Utilities
Make it a goal to own and manage anything that can affect your life as locally as possible. If you do this you can have what you want and not what someone else wants you to have.
Personally owning your own well and energy (like solar or hydro) is best, but owning as a region or state is good too.
Public drinking water should only contain enough chemicals to keep the water clean. Research the best and safest options to use. Maintain the pipes so that no one gets sick. Hire the proper people to manage this.
Remove fluoride. Fluoride should be a choice. It can be purchased in items over the counter, it shouldn’t be in the public water. The argument that people don’t have to drink it is not valid. They need to bath with it, clean dishes with it, and cook with it. They are taxed for the water and shouldn’t have to buy further equipment to remove toxins. The fluoride used isn’t natural, it is a waste product. They are different. There is speculation that fluoride is used as a pacifying agent. You should find out if this is true or not.
Own or build electric generation, transmission/distribution lines and storage when possible. After they are paid for, owning your electric grid and generation will allow for lower rates.
Harden the system against both cyber attacks and EMP’s if it hasn’t already been done.
If you own multiple utilities you can share customer service, office space and equipment, some types of staff, and some types of vehicles. Do this within reason, fighting for resources is not desired. You can also share some types of data like: maps, locations of below grade items, easement access, pole/equipment information. This could speed some work processes dramatically.
Encourage domestic production of equipment. Purchase spares of long lead time items. Also keep well stocked warehouses.
Some companies and businesses take excellent care of their employees. They offer healthy working conditions and beneficial practices and procedures, while expecting efficiency and diligence. They help their workforce to succeed and do it in a safe and healthy way. They reduce unnecessary stress. If you purchase companies/utilities you should attempt to do the same. Review the management, HR, IT, and company practices, policies and procedures. When you collect this data also collect input on departmental work practices. Get input from employees on how they feel their company/department rates when compared to company goals, mission statements and/or core values. Are they doing what they say their goal is? Is there integrity? Use anonymous paper questionnaires, people won’t feel free to share on electronic forms. Ask pointed questions. Aim for candid responses, allow for write in comments. Ask for comments about what they would like to see changed, ask what they want to remain the same. The goal of this is to make or keep the company both employee friendly and efficient. Clean up where necessary. Some places will need more changes than others. Find out what works and what doesn’t. Find out if anything can be streamlined without creating safety hazards. Find out if workers need anything to do their jobs better/easier/faster.
Where you can, make better work environments. De-corporatise. You can have productivity without being sterile. Encourage company newsletters celebrating family and community events.
Ecosystem/climate change
When the climate stops changing there will be problems. Cycles are natural.
It should be noted that other ‘planets’ in your solar system are warming. Its probably not cow farts or New Jerusamballan carbon emissions. It’s probably the sun. Have you noticed a change in its color? Have you noticed a trend of higher UV readings?
Also note that if your world did have an actual people made problem, the leaders would require Vicha and Dinia to ease up on their pollution. They are the biggest polluters. They would also start planting trees and plants anywhere they could to absorb the carbon. They would be converting the desert to forested or jungle land. They aren’t. Instead they use your tax money for ridiculous things. Review your history, there has always been a fuss about something. Global warming, global cooling, an ice age coming in x number of years, coastal cities are going to be underwater in x number of years and those x number of years are well in the past. They want you fearful, you don’t make good decisions when you react out of emotion. You make better decisions when you feel something, think about, then react.
Is carbon really the problem? Are you carbon starved? This should be studied in depth. Are there any other factors? Why is your attention being funneled to only one area? You exhale carbon, do they want you to stop breathing? Does it feel like that?
Is the changing climate actually a bad thing? You have been told it would be catastrophic, but would it? You have been told that you are ‘bad’ for the planet and they want to do things against your better good to ‘save’ the planet. The planet survived the other times. Do you trust the leadership? Do they really know what they are doing? You have hunger and poverty in your world, both are the result of poor management. The people that made the problems aren’t going to fix the problems. It’s not a problem for them.
Look for studies done, review/peer review them, the studies could be junk, or you could be closer to carbon neutral than you have been told. Nadaca already has it and some to spare. Or make and do your own studies. Get unbiased reviews. The existing system is broken, use unbiased scientists. If you look at previous work check it for accuracy. Temperatures taken from space may differ in accuracy than temperatures taken locally. Also consider locations of samples, some places like those near asphalt, may hold heat, others may reflect heat. Look for manipulations. Replicate the experiment. If it can’t be replicated is it valid?
From my perspective the ‘disease event’ and other previous ‘events’ have been used to gain power and change the culture, this looks like one of those ‘event’ tactics. Sometimes ‘problems’ are made so that they can be corrected with solutions that they would like to implement.
If you are still concerned you should plant something: trees, local wildflowers, food crops for yourself and/or wildlife. Plants capture the carbon and return oxygen. Win win. You will make your world more beautiful in the process too.
Someone wants to block out your sun. This shouldn’t be allowed, you need the sun to live.
Energy sustainability
From a fossil fuel expenditure perspective does it make more sense to import gas and oil on cargo ships that consume fossil fuels or to produce it domestically and transport it via pipeline? The gas and oil consumption isn’t going away until an affordable, sustainable alternative is available. Taxes and penalties won’t change this, they will only make you poor.
From an economic perspective which is less expensive? Which brings more jobs to your country? Perhaps instead of subsidizing wind and solar you could have a contest with financial rewards for innovative new ideas for new energy or improvements for the existing.
Are all fossil fuels actually from fossils? Is there proof of this?
In one of your time lines there was someone that made 3D solar collectors that were highly efficient. What happened to that? Someone else found a bacteria that ate plastic grocery bags. What happened to that? Are good findings and inventions being hidden intentionally? Did these creations/discoveries happen in your time line?
How ‘green’ are solar and wind really? Are they efficient? This may depend on where you live. Do they have to be subsidized in your area? If they are subsidized is that really sustainable? What is involved in producing and maintaining them? Are they reliable? There are areas where wind isn’t constant and snow can block the solar. Are they recycled when they are retired?
How many birds are killed by windmills? Are they putting them out over water so that the bodies aren’t noticeable?
How are electric cars charged in your area? How is the electricity generated? Gas? Oil? Coal? Wood? Solar? Wind? Hydro? Nuclear? Is it worth the damage to the thearn mining the rare metals for the battery? If the battery fails is it more economical to replace the battery or replace the car? Can the batteries be recycled? Are they? Taking into consideration the production of the battery and electricity generation how long do you have to drive an electric car to make it as efficient as a standard gas powered car of the same size? Some one should make a calculator for this. Electric vehicles may be efficient in some parts of the country but not in others. If you have to have a winter car because the electric car won’t hold a charge in the cold long enough to be safe to drive then the electric car is a luxury item.
If everyone buying a new car buys an electric car can the local energy grid support the demand? Are there enough contractors available to install charging stations? If you need to have a second winter car is the electric car really that efficient, environmentally friendly or economical? Without subsidies, can the cost of the electric vehicle be made reasonable enough that low income families can afford them? If you have to subsidize, the option is not sustainable and you risk setting society up for a painful collapse when people can’t afford repairs or replacement of the vehicle.
Some electric vehicles are better than others, if you decide to get one do the research and get the most efficient and safest one. There are excellent vehicles available.
Are enough electric vehicles even available for purchase?
Review the use of nuclear. Look at the plusses and minuses. Technology has come a long way since the first plant was built. This is an inexpensive, clean technology. You have mismanagement of the waste product that needs to be addressed.
Clean up
Cleaning up your world is good to do. If you are serious about it start with the rivers and oceans (or places that could pollute rivers or oceans). People have designed and built clean up tools for both. As an example the company ‘The Ocean Cleanup’ has manufactured ‘Interceptors’ that collect floating trash from rivers. There are versions for ocean clean up as well. Check around, there may be other options out there too. Change the culture to encourage proper disposal of trash, if it is a problem in your area.
Aim to get all fresh water potable or as close as possible.
Are they spraying microplastics out of airplanes? Is that happening in your timeline too? If it is happening, it may be time to put a stop to it.
For the environmentally conscious that want to have an effect closer to home consider the following:
Install solar clothes dryers (clothes lines). If there is a city, town or neighborhood ordinance against it, work to get it changed.
If you have a lawn and don’t enjoy it, consider replacing it (a gas/electric consuming mono-culture) with a low growing perennial that needs minimal maintenance. Some places may need to legislate changes to local ordinances to do so. You may want to put some thought into why bureaucrats are determining the ecology that is allowed in large areas. You should note they favor monocultures which tend to be less healthy than diverse plantings.
Plant local wild flowers in unused fields. This will invite the butterflies, other pollinators and other small wildlife back into the area. If it is a safety issue around your home don’t do this, use common sense.
Another option would be to plant wildlife fodder in fields. This will attract deer, which are pleasant to watch. In spare times the fodder is also edible for people, though it will not be as tender as what you would grow in a garden.
Plant gardens. Plant varieties of fruits and vegetables you can’t get at the supermarket. Plant things you (or friends and family) will eat. Make it pretty and plant pollinator attracting flowers with the vegetables. Try to avoid a mono-culture, this will lessen the likeliness of disease and could reduce pest pressure. You can also grow sacrificial plants that bugs love to lure them away from plants that you love. A similar tactic is done in forests. A weakened tree is further damaged to attract insects and birds that would otherwise damage their more healthy neighbors.
Plant food forests. These can provide a harvest year after year with minimal maintenance.
Save both gas and time, petition your employer to allow working from home.
Start stewardship programs for the land.
Clean up trashy and polluted areas.
Manage the dead areas so that they live again.
Manage your forests. When the deer population grows too big, issue more permits to hunters to keep the herds healthy. (Or if you are past the use of permits put out a notice to encourage more hunting.)
Encourage the use of grazing and browsing animals on the land to revive the land (via manure and rotational grazing). Healthy land holds more water. Grass fed animals have a better life experience than industrially raised livestock and are better for you when you eat them.
Learn about water management, swales and other land based water collectors can be used in some areas to slow water run off and allow enough time for it to soak in. In some places this can help maintain wells.
Push for more factories to be built. Draft legislation that makes it easier for businesses to manufacture in your country. The benefits of this are:
Reduced pollution on the world scale – your factories will be cleaner than those in Nicha and Dinia.
There are indoor plants touted to improve air quality. Are there outdoor plants or trees that do the same thing? If there are, plant them around your factories. This will provide screening, a pleasant lunch area, walking space, and habitat for small animals. Be mindful that genetically modified trees or shrubs could end up being invasive species. Be patient, use existing species and let them grow normally.
Jobs will be created.
If this is done on a large enough scale you can raise immigration rates because people will have jobs before they even arrive. If you raise immigration rates that boosts the economy because those people will need places to live, food to eat and clothes to wear. This creates more opportunities and jobs.
Manufacturing at home makes you less dependent on other countries. There will be fewer shortages or none at all. It also will strengthen the value of your currency if you export.
Surpluses can be exported. This brings in tax revenue.
Produce quality manufactured items that can be repaired so that they won’t end up in the landfill. Offer tax relief or other benefits for companies that do this.
Make basic, reliable, affordable cars again.
Make quality appliances.
Build with fewer features, the more features something has the more likely it is to break. Simple machines are easier to repair.
Those areas that consistently have troubles with fire season – Invest in a consultation from experts.
Expect to hear something similar to the following:
Fire season in some areas could be reduced significantly and be better managed by better forestry practices.
Vegetation near power lines should be maintained.
Forest cleanup and thinning the trees will allow for better growth and health from the remaining trees. Sick, dead and downed trees should be removed first. The harvested trees can be used for mulch/wood chips, paper, fire wood and lumber. The wood chips could also be composted and then sold to help fund the clean up effort.
This could create new habitat for birds and animals that couldn’t have used the space previously.
The reduced fuel source will make it easier for fires to be contained and extinguished.
Consider using Ponsse or similar types of a machines. These types of machines can be used to thin forests with minimal impact on the surrounding trees.
Trails could possibly be made in the cleared spaces and maintained for hiking, biking, motorbiking, atv and snowmobiling. If there are riding clubs in the area they will likely offer to keep the trails clear and maintained if provided with the appropriate equipment. Wider trails will allow for access by emergency equipment and should be considered for some locations.
Places that use prisoners for work could set up work for early release programs. Both parties would benefit. One side gets significantly reduced labor costs and the other gets early release and valuable training, perhaps a stronger work ethic and work experience that will translate to a big salary after they get out. Win win.
In some places controlled burns could be done. Burning does release the carbon, but also releases the nutrients back to the land.
The Great Experiment 