"Dematerialization, smart phones, and smart grid"
From Knowledge Problem:
Do you have a smart phone? If so, list the functions you use on it:
phone, camera, video camera, alarm clock, calculator, notepad, address
book, maps, music player, and so on. This list scratches the surface,
and your list probably differs from mine. One small device that fulfills
many roles, substituting for several devices.
As Marian Tupy points out today in a Cato@Liberty post,
the smart phone is a versatile, powerful device that is also good for
the environment because its substitutability for so many things
contributes to dematerialization. Dematerialization is the process of
using fewer physical resources (materials and energy) per unit of output
or unit of economic activity. As she notes,
Dematerialization, in other words, should be welcome news
for those who worry about the ostensible conflict between the growing
world population on the one hand and availability of natural resources
on the other hand. While opinions regarding scarcity of resources in the
future differ, dematerialization will better enable our species to go
on enjoying material comforts and be good stewards of our planet at the
same time. That is particularly important with regard to the people in
developing countries, who ought to have a chance to experience material
plenty in an age of rising environmental concerns.
The post also has a way-cool graphic to reflect this idea; go check it out!...MORE
