The Prologue Blog
A Blog by Dr. Alexander Mirtchev
- Episode 11: The Making of a Megatrend – The Ethical Imperative
Ethical considerations have become increasingly integrated into the technologies of the 5th Industrial Revolution, including those driving the alternative energy megatrend. The megatrend is provided with added momentum by increasingly powerful moral imperatives as it embodies an inherent “goodness” and “moral superiority.” - Episode 10: The Making of a Megatrend – New Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, and the Delayed Arrival of the Future
Reading news headlines, I can’t decide if I am living in an episode of The Jetsons, Star Trek, or a prequel to The Terminator. What’s clear is that we are in the midst of significant technological leaps; leaps that will come with both great promise and cascading consequences. As discussed in prior episodes, The Prologue is an exploration and analysis of the drivers that form the alternative energy megatrend. The advances of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence give the alternative energy megatrend momentum and ensure its longevity. However, despite advances, there is a relative impatience with the alternative… Read more: Episode 10: The Making of a Megatrend – New Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, and the Delayed Arrival of the Future - Episode 9: The Making of a Megatrend – Economic Security at the Top of National Security Agendas
Although The Prologue was published over a year ago, many of the concepts discussed in the book are more relevant than ever. Drivers of the alternative energy megatrend: geopolitics, energy security, and environmental security (to name just three) have been thrust center stage as the world faces new 21st century post-pandemic realities and great power aggression. Economic security is another driving force of the alternative energy megatrend, as illustrated by the growing importance of affordable and accessible energy to avert crises and promote stable economic growth. The war in Ukraine has created energy supply disruptions, resulting in energy price… Read more: Episode 9: The Making of a Megatrend – Economic Security at the Top of National Security Agendas - Episode 8: The Making of a Megatrend – Environmental Security Moves Center Stage
Since the Cold War, security has evolved from the security of the state and its resources to a broader sense that goes beyond the survival of nations. Today, security encompasses the environment, the economy, global health, cyber, biosecurity, demographic pressure and immigration, transnational crime, water and food security, and human rights. The alternative energy megatrend is both a technological and a social phenomenon that reflects the increasing ability of society to impose its will on security agendas, particularly on environmental security. That brings us to the question: what is the relevance of the alternative energy megatrend when it comes… Read more: Episode 8: The Making of a Megatrend – Environmental Security Moves Center Stage - Episode 7: The Making of a Megatrend – Defense Transformation
From wind and coal to oil and electricity, energy use in military operations has been a dominant strategic and tactical consideration since ancient times. The invention of the steam and internal combustion engines made warfare significantly more energy-intensive, allowing for rapid movement and maneuvering capabilities by ever-larger motorized military formations. Renewables’ contribution to the reshaping of the global energy mix provides a new perspective from which to consider future risks and the nature and sources of conflict. The 21st-century transformation of defense sectors is prompted by a radical shift in the nature of threats, including widespread technological advances, increasingly asymmetrical… Read more: Episode 7: The Making of a Megatrend – Defense Transformation