In this and future blogs here at Earth Watch, I am going to explore the nature of disruptive technologies happening in four major sectors of our economy: energy, transportation, food, and labor. A disruption in just one of these major sectors would be transformative. That this disruption is happening simultaneously across all four of these sectors is revolutionary.

Energy and raw materials are not scarce in any fundamental sense. The earth receives more energy from the sun in one hour that our entire civilization consumes in one year. Within the planet’s crust and oceans there are trillions of tons of almost every element we need.

As any new technology like solar, wind and batteries become more capable, public acceptance grows and shifts from skepticism to enthusiasm. A decade ago, we could not imagine we would have the green energy tools we have today with solar, wind and battery technologies. So as the cost and capability of the new technology improves, it attracts more investment. If the technology is able to scale as all three of these are able to do, the cost of implemention comes down, and it’s usage increases. At the same time, the older technologies os oil, coal and gas begin to decline.

The first large-scale offshore wind farm in the United States came on line this January 2024. One turbine sends five megawatts of electricity to the New England grid. Now the owners say another four turbines are up and running off the Massachusetts coast. These turbines are sending 68 megawatts of electricity to the grid, enough to power 30,000 homes. Nine turbines have been installed so far, and a 10th is on the way. Once completed this project with consist of 62 turbines capable of powering 400,000 homes and businesses.

It’s hard to remember the name of this law, because it actually doesn’t have anything to do with inflation but everything to do with addressing the climate crisis. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the largest investment in clean energy in the history of the world. It is the first significant exceleration towards a pathway to netzero, as it is designed to decarbonize the US economy, shore up supply chains, and reduce dependence on China.