A lot of thingies and I don’t have a clue of all the details. But the one thing I want to talk about is plastic.
What is plastic made from?
Petroleum. In other words, oil.
But hey… There’s not that much oil left, is there?
We’re living in the age of peak oil. That’s when global oil extraction is at its peak, its highest, and there’s only downhill from now on. It’s an high amount of oil that is used in our daily life, to make this world go around. And with ceasing petroleum, of course there will be consequences for the way we live.
Yes, this is gonna be geeky
Even though there are worse things about climate change than that there will not be enough plastic to make computers, I still want to write about them. I’m a geek, after all. And there’s a lot about this that you don’t usually think about.
Digital information
To start, let’s think about information. Digitally stored information, cause that’s really cool. To get this in context, think about one of those USB flash drives, the really handy memory sticks you carry around and keep stuff on. Think of one with 2GB of memory. With one of those, you can store like 200 letters information for each inhabitant in Sweden. That’s first and last name, social security number, address, phone number, email, and name and a shorter description of a favorite movie. Small enough to carry around in your pocket. You can probably carry the whole world population’s favorite movies in your pockets.
If everyone had seen a movie, that is.
So let’s move on, and think about important information. The kind of information you don’t want to loose just because computers will become extinct. I’m just imagining the massive databases that exist around the world, that’s been established by corporations and governments. What will happen to that information when computers become luxury due to lack of oil?
Should we print it?
Imagine the huge amount of paper, and the drawer cabinets to store them in archives. Say hi to the deathblow for trees! And to those employed to look for the right papers.
Perhaps that got a little detached from reality. But I do in fact think that the question about how we store information is going to become a problem, sometime in the future.
Computers for rich people only
So, oil level’s are going down. What usually happens to prices, when something’s becoming rarer? Yes, they are going up. Plastic, which used to be a cheap material, is getting more and more expensive. In the end this will affect the customers, with higher prices. Computers are not cheap as it is. What do you think will happen? Which groups of people will buy the computers?
If you’re living in Sweden like me, then that probably mean you will buy one, and so will I. Question is, will people in developing countries be able to? Probably not as many.
Maybe we should be happy for them? They won’t get bad eyesight or suffer from lack of exercise, or the lack of social activity. Good for them!
But please look beyond the screen of the computer, beyond World of Warcraft or any other waste of time that you connect the modern computer geek to.
Once again, it comes down to digital information. Knowledge is power. And there’s a lot of knowledge out there on the Internet.
To exclude those who won’t afford computers from the knowledge and international connections that is the Internet will have consequences. Research and science will suffer. In the end humanity will suffer.
So, let's think
Let’s just think for a while. About my little sister, who won’t be able to play games on the computer, instead of being out playing. About geeks like me, who tragically won’t have a job in the future, if no ordinary people have computers.
And maybe a little bit about how the world is built today. About how much we depend on technical solutions, the Internet, and plastic. About how much we learn and the people we connect with. The knowledge and understanding we’re able to share.
And you will have yet another reason to not waste oil.
More to read
If you’re now desperate for a solution, please read my friend Weronicas blog post about recycling electronic stuff.
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