Over the last 200+ years, innovation has solved the world’s most difficult challenges and created a better life for billions. Governments or world organizations like the WHO and the UN were not the innovators but rather individuals or groups who introduce these new ideas to the masses. In some cases, a governmental organization invests in basic research that is later creatively brought to the masses. But if we are going to stall global warming, improve healthcare, and better the standard of living for all it will originate through innovation by individuals or groups which are not related to any government or organization. Worldwide challenges require approaches not tied to politics but rather those that are not only innovative, but disruptive to the status quo and delivered to the masses in ways that are affordable and inclusive to all. These innovations must span all the sciences, both physical and social. They can be funded at the basic level by government grants but, at the end of the day, are funded commercially. Funding becomes available when the innovations lead to lower cost solutions that can span the entire globe and can be made available to the masses.
A little history might be helpful to understand these statements. A great place to start is a series of three books written by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotter: Abundance, The Future is Better Than You Think, Bold – How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World, and The Future is Faster Than You Think – How Converging Technologies Are Transforming Business, Industries and Our Lives. Many other books also detail past innovations’ effects on the world’s major challenges as well as detailing many that could do the same in the future.
By almost any measure, the standard of living globally has improved dramatically over the last 200 years and continues to improve. Many debate whether it is enough, but the improvement can’t be denied. Worldwide overall poverty, lifespan, infant mortality, and undernourished people have all shown continuous improvement. Climate activists might say it was done at the expense of the planet’s ecosystem (which we must fix). Wars and human suffering from these and oppressive regimes get in the way but don’t stop progress. Future innovations will be what makes the world a better place to live. These innovations cross country boundaries and don’t need approvals from politicians or world organizations.
To illustrate this thought, here are just a few of the innovations that have changed the world already or are in the process of doing so:
Immunizations – Many of the world’s diseases are moving toward extinction as immunizations have been developed and made available to the masses. Immunizations have helped to increase lifespan and decrease infant mortality. As they become easier to manufacture, they will become more abundant.
Internet – The internet revolutionized the way information connected to the masses, allowing for add-on innovations to improve health and increase overall wealth per capita in much of the world.
Computers and Cell Phones – There are now more cell phones (15 Billion) than people on earth and these have connected the world and allowed innovation to move faster and better. Cell phones have replaced the needs for many items, thus dematerializing your world. Think of what is available today on your cell phone (or your computer) that you no longer need: land-line phones, radios, VCR’s to watch movies, tv available through streaming, flashlights, online banking and bill paying, cameras, physical storage of all documents, business software, health diagnostics, weather thermometers, maps (GPS), phonebooks, transportation information. The list goes on! All of this has changed millions of people’s lives in most cases for the better. Phones and computers have become much more affordable and accessible.
Electric Lighting – Lighting today costs less than 1% of what it did in the late 1800’s, bringing it to the masses and allowing more time in the day for people to provide for their daily needs. Solar power will eventually lower the cost even more.
Farming/Food – Innovations in farming through equipment, fertilizers, hybrid seeds, etc. have allowed us to continue to feed the growing world throughout time. Pundits continue to forecast that due to a growing population more will starve. But in fact, agriculture production has outpaced population growth and continues to do so. Meanwhile, food prices have fallen 82% in the last 100 years. People tend to focus on the immediate inflation numbers rather than looking at the change over time.
3D Printing – This is an evolving innovation that will continue to spread and improve our world. Today we are printing houses on site, building spaceships, making medical devices on demand, etc. Technology will only get better and make it more accessible and less expensive. Factories of the future may require less space, and less power and be closer to your home. You may be able to produce many of your own needs right in your own home.
GPS Tracking – Developed by the military to fight wars, it has moved on to the private sector and makes many aspects of life easier and less materialized. Where would we be without this innovation today?
These are just a few of the innovations that have changed our world. They were all disruptive to what was believed at the time, dematerialized their sector (reducing costs), and democratized the world (brought innovation to the masses). Government funded some of the initial basic science, but it was individuals and groups (companies) who commercialized it and brought it to the masses and continue to expand the science. These individuals were looked at skeptically in the beginning and in most cases started with very little money and ended up changing the world. More recent high-profile examples are Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Bill gates, and Jeff Bezos. Yes, they all became extraordinarily rich, but they also helped to create great wealth for millions as they spawned more innovation and businesses. Their innovations made it to the masses and improved the overall standard of living. Examples are available in medicine, agriculture, and other areas. They are not politicians, and their innovations were disruptive, dematerialized their sector, and democratized the world. All are giving back billions to help solve more of the world’s most difficult challenges.
Except for climate change, which we must solve to maintain our world, the big challenges are much the same as always: food, housing, health, and wealth for the population. If you only envision solutions based on what we know today, you will be missing innovation. We know that today’s technology can’t correct climate change fast enough or cheap enough and while we know many of the roadblocks and some of the potential technology, we do not know it all. If we encourage and reward innovation, solutions will be created to lead us where we want to go. It is hard to believe that solar technology and delivery will not evolve in similar ways to computers, cell phones, etc., such that it will be disruptive, dematerialized and democratized. It will become cheap, or some other source will supplant it that can do the job. Farming and food will evolve to use less land and continue to cost less and use less water to grow. Healthcare through diagnostic tools on your phone and computer, genetic engineering and better understanding of disease should be better able to spread to the world. Between 3D printing and nano- technology, how we make and build things will drastically change.
Politicians need to get out of the way to make this happen. We cannot have ineffective world organizations like the UN, NATO or WHO steeped in politics, and in many cases corrupt, leading these changes. While much will happen despite them, more would happen with a better support system. Major countries must work together and allow free trade and the free exchange of ideas.
Funding should not be a problem because as in the past major innovations funded themselves and brought the innovations to the world at lower costs, created lots of jobs and spawned future innovation. Foundations, individual philanthropy, and crowd funding will do more than government. Foundations gave over $700B in 2022, and the billionaire’s giving pledge was over $200B. Americans alone gave $499B. In the US the NSF and NIH budget for 2022 was less than 60B which shows why it will not be primarily government funding the innovations.
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