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The Macroindustrial Era: A New Age of Abundance and Prosperity
As seen in:

We are not moving into an Information Age, but rather a Macroindustrial Age of turbocharged economic and technological growth.

By Michael Zey
(The Futurist - March-April 1997)

We are entering a time in which humankind will develop an enhanced ability to solve the majority of economic, social, and technological problems that have heretofore plagued our species. I label this period the Macroindustrial Era.

This exciting stage of societal development has already begun; developments in fields such as manufacturing, space, and medicine, as well as a general improvement in the human condition on a global scale, attest to the birth of a new age that will afford us a great ability to control our future.

Why the name "Macroindustrial"? The term macro refers to anything that exists on a large scale. This certainly seems an appropriate label for an era in which humanity will be extending, expanding, and enhancing not only its productive capabilities but its very presence in the universe. The second part of the term, industrial, refers to the fact that production of tangible objects of value will be our central activity in this emerging era. This is in direct contradiction to the currently popular belief (as held by Alvin Toffler, John Naisbitt, and others) that we are moving into an Age of Information.

Hyper Building, a proposed 1,000-meter-high mixed-use building for Tokyo, designed by ecological architect Paolo Soleri. Large-scale construction will be possible - and necessary - for the coming Macroindustrial Era, says author Michael G. Zey.

A few general characteristics separate this nascent era from all previous human experience.

First, this era will witness humanity extending its domination in six separate dimensions: Time, space, quantity, quality, size, and scope.

Third, and possibly most important, in this era we will finally gain control over the forces that have relentlessly buffeted us for the entire span of human existence. We will develop an enhanced ability to control and direct the development of nature and ourselves.

During the Macroindustrial Era, we will live better, longer lives. More importantly, the very definition of "the good life" will itself be expanded.

Time in the Macroindustrial Era

The first dimension over which humanity will extend it control during the Macroindustrial Era is time. For example, we are radically extending the human life-span. Breakthroughs in medicine, surgery, and biotechnology will enable humans to live well past the age of 100.

The Human Genome Project is making it possible to locate the genes that control our abilities and disabilities, like Alzheimer's disease and cystic fibrosis. In some cases, we are already proceeding to the next logical step, replacing these defective genes with healthy ones. As we perfect techniques to modify our genetic makeup, we will extend the human life-span and thereby dramatically increase the amount of time each individual possesses to make his or her unique contribution to society.

Human beings will expand time in other ways. The introduction of superfast transport will enable individuals to expend less time traveling and devote more time to accomplishing other goals. The supertrain, operating at speeds of 300 miles per hour, will greatly transform our concept of "commuting time," allowing us more time for work and leisure. In the United States, Amtrak has recently announced that it will begin a high-speed rail system connecting New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C., in 1998.

The United States, Japan, and Russia all have on their drawing boards hypersonic aircraft, which will reduce flying time between places like Japan and New York to under two hours.

The transportation issue provides a good example of the fundamental philosophical difference between the"Information Age" concept and Macroindustrial Era idea. Proponents of the Information Age concept claim that the main goal of our society should be the rapid transmission of information from one site to another. But I believe that the major focus of society in the Macroindustrial Era will be the quick and efficient transportation of people from one continent to another. This new era will require rapid relocation of members of the work force - engineers, managers, laborers - to work on construction projects, help build and nurture local business, and transfer needed skills and technologies to other regions. Moreover, if individuals are to become truly global citizens who appreciate other cultures and cooperate across borders, they must have the opportunity to personally visit other countries and interact with their inhabitants.

We also measure time in terms of how long it takes us to accomplish tasks. Emerging technological developments will transform the dimension of time by allowing us to achieve our objectives more quickly and with less effort. Soon, robots will perform the menial tasks of the hamburger flipper and hospital orderly. Humans will be liberated, able to spend their time performing higher-level tasks.

Space in the Macroindustrial Era

The next major change in the Macroindustrial Era is humanity's extension into and domination of both the inner and outer reaches of physical space. Even now, countries are planning joint missions to Mars and the moon to establish permanent space colonies, and unmanned missions are probing deeper into the outer regions of the solar system and beyond. In early 1996, Japan announced its long-range vision for space exploration, such as its intention to construct a moon base and, eventually, a Mars colony.

Mars colony (artist's concept), with details on how humans could produce their own fuel and oxygen. In the Macroindustrial Era, we will extend and dominate the outer reaches of space.

The extension of mankind's spatial influence is not exclusively relegated to interplanetary travel. In an effort to extend human existence down to the subterranean level, humanity is beginning to burrow underneath the earth's surface. For instance, Japan has already broken ground to construct "Alice Cities," large urban centers a hundred feet below the earth's surface, replete with shopping centers, offices, homes, and power plants. Such macroprojects signal a fundamental change in the very definitioin of real estate.

The species has continued its penetration and control of the inner space of matter itself. In a 1959 speech, Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman suggested that we might one day create materials from the "bottom up," starting from the most rudimentary forms of matter. Now, the field of nanotechnology has emerged, and it will eventually allow us to build materials, houses, even new skin and body parts, one atom at a time.

Overcome Scarcities

In the Macroindustrial Era, we will overcome limits in the area of quantity. A variety of sophisticated and advanced technologies will create food, resources, and products in such quantities that we will move into a new age of abundance. In the next era, the only "quantity" problem facing business will be that of overproduction, not scarcity.

A number of mind-boggling innovations will make what I label macromanufacturing possible. One of these, the cybernetic factory, combines computers and robotics to turn out high quantities of goods, from radios to surgical equipment. Another innovation, magnetic machinery, involves devices whose parts never touch as they float in electromagnetic fields. This lack of friction allows them to operate at ultrahigh speeds with almost no wear and tear.

The production of a higher quantity of goods depends on the availability of a powerful and reliable energy source. The macromanufacturing machines will use fusion energy systems, which will dwarf the output of oil and coal generating plants.

Food will also be produced in abundance. Through biotechnology and genetic engineering, we will be able to produce massive amounts of food, very often in climates and soil that would have been considered totally inhospitable to the growing of any crop. These technolgies will enable us to mass produce almost any food, vegetable, or livestock, anywhere we desire.

We cannot overstate the humanitarian effect of this increase in the quantity of goods. For the first time in human history, the world's population will be wll fed, well clothed, and comfortably housed. And a very large population could be served - perhaps 40 to 50 billion people or more.

A chair built from the atom up is currently only possible in a computer-generated image. In the Macroindustrial Era, nanotechnology will be used to "sculpt" everyday objects as well as things we have yet to dream up.

A Quality Revolution

The very same technologies that will make possible the breakthroughs in quantity will also deliver a higher state of quality. Biotechnology will enable researchers to develop more nutritious and tastier foods, and macroengineering will be capable of producing customized, high-quality goods with little retooling. The Calgene Corporation's genetically engineered tomato is a good example of this type of advancement.

New discoveries in material science will also enhance the quality of products. Nanotechnology will enable the development of wholly new advanced materials that are more durable, resilient, and adaptable. Many people have already benefited from early innovations in materials science applied to such products as tennis rackets, golf clubs, and clothing.

The next step may be smart materials that can autonomously adapt to enviromental conditions. Researchers are attempting to infuse artificial nerves and muscle into inorganic materials, giving them a crude sort of intelligence. For example, the Air Force is sponsoring work on an adaptive helicopter rotor that can sense and stiffen in response to turbulence. There is also talk of developing a "stealthy" material for submarine hulls that would flex to change shape and reduce underwater turbulence.

In the Macroindustrial Era, the enhancement of the quality dimension will extend to human intelligence, facilitated by increased education. As we shall discover, the time draws near when science will not be the exclusive domain of academics or professional biologists and physicists. Rather, innovations in computer and information technology will empower the nonspecialist to experiment on concepts and designs that may eventually be incorporated into the scientific knowledge base. In this new era, everyone will have the opportunity to become a scientist - biologist, physicist, engineer. They will be compelled to participate firsthand in the scientific enterprise as computers and other technologies enable them to design their own communities and cure diseases faster than the high priests of orthodox science have done in the past. Nonscientists have already become proactive in scientific issues, such as the fights against AIDS and nuclear proliferation.

True Globalization

The Macroindustrial Era will also witness the expansion of the scope of both production and consumption to global proportions. The benefits of the Macroindustrial Era will not be limited ot the West or the North but will extend to the West or the North but will extend throughout the planet. Terms like "Third World" or the "industrialized sector" will become obsolete, as all countries become equal contributors to human progress.

This will occur because the current Third World countries will participate in the global economy as producers workers, and consumers. These developing countries realize that, in order to enjoy the fruits of this emerging prosperity, they must cultivate the skills that this era requires. They can then exchange these skills on the world market for money and goods, thereby building their own base of wealth.

Bioengineered tomatoes fill a grocery's bins. The Macroindustrial Era will see vast improvements in both the quality and quantity of foods, says Zey.

Such countries are well on their way to accomplishing this goal. In terms of sheer numbers, the developing countries now have the work force that can contribute to the development of the human species. While the worldwide work force is growing dramatically - from 1.5 billion in 1970 to an estimated 2.7 billion by the year 2000 - the lion's share of that increase is in countries like China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Thailand, Mexico, and South Korea. The workers in the developing countries will be far younger than those in the United States, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom, and they are skilled and educated. For example, India now graduates more than any other English-speaking country.

One other factor will help enlarge the scope of production and consumption: the increasing worldwide expectations about the good life. There is global pressure to increase the standard of living, and emerging nations will not be denied what they perceive as their piece of an evergrowing pie. In other words, the demand for consumer goods has spread throughout the globe. All that is needed is a more prosperous Third World with the purchasing power to buy Western goods.

Colossal Construction Projects

Nothing stands as a trademark of the Macroindustrial Era more than the redefinition of the concept of size. Many of the projects humanity will embark on in the Macroindustrial Era will inspire awe because of their sheer magnitude and immensity.

As if to confirm the fact that the torch of progress has been passed to the Macroindustrial generation, we continue to build larger skyscrapers. Chicago's 110-story Sears Tower is considered the world's tallest building, at over 1,400 feet in height, but Malaysia's new Kuala Lumpur City Center twin towers will measure somewhat taller. In 1998, a 1,500 foot, 114-story building in Chongqing, China, will be completed, and a proposed Houston tower will reach 1.3 miles high. These structures incorporate wholly new architectural principles that make them wind- and earthquake-resistant.

On the horizon are irrigation projects that will move bodies of water so large that their translocation will lead to the creation of new lakes. Japanese companies seeking to buy massive areas of land in central Australia will make this area inhabitable by using irrigation, desalinization, and other macrotechnologies. People are also creating new land masses where none existed before. Japan and Monaco are extending their limited geography by building artificial islands in the middle of oceans up to a million inhabitants.

International space programs and projects- such as space stations the size of football fields and space cities on the moon and Mars - will clearly establish new standards for the dimension of size in the Macroindustrial Era. But such projects pale by comparison to the process of terraforming. This novel concept refers to a process whereby we transform the atmosphere and living environment of a planet or other body so that it closely approximates living conditions on Earth. By doing so, we can establish permanent colonies throughout the solar system and eventually the galaxy.

The Macroindustrial Era redefinition of size will occur in two directions - the colossal and the miniscule. The nanotechnology revolution will enable the development of computers, assemblers, and machine parts the size of atoms and molecules, which will be used to build everything from spaceships to body parts. They may even play a role in cleaning toxic wastes and polluted oceans.

The Necessity Of Growth

This brings me to one of my major points about the necessity of growth. A recurring criticism of growth - be it industrial, economic, or technological - centers around its negative consequences. A good example of this is the tendency of economic and industrial growth to generate pollution. However, I contend that growth invariably provides solutions to any problems it introduces. The following examples will illustrate my point.

Although economic growth can initially lead to such problems as pollution and waste, studies show that, after a country achieves a certain level of prosperity, the pendulum begins to swing back toward cleaner air and water. In fact, once a nation's per capita income rises to about $4,000 (in 1993 dollars), it produces less of some pollutants per capita. The reason for this is quite simple: Such a nation can now afford technologies such as catalytic converters and sewage systems that treat and eliminate a variety of wastes.

According to Norio Yamamoto, research director of the Mitsubishi Research Institute, "We consider any kind of environmental damage to result from mismanagement of the economy." He claims that the pollution problems of poorer regions such as eastern Europe can be traced largely to their economic woes. Hence he concludes that, in order to ensure environmental safety, "we need a sound economy on a global basis."

Super highrises and underground cities are part of the Alice City concept under development in Japan. Macroindustrial growth will extend the dimensions of space in all directions - high in the sky and below the earth's surface.

Thus, the answer to pollution, the supposed outgrowth of progress, ought to be more economic growth. Such economic growth can be accelerated by any number of actions: the transfer of technology, the sharing of scientific know-how, and economic investment. The World Bank estimates that every dollar invested in developing countries will grow to $100 in 50 years. As their wealth increases, these countries can take all the necessary steps to invest in pollution-free cars, catalytic converters, and other pollution-free technologies, such as the cleanest of all current large-scale energy sources, nuclear power. They can also afford to invest in bioremediation - the utilization of viruses to literally eat such impurities as oil spills and toxic waste. Russia is actively growing and exporting microorganisms that eat radioactive and metallic wastes from such sources as uranium, plutonium, magnesium, and silver.

In this exciting new epoch of human development, the Macroindustrial Era, the primary emphasis will be on the production of material goods and tangible products. And this will only occur by the development and application of advanced technologies and the dissemination of scientific knowledge.

Of course, to achieve these goals a nation must have an "expansionary" culture that fosters progress and technological improvement and facilitates the development and nurturance of the workers and scientists who must be the creators of the new technology of the Macroindustrial Era. Such a society will have a strong sense of purpose and a vision of the future to serve as its goal and as a guidepost for advancement.

Implications for Individuals in the Macroindustrial Era

Breakthroughs and innovations of Macroindustrial Era will dramatically improve the quality of life and work. For example, high-speed rail systems, by greatly reducing the commuting time between major cities, will enable a New Yorker to work in Washington or Boston without changing residence. Rapid transportation systems will also help us maintain more frequent physical contact with family and friends than we enjoy today.

The lengthening of the human lifespan will have an even more astonishing impact on the individual. People who expect to live healthy lives last 150 to 200 years naturally will have a greater sense of personal well-being. Individuals will develop a greater sense of responsibility for the future of their society. It is hard to imagine the citizenry racking up a huge national debt when it is they, not future generations, who will have to pay off the interest a century hence. And society will greatly benefit from the presence for the first time in history of individuals endowed with both the wisdom of old age and the energy and vibrancy of youth.

But perhaps what will change most in this new era will be the role of the individual in the emerging society. In the Macroindustrial Era, society can no longer depend on a relative handful of technicians, scientists, and theoreticians to successfully plan and implement grandiose projects such as space colonization, the construction of mile-high cities, and the development of new energy systems. Ordinary people will now be asked to contribute their skills to the process of innovation and scientific discovery; they will be transformed from information consumers to knowledge producers.

Of course, a wellspring of new technologies - CD-ROMS, virtual reality, the Internet, and distance learning - will make it easier for even the nonscientist to contribute creatively to the scientific enterprise in this bold new era. However, to develop the ability to play this productive role, we must be willing to invest in a process of continual training and skill building that I label purposive self-development.

The Macroindustrial Era is advancing much more quickly than many of us suspect. To succeed in this era, countries cannot take a "wait and see" attitude toward technological growth. They will be compelled to aggressively adopt, develop, utilize, and market new technologies. The message is clear: Any nation that does not prepare for the future will end up living in the past!