Peter Diamandis: Abundance is our future - TED

Commentary


From http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_diamandis_abundance_is_our_future.html

Progress over last 100 years

So let's look at what this last century has been to see where we're going. Over the last hundred years, the average human lifespan has more than doubled, average per capita income adjusted for inflation around the world has tripled. 

Childhood mortality has come down a factor of 10. Add to that the cost of food, electricity, transportation, communication have dropped 10 to 1,000-fold. Steve Pinker has showed us that, in fact, we're living during the most peaceful time ever in human history. 

And Charles Kenny that global literacy has gone from 25 percent to over 80 percent in the last 130 years. We truly are living in an extraordinary time. And many people forget this.

Think of this, in the western world today, the majority of people under the poverty line still have electricity, water, toilets, refrigerators, television, mobile phones, air conditioning and cars. The wealthiest robber barons of the last century, the emperors on this planet, could have never dreamed of such luxuries.

Use of Technology and Growth of Cyberusers

 The cellphone in your pocket is literally a million times cheaper and a thousand times faster than a supercomputer of the '70s. A Somali warrior has better technology and access to knowledge than the USA president 30 years ago!

7 Billion people on planet… currently 2 billion have internet access. In next 20 years this will go to 5b…. that means 3 billion new minds and ideaswill join us in cyberworld, and we will be able to communicate with them!!  This growth will come mainly from India and China, and this is where one should focus ones energy!

Scarcity and abundance

In the 19 Century – Aluminium most scarce product on earth… but represented 8% of earths surface… however bound by other compounds…. Technology developed to create pure aluminium in abundance and now used in every household as a disposable.

Project this to current scarce products - water and energy…. It is abundant… no shortage… the challenge is - how do you extract this from the elements  to make it usable… with technology and innovation, finance and strategy, we will be able to provide a solution, that will make both abundant and fit for human and living beings consumption.

When I think about creating abundance, it's not about creating a life of luxury for everybody on this planet; it's about creating a life of possibility. 

We are in a world of abundance – not of scarcity. The next 10 years will be awesome!!