Decentralization - Reinventing 21st Century Society

  Society has a duty to change - if it doesn't, history demonstrates very effectively how quickly a society can stagnate. Systems designed to handle the demands of one century are inevitably incapable of handling the demands of the next, be they material or social, and this will only become more true as time goes on, given that technology has accelerated (and will likely continue to accelerate) in its rate of advance. As advances in one field compound and magnify advances in others, as improvements in communication increase the rate at which this cross-pollination can happen, and as our global research and development base reaches historically unprecedented proportions, we will see our lives transform increasingly rapidly. Examining the rate at which computer processing power has increased over the past century provides an excellent metaphor for this type of advance – doubling every two years, as Moore's Law accurately predicted it would, means that it is undergoing exponential growth. This type of increase is sometimes counter-intuitive, as we typically think of growth curves as fluctuating, sloping, and gradual, like the stock market. However, in certain optimal conditions, growth can be explosive. Any system that can regularly double in a given amount of time soon reaches astronomical numbers: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, 16384, 32768, 65536, 131072, 262144, 524288, 1048576 – an increase of 1,048,576x in 21 'generations'. This is exactly how our technology is set to advance, and this is why we must be ready to adapt.

  There are many potential ways that we can brace our society for change and uncertainty, but I believe one method in particular, decentralization, merits a closer look. I believe this because it is a time-tested method in the natural world, and there are numerous ways in which it can benefit human society – but most notably, it can help us adapt. Ants are an excellent example of decentralization in nature, and the fact that they are ubiquitous in almost every region of the world demonstrates just how successful this strategy can be. Every ant is capable of performing any task necessary to the colony, and by coordinating effectively, they can accomplish immense tasks with remarkable efficiency, and work with a flexibility that most human societies can only dream of. While decentralization is not a new concept in political circles, it is unfortunately not widely utilized. Why not? Not because a centralized system offers any significant advantages, but because a centralized system means that those in power can more easily stay in power, and funnel resources more efficiently into the hands of a select few. While in the past our societies may have had to rely on centralized leadership to coordinate production, this is in fact no longer true. Many of the tasks that we still assume must be accomplished in a top-down way can now be localized, and done just as efficiently from the bottom up. Moreover, in doing so, we can solve a number of problems at once. Researching this actually blew my mind a little over just how many problems it can solve, and I hope it will have the same effect on you.

  First off, centralized power distribution is a primary driver of environmental destruction. Coal, oil and other fossil fuels are burned in massive plants which then send power along the grid to our homes, but this entire paradigm is now outdated. The technology now exists for each home to generate its own clean power, and thus free itself from both the grid and fossil fuels. In Japan, where I live as I write this, homes were equipped with solar panels in many parts of the country long ago. Because many homes were in remote areas, and because earthquakes here made the likelihood of power outages greater, many chose this method to be energy self-sufficient, and it has worked. More importantly, it worked even before the high-efficiency solar panels that we have today were available, meaning that with current technology, this option is workable anywhere in the world, and at a fraction of the price. Not only will this mean a vast decrease in fossil fuel use, but it will mean a more secure power grid, less susceptible to disaster, or even terrorist attack. The great blackout that occurred in the eastern US and Canada in 2003 because of a cascading failure could never happen again. A decentralized network is a robust network, one which can flexibly adapt to changing power demands, and which would prepare us for virtually any contingency. Excesses can even be fed back into the grid, meaning that instead of paying for power, you could actually make money back. Let that sink in. This is basically a win/win/win; for you, for society, and for the planet. No-brainer, right?

  Food distribution is another key area that should be decentralized, and again for numerous reasons. Efficiency is certainly a key reason – our current system of international shipping is unbelievably, shamefully wasteful, and it's well past time to address this. Because of inefficiencies at various stages of the food chain, half of all the world's food is wasted. Yes, you read it right - HALF, and while many people starve to death every day. It's staggering but it's true, and it should tell us that our current system is badly broken. Furthermore, shipping food consumes vast amounts of fossil fuel, even though many of the foods that are shipped could be easily produced locally. By working to localize our food sources, we would dramatically cut back on waste and CO² emissions, and even reduce the need for preservatives and pesticides. Why are we not doing this already? Vested interests, of course. Food producers are a political force, but this is a battle that can be won at a local level. Many communities are already starting “urban gardens”, converting rooftops, balconies, parks, unused land, and even their front lawns into viable food sources. This is something else that they have subsidized in Japan, with many urban spaces set aside for agriculture, and the extra greenery makes the cities much more livable. Indoor hydroponic farming is another potential solution (pun intended). It's been around in some form for hundreds of years, but now, thanks to the addition of LED lighting and other new technology to the mix, it is becoming incredibly efficient. By controlling every critical factor, indoor farms can now produce crops with factory-like efficiency, and of incredibly high quality. They are also, by merit of being indoors, completely pesticide free. If people embrace this trend and push their politicians into nurturing local markets, we can have cheaper, fresher, more secure food, while cutting waste dramatically. Again, everybody wins - we just have to want it badly enough.

  Finally, the marketplace. Markets used to all be local, or at least regional – global corporations are only a recent invention, but when one stops to examine the handiwork of major transnationals over the last few decades, one eventually wonders why we even allow them to exist at all. Large corporations are the primary drivers behind much of the world's environmental devastation, as they pillage natural resources in a blind rush to satisfy a public made ravenous by their own manipulative advertising, filling landfills with mountains of cheap, disposable goods along the way. This cycle will not end well for the planet - most of us know this, and the ones who deny it are usually selling something. Furthermore, corporations are foremost driven not by the public good, but by the bottom line, and too often the public has suffered as a result. Local markets are the solution. Consumers can change the system by buying locally whenever they can, politicians by creating more opportunities for smaller businesses, and both by divesting from large companies, especially ones that act unethically. Corporations have abused the power that they have accumulated, and it's time society pushed back by hitting them where it hurts - in the wallet. A more localized system is a more socially responsible system, where buyers and sellers can talk face-to-face, and it is one that can generate more sorely-needed local jobs. Corporations have demonstrated that when given free reign and tax breaks, they do not tend to create more jobs, but rather prefer to cut them and centralize, while shipping what jobs they do create to countries with atrocious human rights and where they can pay poverty wages. We should work to end this failed social experiment, and create a more responsible marketplace. Having been raised on corporate capitalism, this is a daunting prospect for many of us, but it can be done, and there are many of us who are already pushing back.

  For our society to adapt efficiently, it must be able to adapt swiftly on a local level, without relying too much on central government. Governments move at a glacial pace, and often in the opposite direction as public opinion, funded as they often are by special interest groups. Like a colony of ants, a collection of small communities can make a monumental difference when working together, even on a national scale, while each simultaneously maintains the ability to provide for itself. This self-sufficiency in turn means that government can spend less time worrying about local issues, and more time ensuring national and international issues are resolved intelligently. Local self-sufficiency translates into overall efficiency, and in the end this will mean more wealth to go around. If we want our standards of living to improve instead of backslide this century without jeopardizing the environment, decentralizing may just be the key.