How advanced are we as a civilisation?

Where is human civilisation on the Kardashev scale?

Famously, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku is known to regularly state that we are Type 0 on the Kardashev scale - we are still engaged in burning dead plants and animals for energy.

Looking at when we might achieve a Type I status on the scale we ourselves have designed, some hint might be found in the publications of the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook. The predictions of this organisation are that global energy demand will rise to 50% greater than current levels by 2030 – much of this in coal, oil and gas. According to some very speculative analysis, this would put as at 0.7 on the Kardashev scale.

Recently, Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel committee made their decision based on their opinion that efforts to make nations and individuals more responsible and aware of energy demand, consumption and the effects on the environment are necessary and essential to avoid future conflicts and wars over natural resources.

As mentioned earlier, it’s not necessary that the Kardashev scale is true or accurate - but it is certainly interesting as seed ground for debate. Perhaps the 2007 Nobel committee was not mistaken in it’s concern that conflicts may await on the horizon of the future. And with this in mind and taking a step further, perhaps there is a general rule which explains why we haven’t yet spotted any kind of extraterrestrial civilisation: that most of them don’t make the leap to a Type 1 civilisation without wiping themselves out.

For more information

Procedings of The Search for Extraterrestrial Life symposium - 1984
http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu

The World Energy Outlook
http://www.worldenergyoutlook.org/