I claimed in the movie that the energy we use is solar energy--it is just that most of it is STORED solar energy. According to the video, the only way to get to a society where we can live on our solar income is to invest in technology built with our solar capital.
This may sound a bit complex for children but it was VERY easy to bring these ideas down to that level. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
Moreover, if energy producing assets are kept in Trust/Community Ownership, with Investor and Manager Partners receiving proportional shares and the balance remaining with the Community, then we could see an "Energy Dividend" or basic Energy Income to all.
In fact I am not the only one to advocate an International Energy Clearing Union, but I believe that this is the logical candidate for the basis of global trade in the future when the dollar reaches the end of the road.
Domestic trade, I think, will be based upon the flows of property rentals.
But in both cases we are essentially talking about monetary flows - of "Dynamic Value", where "Value" is "Money's Worth" such as energy. "Any economic unit can emit money. The serious problem is to get it accepted" Hyman Minsky
This is why USA can get away with recklessly "printing" more currency. So long as a dollar can still buy oil, it is valuable. (If you want to read the whole argument, follow the links to the book below.)
This situation with the USA dollar is absurd, of course. But I really LIKE the idea that money is some sort of representative of energy. Because this means that whenever we can gather solar energy in some physically efficient manner (such as with wind turbines) we are doing more than inventing a solution for atmospheric carbon overload, we are also validating the currency. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
