The Days of Abundance

I’m about to open a controversial multipart series. Let me say ahead that I welcome contributions to this piece in terms of challenging my assumptions and suppositions.

I acknowledge notions that have painted the opposite picture in terms of abundance in the world. I was fascinated by the works of Jeremy Grantham in his article “The Days of Abundant Resources Are over Forever”. A very well researched piece, I must say; and some summation I gleaned from “traddersnarrive” on the piece is that;

§  The rise in population, the ten-fold increase in wealth in developed countries, and the current explosive growth in developing countries have eaten rapidly into our finite resources of hydrocarbons and metals, fertilizer, available land, and water.

§  The problems of compounding growth in the face of finite resources are not easily understood by optimistic, short-term-oriented, and relatively innumerate humans (especially the political variety).

§  Statistically, most commodities are now so far away from their former downward trend that it makes it very probable that the old trend has changed – that there is in fact a Paradigm Shift – perhaps the most important economic event since the Industrial Revolution.

If you live in the parts of the third world, you’ll also have observed some of the following; the spate of insecurity, kidnap, rape, robbery and terrorist threats are at an all-time high, the low quality of life and health care, food and shelter, kids are more on the streets in the suburbs than in schools, increase in drug use – cocaine, marijuana, cannabis and lots of hard drug concoctions especially in bus parks and dark alleys and lists goes on and on

Herein comes the irony............

There has never been a time that the earth has been this blessed with such abundance as can be obtainable today. We have more food, more natural resources, more money making avenues and much more opportunities. With the discovery of Shale Oil, America is poised to be the second largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia. America today produces probably much more food than it requires. According to a study by Jonathan Bloom, America squanders between a quarter to a half of all the food they produce. Even by the conservative estimate, that adds up to more than 160 billion dollars per year. China is fast becoming one of the largest net-exporter of Agric produce, from aquatic foods, shrimps to buffalo milk and fruits like apples etc. The phenomenal feat of countries like Israel, Egypt, Libya, United Arab Emirates etc. in sustaining food production with fewer “farmable” lands are astounding. I am intrigued by the gravitation of some states (Lagos, Ogun, Osun, Kwara, Nasarawa etc) in Nigeria in the lines of investments in agriculture. Yet there are places in Africa and third world countries ravaged with famine.

There has never been a time to live longer than today, contrasting the falling average life span. There have been incredible advances in health care, medicine and pharmaceutical industries. We are witnessing astonishing breakthrough in diseases control, cure (or “nearer there”) for debilitating diseases; Aids, cancer, hepatitis and the lot have been tackled valiantly and today people have the opportunities to live longer. We have drugs that can keep even genetically transmitted diseases under check, and you live a normal life.

We are having newer means of travelling on land, sea and air. In 2013 China may launch a new mass transit vehicle that is a blend or train/bus. These will travel on the currently existing highway and will be able to transport hundreds of people all at once. There are advances in technology to develop amphibious vehicles that will facilitate travels under water. In 2011, Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group, embarked on a project to get to the deepest part of the sea.

Virgin Oceanic announced plans to take a solo piloted submarine to the deepest points in each of the world's five oceans – the first time such a feat has ever been attempted and was successful. Virgin has also built Necker Nymph, an amphibious vehicle that can travel underwater to depths 130 feet below the ocean's surface, and can carry one pilot and two passengers. You’ll wonder what discoveries and opportunities will be made and created when much more frequent traversing of the underwater space is embarked by almost everyone.

Very soon going to Mars will not just be restricted to what you watch on sci-fi films on TV. In 2008, Google and Virgin Group announced the launch of VIRGLE INC., a jointly owned and operated venture dedicated to the establishment of a human settlement on Mars. Wondered what the resources on Planet Mars are and how we will soon be able to harness them

The internet has been remarkable in redefining the way we live, work, study and obtains degrees, share knowledge, buy and sell, and access almost resource. We attest to the fact that billionaires globally had leveraged one way or the other on the internet to make and continue to sustain their wealth. With smart phones, tablets and PDA devices, we are currently experiencing a quantum shift in the way we live, work, transact business, have access to information and I dare add, prosper. From Mark Zukerberg(Facebook), Larry Page and Sergey Brin(Google); Billionaire “Netprenuers” to the Seun Osewa(Nairaland), Uche Eze(Bella Niaja) and Linda Ikeji; fast rising Nigerian young millionaire “Netprenuers”, we see a huge shift in the span of time to create new market space and become wealthy.

Yet the lingering questions for me are these; In a world of such abundance, why are we still lacking? Why do we have poverty still ravaging some parts of the earth? Why do we have people living on less than a dollar a day? Why are we still struggling for peace and prosperity on the earth? Why do we have such huge gap between the opportunities that abound and our access to them?

 These are many more questions I intend to x-ray in Iremide in the coming weeks. I crave we join this discourse. Who knows! We may jointly lower the gap. We may put a man on Mars much faster than we think. We may end up doing unimaginable lofty things when we open our minds to it.