When it comes to energy,
we have a long way to go
before our utility bills
become a thing of the past.
On the Kardashev scale
we're still a Type 0 civilization,
but we're closer than ever
to harnessing Earth's energy.
So, what would it take for us
to become a Type II,
or stellar civilization?
If you're new to the Kardashev scale,
to put it simply,
it's a way to measure a civilization's
level of technological advancement
based on the amount
and types of energy that it can use.
As a type 0 civilization,
we are a sub-global culture.
Meaning, we still get the majority of our energy
from organic sources,
like wood,
coal,
and oil.
In order to reach Type I,
we'll have to master the use
of all the forms of energy on Earth,
not just fossil fuels.
With many advancements in solar,
wind,
hydro
and geothermal power,
we're almost there.
To earn a Type II rating on the scale,
we'd need to be able to use
all the power of our Sun.
So, what could we do with it?
In order to become a Type II
or stellar civilization,
we'll need to build a massive swarm
of energy collecting satellites around the Sun,
You can learn more about this in our other video,
What If We Built a Dyson Sphere Around Our Sun?
But before we start building,
we'll have to improve
a lot of things here on Earth.
There are many potential dangers to humanity
that could stop us in our tracks,
including climate change,
war,
pandemics,
and even asteroids.
Speaking of asteroids,
NASA's been hard at work
devoloping their DART project,
In 2021, NASA will launch the DART satellite
on a collision course
with the near-Earth asteroid Didymoon,
which orbits the larger
and more threatening asteroid, Didymos.
This collision will increase
Didymoon's orbital speed by about 4 minutes,
which is just enough time
to alter the larger asteroid Didymos' trajectory
away from Earth.
creating the first artifical meteor shower.
If this proves to be a successful defense
against threatening asteroids,
it could help us pave the way
to becoming a Type I civilization,
and eventually Type II, if we're lucky.
Mind you, if we had the power
of our entire Sun at our fingertips,
we could simply vaporize
any potential threats to our planet.
In fact, we could move Earth
out of harm's way, if we wanted to.
Theoretically, we could control the orbits
of everything in our Solar System.
Using a Dyson Swarm could also make
other planets more habitable.
With the help of these solar satellites,
we could carefully control
any planet's temperature
by redirecting the Sun's energy.
We could start terraforming nearby planets
to give us new places to live.
This would even let us
take interplanetary vacations.
Anyone up for a ski trip to Mars?
In fact, why stop at Mars?
With limitless solar energy at our disposal,
we could travel
almost anywhere in our Solar System.
Technology, at this point,
would likely make space travel available
and affordable to everyone.
Right now, a ticket to space
could cost anywhere from
$250,000
to tens of millions of dollars.
Yeesh, so much for my mortgage.
We might even be able to solve
our climate change problems
by partially shading the Earth
with the Dyson sphere,
giving us time to heal
and rebuild our atmosphere.
With no more air pollution from fossil fuels,
we'd be a much healthier and happier species.
But before you breathe easy,
we have a lot of work to do here on our Earth
before we even become a Type I civilization.
And as you may have guessed,
that's a story for another What If.