In Vaclav Smil’s book: How the World Really Works, he argues that modern society isn’t possible without cement, steel, plastics, and ammonia.

There’s no conceivable present or future where we don’t need increasing amounts of these building blocks, and all are heavily reliant on fossil fuels.

These days, we’re all mired in an onslaught of digital problems and digital solutions. We tend to lose sight of the big picture.

I’m reminded of a line in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist: “The Secret of Happiness lies in looking at all the wonders of the world and never forgetting the two drops of oil in the spoon.”

This means yes, we should focus on all the many wonders of our digital age. But we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that every great advancement in AI is backed by a giant, fossil-fuel-guzzling super plant.

Can we embrace the miracles of our technology, while still remembering that we are sustained by the finite resources of a pale blue dot, drifting through space?