I stumbled across a rather fascinating article/interview for sci-fi fans, via http://del.icio.us/popular. The piece talks about rating civilizations based on energy consumption, and discusses some of the implications as these civilizations become progressively more advanced.
An excerpt:
Currently, our energy output qualifies us for Type 0 status. We derive our energy not from harnessing global forces, but by burning dead plants (e.g. oil and coal). But already, we can see the seeds of a Type I civilization. We see the beginning of a planetary language (English), a planetary communication system (the Internet), a planetary economy (the forging of the European Union), and even the beginnings of a planetary culture (via mass media, TV, rock music, and Hollywood films). By definition, an advanced civilization must grow faster than the frequency of life-threatening catastrophes. Since large meteor and comet impacts take place once every few thousand years, a Type I civilization must master space travel to deflect space debris within that time frame, which should not be much of a problem. Ice ages may take place on a time scale of tens of thousands of years, so a Type I civilization must learn to modify the weather within that time frame.
If you have fond memories of reading novels from Isaac Asimov or Arthur C. Clarke, I think you’ll enjoy this article, How Advanced Can a Civilization Become?
