> 00:05:36,445 since we must know what we have to work with in order to arrive at any decisions. 99 00:05:36,585 --> 00:05:40,021 There are many natural resources to be considered such as forests and oceans 100 00:05:40,161 --> 00:05:43,119 and energy, along with arable land, water and minerals; 101 00:05:43,259 --> 00:05:46,316 but for the sake of simplicity, let us refer to these components 102 00:05:46,456 --> 00:05:48,729 as natural resources. 103 00:05:49,739 --> 00:05:52,824 If anyone is currently thinking "Well, this makes sense, 104 00:05:52,964 --> 00:05:56,362 but how would it even be possible to create this kind of global system?" 105 00:05:56,502 --> 00:05:59,451 or perhaps you might be thinking that the technological know-how 106 00:05:59,591 --> 00:06:03,221 for such a comprehensive survey is a bit too futuristic. 107 00:06:03,461 --> 00:06:06,384 At this point I'd like to make use of a few visual examples 108 00:06:06,524 --> 00:06:08,582 of current, real-world technical systems 109 00:06:08,722 --> 00:06:11,976 that are working in this regard right now. 110 00:06:14,158 --> 00:06:17,585 This is an accurate visualization of many current 111 00:06:17,725 --> 00:06:20,899 and former NASA Earth-observing satellites. 112 00:06:21,039 --> 00:06:24,690 With names like TRIMM, Landsat 7, Terra, 113 00:06:24,830 --> 00:06:28,135 EO-1, Jason-2, Grace, iSat and Aquarius, 114 00:06:28,275 --> 00:06:31,171 these unmanned probes are quietly beaming down information 115 00:06:31,311 --> 00:06:34,933 that has transformed our understanding of how the Earth works 116 00:06:35,131 --> 00:06:38,397 and what we know of the human fingerprint on our climate. 117 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:42,920 Together, they represent an application of technology in real-time, 118 00:06:43,060 --> 00:06:45,593 working as part of a global surveying system, 119 00:06:45,733 --> 00:06:49,182 not something from Star Trek, not something 100 years away, 120 00:06:49,322 --> 00:06:52,219 but orbiting the planet right now. 121 00:06:54,186 --> 00:06:57,246 Let's look at a closer example. The satellite Aquarius 122 00:06:57,386 --> 00:07:00,661 is designed to take comprehensive salinity measurements of the Earth's oceans 123 00:07:00,801 --> 00:07:03,193 in their entirety every week. 124 00:07:03,333 --> 00:07:05,386 The data obtained from these measurements 125 00:07:05,526 --> 00:07:08,662 help answer some of our most pressing questions about climate change. 126 00:07:08,802 --> 00:07:11,284 Why salinity? The density of the ocean water 127 00:07:11,424 --> 00:07:14,031 is determined from its salinity and from its temperature. 128 00:07:14,171 --> 00:07:17,356 Density of ocean water drives the patterns of deep ocean currents, 129 00:07:17,496 --> 00:07:20,510 and ocean currents drive global change. 130 00:07:20,774 --> 00:07:24,658 In recent decades, scientists have seen that our ocean salinity has shifted 131 00:07:24,798 --> 00:07:28,618 in ways which only climate change seems to be able to explain. 132 00:07:28,758 --> 00:07:31,096 From 400 miles above the surface of the earth, 133 00:07:31,236 --> 00:07:34,071 Aquarius can detect differences in ocean salinity 134 00:07:34,211 --> 00:07:37,371 to within a pinch of salt in a gallon of water. 135 00:07:37,596 --> 00:07:41,204 With this visualization we're witnessing an example of current technology 136 00:07:41,344 --> 00:07:43,813 being applied via the methods of science 137 00:07:43,953 --> 00:07:48,000 for environmental and ultimately, social concern. 138 00:07:50,271 --> 00:07:53,860 The collection of all of this data can be used for understanding our environment 139 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,744 or even predicting possible outcomes. 140 00:07:56,884 --> 00:08:01,476 In this example, what you're seeing was not photographed from space. 141 00:08:01,616 --> 00:08:05,366 Every pixel here was calculated by the GEOS-5 super computer. 142 00:08:05,506 --> 00:08:08,421 This supercomputer can accurately model 143 00:08:08,561 --> 00:08:12,385 and simulate the Earth's atmospheric conditions for short periods of time. 144 00:08:12,592 --> 00:08:17,860 In this example this model was giving data leading up until Feb 2, 2010 145 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:20,764 and then it proceeded to predict the atmosphere's response 146 00:08:20,904 --> 00:08:23,779 for the next 20 days without any further input. 147 00:08:23,919 --> 00:08:27,796 This model simulated real-world weather events that actually took place, 148 00:08:27,936 --> 00:08:32,834 including snow storms, tropical cyclones and many other climate conditions. 149 00:08:35,124 --> 00:08:39,518 Continuing these examples, the Terra and Aqua satellites 150 00:08:39,658 --> 00:08:42,521 gather data of the Earth's surface every two days. 151 00:08:42,661 --> 00:08:45,170 This animation shows where the world's food is grown 152 00:08:45,310 --> 00:08:47,631 versus where the world's food is consumed. 153 00:08:47,771 --> 00:08:51,016 The movie starts with global croplands, then fades to the countries 154 00:08:51,156 --> 00:08:54,355 that produce over 80% of the world's wheat, grain and cereal. 155 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:57,085 It then overlays the world's population density, 156 00:08:57,225 --> 00:08:59,969 and then fades to show the countries that are projected to double 157 00:09:00,109 --> 00:09:03,003 and triple their populations by the year 2050. 158 00:09:05,824 --> 00:09:08,866 There also exists a mineral resource data system, 159 00:09:09,006 --> 00:09:12,585 which is a statistical survey done by the USGS 160 00:09:12,805 --> 00:09:15,669 (United States Geological Survey). 161 00:09:15,848 --> 00:09:18,905 This map is a collection of reports 162 00:09:19,045 --> 00:09:22,581 describing mineral resources throughout the United States. 163 00:09:22,826 --> 00:09:25,223 The survey actually expands out for the entire globe, 164 00:09:25,363 --> 00:09:28,350 but this map just shows an example/serves a purpose for this presentation. 165 00:09:28,490 --> 00:09:31,675 This is an example of information that would be part of the so-called 166 00:09:31,815 --> 00:09:33,671 'Geo-database' if you will. 167 00:09:33,811 --> 00:09:36,675 Integrating the dataset into a global knowledge base 168 00:09:36,815 --> 00:09:38,730 of our resource-management system 169 00:09:38,870 --> 00:09:42,534 as a function of a systems approach we have been exploring. 170 00:09:43,345 --> 00:09:46,136 Another example of visualizing a systems approach 171 00:09:46,276 --> 00:09:50,410 in action, is viewing compiled data from our global resource system. 172 00:09:50,550 --> 00:09:53,122 Here, a member of the Google Earth community 173 00:09:53,262 --> 00:09:56,204 assembled this image from the CIA world factbook, 174 00:09:56,344 --> 00:10:00,037 showing world oil consumption for the year 2007. 175 00:10:00,177 --> 00:10:03,762 This chart displays exploding 3D graphs in the shape of each country, 176 00:10:03,902 --> 00:10:07,634 showing the relationship of oil consumption between countries. 177 00:10:07,818 --> 00:10:10,553 Here, the United States is showing its tremendous consumption 178 00:10:10,693 --> 00:10:13,305 of about 21 million barrels per day, 179 00:10:13,445 --> 00:10:17,853 which is almost 25% of the earthly total of 82 million barrels of oil 180 00:10:17,993 --> 00:10:22,076 consumed worldwide; that's daily, 82 million barrels a day. 181 00:10:23,550 --> 00:10:29,013 So, how would you possibly interact with such a system of immense data? 182 00:10:29,215 --> 00:10:31,895 Following the evolution of tech-space search engines 183 00:10:32,035 --> 00:10:34,042 (which we are all familiar with today), 184 00:10:34,182 --> 00:10:38,897 we would interact with this vast knowledge base via computer or AI systems. 185 00:10:39,180 --> 00:10:41,822 An example of a computational knowledge engine 186 00:10:41,962 --> 00:10:44,869 that already exists is Wolfram Alpha. 187 00:10:45,009 --> 00:10:47,624 This engine generates output by doing computations 188 00:10:47,764 --> 00:10:49,854 from its own internal knowledge base 189 00:10:49,994 --> 00:10:52,542 instead of searching the web and returning you links. 190 00:10:52,682 --> 00:10:55,358 In a resource-based system that we advocate, 191 00:10:55,498 --> 00:10:57,885 such a concept could easily be scaled out 192 00:10:58,025 --> 00:11:01,070 to include the immense amount of data that is currently collected 193 00:11:01,210 --> 00:11:04,622 in both the public and private sectors of the world today. 194 00:11:05,910 --> 00:11:09,613 Along with the many free information and data products out there via the Internet, 195 00:11:09,753 --> 00:11:12,879 one could well ponder the question that if, 196 00:11:13,019 --> 00:11:15,912 with a little cooperation from our technology friends, 197 00:11:16,052 --> 00:11:19,569 could we actually have a path laid before us to move in such a direction? 198 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:21,179 Well, who knows? 199 00:11:21,289 --> 00:11:25,033 Maybe the world is simply waiting for enough people to want to do so. 200 00:11:25,173 --> 00:11:28,492 The point is, there are many real-world, working examples 201 00:11:28,632 --> 00:11:31,106 to show how such a collaborative social system 202 00:11:31,246 --> 00:11:35,599 is a technical reality and not a 'someday' phenomena. 203 00:11:36,348 --> 00:11:39,802 I'm going to conclude here with this artistic representation of this system 204 00:11:39,942 --> 00:11:42,650 as visualized by an industrial designer and social engineer, 205 00:11:42,790 --> 00:11:46,176 Jacque Fresco of The Venus Project, who spent more than 70 years of his life 206 00:11:46,316 --> 00:11:48,141 researching such a direction. 207 00:11:48,281 --> 00:11:50,800 I hope this presentation has helped you to understand 208 00:11:50,940 --> 00:11:53,780 how a systems approach to resource management could work, 209 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:57,918 how we can approach problem solving beyond the sphere of politics, 210 00:11:58,058 --> 00:12:00,079 how we can arrive at decisions via science 211 00:12:00,219 --> 00:12:02,503 rather than human opinion or a majority vote, 212 00:12:02,643 --> 00:12:04,887 and how current technology could be applied 213 00:12:05,027 --> 00:12:07,913 to make such a global resource-based system a reality.