Smart Motorways, EROEI, Quality, and the Broken Democratic Process.
It is being recognised that the 'experiment' in increasing the carrying capacity of the SystemUK motorway network is looking likely to end in minimal increased capacity, if any, due to foreseeable safety issues. However, it is not the intention of this article to dwell on these. Instead I will focus on its implications for a society that does not recognise that it is increasingly resource constrained.
What this situation highlights at SystemUK level is, put concisely, a broken democratic process that has no inbuilt in-process control, process learning or process improvement mechanism at system level. We can call this BigQ and define it as that which
maximises the Essential Value available to Society over time at continually reducing Loss to Society.
Massive projects such as this are being undertaken without any form of independently assessed 'Essential Value and Resource Intensity Impact Assessment'. Without consideration for the minimisation of the Resource Intensity of Mobility at SystemUK level.
We, as a Society, continue to think and act as if resources, are continually increasing in availability, consistent in Quality, and will always be available a price we can afford, which is not the case. We continue to think that our democratic process, which evolved during a period when this appeared to be the case (although it never was), can deal with this reality without being rethought.
We clammer for a 'Green Transition' that is a chimera; when it is an ESSENTIAL VALUE Economy we must enable.
This graph gives the lie to this dream, as we see the Green Transition we are seeking will rely on exponentially decreasing 'Energy Quality' as it tends to ever reducing Net Energy to do useful work from the renewable sources we dream we can harness effectively and affordably.
As a society, SystemUK, we cannot afford to continually squander constrained resources of time, ingenuity and energy on debacles like Smart Motorways without ensuring, on a balance of probabilities, that they create 'Integrated Essential Value' for Society at continually reducing 'Loss to Society'.
This is at its heart, a massive Quality Improvement Process at system level. Repeat Link
Ex UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown has just stated today in the Guardian that SystemUK is in danger of becoming a 'failed state' due to failings in the democratic process.
Integrated Management Community past chair.
3 年Derek, some resources can constrain while others may not. I agree we need to use them more intelligently and creatively. Humankind learns from experiment (trial and error) and is often painful because of our ignorance and lack of wisdom. Self-serving behaviours often dominate over enlightened thinking. I believe it is wise to prototype, test and evaluate before rolling out policy, innovation etc on the grand scale. Everything is conceived, planned and implemented and judged on the level of human consciousness and this is the area which is super critical and needs management attention. Human consciousness is an infinite resource that can be tapped to solve all problems. Integrated Management is essential flourishes the higher the level of individual and group consciousness.