this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2025
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Are humans (theoretically) at the point of post-scarcity? (hexbear.net)
submitted 2 months ago by CleverOleg@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net
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Meaning, are we as a species at a point of technological development where if we have a global revolution tomorrow, and make it our top priority as a species, we could provide every human with:

‘ -sufficient nutritious food to eat and water to drink

‘ -comfortable housing with a reasonable about of space for everyone

‘ -electricity and sewers

‘ -productive employment

‘ -quality heathcare

‘ -education

‘ -a modest amount of the “stuff” we all like: books, TV shows, live music, coffee, etc etc

And being able to do this in a way that is environmentally sustainable and at least arrests further erosion of the climate and natural environment.

When I look out at our productive capabilities as they stand now, my gut says this is possible but I really don’t know.

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[–] vovchik_ilich@hexbear.net 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

You are limited to about 48 kWh of energy usage/day

Per individual? That's an absolute fuckton (Spanish standards). My parents' home, a flat about 100m² (rather big), used to consume when we were 4 people some 11kWh of electricity per day, negligible heating. In winter, taking gas powered heating, that may add some 25kWh/day, and the house isn't even well insulated. I've never consumed that amount of energy, and proper home design.

That said, now I live in a flat with a friend and we don't have heating except in the office, where we spend most of our time using an AC unit as heatpump. This runs some 800-1000W peak power in winter, and we keep the office at a toasty 22°C.

Do 'Muricans REALLY use 12 KILOWATTS of power?!!?!?!?!

[–] towhee@hexbear.net 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Not per person, per capita. So for example the energy needed to transport all the food you buy to market or to manufacture all your shit is counted toward that total. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000-watt_society

Per that article Spanish people seem to use about 6000 W currently. Also if you take even a single flight per year it blows this budget up. The power generated by jet aircraft is actually astonishing.

[–] vovchik_ilich@hexbear.net 2 points 2 months ago

Gotcha, I thought it was household energy usage per capita, not total. That's a lot scarcer hahahs