I believe sustainable energy production and electric vehicles are two of the most important frontiers of the next 25 years (and probably beyond). The more I learn about Elon Musk and his companies, the more I believe he might just be the man to lead us into a new historical era in the same way that men like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford ushered us into the industrial era.
This article from Wait but Why built a great argument for Musk’s contribution to history and it made me want to start dialogue with as many people as possible about these issues…
So I wrote this letter in an email to my extended family in the hopes of engaging them in a conversation about the future. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we should be having this conversation in more than just family settings.
So today, I want to share it with you too.
I’ve become increasingly convinced of the importance of sustainable energy to build a path forward for humans to continue to exist on earth. In fact, I believe it is the single most important issue of my generation, closely followed by a number of other issues (which I’m happy to talk about some other time).
Before you dismiss me as a “liberal young person” or someone who doesn’t really understand the issues, or someone brainwashed by liberal media I hope you’ll consider that I’ve spent many hours researching and digging to get to the bottom of what’s actually going on in the world. I’ve spent hours sitting alongside CEOs of the world’s largest companies and presidents of nations and leaders of international organizations, having conversations about the issues ahead of us as a species. I don’t watch news on TV, so I’m able to seek out information from many different sources without being subjected to the same angle over and over from go-to channels.
This is not a politicized rant about climate change. This is an honest appeal to the people I care about most to consider that maybe, just maybe, we have a real responsibility. A responsibility to elect leaders and support companies who are building a future that will allow my kids and grandkids to make it through life without the world erupting into resource wars or facing the constant threat of disease.
So, with that in mind, I’d ask that you read this article (it should take anywhere from 45–90 minutes). It’s the most well-rounded, down-to-earth, well-researched argument for electric vehicles (and alternative energy) I have ever read. Written by a common guy on the street without a political agenda and without funding from political parties or corporations to fuel his content.
If you want it in fiscal conservative terms, sustainable energy will build a better business climate where the threats are smaller and people are less in survival mode (aka more able to concentrate on wants than needs). If you want it in liberal terms, the environment is fragile and plants and animals deserve our stewardship and our children should inherit a better earth than we had. If you want it in social conservative terms, God put us as humans in control of the physical world and gave us the responsibility of protecting it. We’ve done the opposite of that to this point in our industrial history.
In other words, there’s an argument for environmental sustainability and lessening our impact on our one and only planet, regardless of your belief system.
I’d love for us to have an open conversation amongst family about these issues. You are the people that matter most to me and if we can’t talk about these issues openly with family… if we can’t acknowledge our lack of understanding, our questions, and our doubts with the people who love us most… then we have much bigger problems than those on any political agenda.
So I hope this will be the start of an open dialogue here, and that it will lead to a growth of understanding for all of us. Hit reply once you’ve read and let us know what you think / what questions you have / what further research we should do to understand this better.
If you want to have a conversation about this topic, shoot me an email. I’d love to hear from you. It’s important that we start talking about issues that matter and stop being constantly tricked into anxiety and survival mode by fear-based news and marketing messages. It’s the only way forward, really.
Thanks to Jimmy Forbes for the inspiration for today’s post.