Whether we’re working on our own health or trying to make large-scale changes, there are many things we need to determine before we try to implement changes. One thing that is often overlooked is the notion of scalability.
What is scalability? The term is used often in computer science (and many other fields) to refer to how well a solution on a small scale can be implemented on a large scale.
For instance, we know that beef is a fundamental part of the diet in many countries. We also know that cattle require a large amount of land for every calorie produced, and that the biologic and agricultural pollution from cattle has a large impact on the immediate environment. If one person on the planet is eating beef, the impact is negligible, but if we all eat it, the impact might be catastrophic. Cattle as a food source doesn’t scale.
Scalability is one of the factors that has to be considered when finding sustainable living solutions for the future.
We already know that fossil fuels don’t scale well. When a few thousand people globally had cars, it didn’t matter. Now that there are hundreds of millions of cars (have we reached a billion yet?) around the globe, the impact is beyond the ability of the planet to balance. On a small scale, cars are not a bad thing; on a large scale, however, they are a serious threat to the earth.
Nothing scales indefinitely; every resource has it’s limits: hydroelectric power is limited by the amount of flowing water on the planet, solar power is limited by the surface area of the earth. But some solutions scale better than others. The goal is to find solutions that scale well rather than solutions that scale poorly. Fossil fuels scale well when considered as a delivery mechanism for energy, but when you consider the environmental impact, they don’t scale well at all. Hydroelectric and solar scale better; nuclear power scales extremely well. Yes they have problems, but they are a step in the right direction. And that’s what we need.
Scalability also needs to be considered when managing day-to-day life. Time management, especially, is an area where scalability issues become apparent. You want to deliver gifts to your friends? You may quickly realize that with more than a few friends, just driving to all their houses or workplaces becomes a major undertaking… this is, ultimately, a scalability issue. Money management is also subject to scalability issues. Buying coffee as a treat once a week may not have an impact on your budget, but trying to make the same purchase daily could completely throw your system out of balance. How money scales is a function of how much you make. How time scales is ultimately a function of the number of hours in the day.
We are starting to realize that what we’ve been doing so far doesn’t scale. We need new answers. When you encounter a new idea in the news or come up with something on your own, ask yourself: does it scale?
Other news
- When will Google Gene Maps make it’s debut? Detailed gene map ‘within grasp’
- Gene-suppressing treatment is on the way: Gel ‘to speed up wound healing’
- Doesn’t Clancy’s Rainbow Six start this way? ‘Safe Ebola’ created for research
Healthy thoughts,
Jeff
