What would you do if you had free reign to save the world by any means you thought necessary? You have unlimited resources and unlimited money, with no-one allowed to tell you NOT to do something. I mean both socially and environmentally.

I've had many a discussion about this (I live with two MSc conservation & ecology students).

Here's what I would do:

- Build a saharan solar grid.

I reckon this would be pretty awesome. And don't stop at Europe, we could provide energy for Africa and Asia too. Though moving onto a later point, that might not be such a problem >.< The Americas and Australia would be able to support their own solar grid too, as they have enough desert for it to be practical. It is possible, with enough money, to replace ALL fossil fuels with renewable energy and I think it should be done. Recycling should be compulsory globally, and more money should be spent on making it easier to recycle rather than just throw things away.

- Make all new cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

Phase out internal combustion, looking to end fossil fuel consumption for road vehicles by 2025. Yeah it'll take a while, but if all the old cars are recycled we'll have an abundance of raw materials available.

- Sort out the overpopulation problem.

No link here. It's a little nazi-esque, and the nearest link I would be able to find would be a little inappropriate/offensive. I would round up everyone from Africa who had applicable skills/education/worth saving and move them into developed countries. Probably America as they have the space. Then all contact would cease with the continent (excepting, of course, the Saharan solar grid). External influence is a large contributing factor to the troubles over there. Return in 30 years. If they had sorted themselves out then begin efforts to bring them up to speed with the rest of the world. If they're still at war, starving, dying etc then blanket-bomb the entire continent; using biological weapons (Such as these) to ensure that the destruction from conventional explosives doesn't destroy the land.

I would also enforce a limit on children - 2. The one-child policy of China is stupid and will reduce the population too drastically. At least with my policy we'll be able to keep a decent level.

- Sort out the crime problem.

This goes hand in hand with the overpopulation problem too. Punishments should fit crimes; a prison system is totally unnecessary. Murderers should be killed, rapists killed, paedophiles killed, thieves forced to work as slaves for a limited time, violent criminals to work as slaves for the rest of their lives. It would contribute to cutting down over-population, would reduce unemployment (less people means more jobs, criminals won't get jobs that should go to others etc) and would deter crime. Zero tolerance is the most effective crime solution; there will always be crime but the harsher it is punished the less there will be. I know people will argue that the death sentence doesn't stop murder, but I think that's because there's so much paperwork and dicking around when dealing with a murderer. If they're caught on camera there should be no ceremony and imprisonment or trial, there should be an immediate termination of life. A couple of days should do it. The money saved from the reduction in the prison system would be put directly into the police service.

- War

Now in theory this would work. Though obviously people will always aspire to power, so it would have to rely on a careful balance of global power. All countries should have biological weapons. The first country to use any of these weapons would be attacked by all the others by default, no threats just action. Kinda like the current nuclear situation but without the horrible fallout that happens after a nuke is launched. Terrorist threats would be tackled easier - if the people living there don't stand up to the terrorists and hand them over then they'll be bombed along with them.

- Evolutionary stagnation.

With current health and safety laws, stupid people are not dying out and (let's face it) are breeding more than the intelligent people. Remove these laws and you'll find that it's the people with no common sense whatsoever who die when they stick their penis in a meat-mincer or jump off the top of the eiffel tower because there's no sign telling them how dangerous that would be. All of the world would attend compulsory education until the age of 18. Those who fail would be assigned manual labour jobs until they attend self-improvement courses (in their own time) and gain better qualifications. Those who do not would be released into the world to do as they wish, whether it be job-hunting or higher education. All forms of benefit would be stopped (except for benefit for the elderly who cannot work, and single parents who cannot afford to bring up their children) and the money would be spent on the education system instead. This sort of self-improvement will be what will make us become a better species, not gene therapy or anything like that.

I know a most of my measures are drastic/pretty nasty and would probably terrify many people but it's what I feel the world needs. With regards to my population solution, I don't condone the Nazis or what they did - their attempt at genocide was hatred/scapegoat motivated. My attempt is completely emotionless and on a much larger and horrific scale.

Anyone got any better solutions?

Abolish money.

Everyone is entitled to free housing, free utilities etc. Each citizen gets a "credit allowance" out of which they can "buy" non-essentials (to stop greed).

Everyone (except those who are not able) will be expected to do a job/learn a trade in return.

You can opt-out of this lovely system, but you lose all your entitlements too and must be self-sufficent.

I believe it's called Communism.

We will establish the United Federation of Planets and go boldly into our own solar system, until such time that we can travel beyond it in a reasonable amount of time.

boldly go.

Instantly vapourise everyone.

Voila! The end of all human suffering forever, and the planet would be happy. It's the final solution.

That really is the way forward, much better than the current fad of batteries.

Split infinitive FTL.

Hence "to go boldly".

+ .5
I'd vapourise everyone that I thought wouldn't respect what I was doing it for.
Which would still leave a lot of people left, I guess, but there'd be considerably less than there are now, which should help somewhat.

Mark

Regardless of the fact it's a split infinitive, it's the better choice, and I certainly appreciated the posting of it.
+1 leeds_manc.

Mark

Making every car run on a hydrogen fuel cell is all very well, but you need to solve the problem of where to get the hydrogen from in the first place. A solar grid may provide enough electricity for the population, but obtaining hydrogen involves the electrolysis of water, which needs a lot of power. So, to add to the list, make nuclear fusion work and develop tidal power - the most reliable source of renewable energy on the planet.

Its's too early in the morning.

I would make it so you had to have a license to produce children. This would be dependent on proving intellect, income, parental ability, etc etc. I dont believe everyone should be able to have children. The jobless/stupid/teens giving birth only to see those children do the same again and so it goes on. Whole generations of uneducated jobless benefit scroungers.

i would secretly taint all world-wide food/water supplies with cannabis. maybe if people werent so stressed out and angry they wouldnt fight so much

Population worries? Voluntary human extinction. http://www.vhemt.org/

Re. Crime. Zero tolerance is simply not the most effective crime solution. There will still be murders, theft, burglary and rape. Sorry.
All the proposed system would do would be to turn us into them.

Also, this suggestion that we could 'bring Africa up to speed with the rest of the world' is a nonsense. To get everyone in a third world nation to our present standard of living requires three times the amount of copper than the Earth has to offer. It's not going to happen. Secondly, I don't believe you can ignore the African continent and our reliance on it's mineral deposits for thirty years. (Clicky.)

As far as evolutionary stagnation - what else do we as a species need? I'd say we've got it pretty well sorted. There are lots of species who've apparently stopped evolving millions of years ago (so far as we can tell) and still happily go about their biological imperatives.

Get rid of degrees that aren't linked to careers for starters.

Turn the Sahara into a big solar panel, then enforce mandatory sterilisation to people in the African nations that can't support themselves, then expand the programme globally to problem families who are continuously on benefits despite being fit and healthy and whose kids are constantly "helping the police with their enquries" as well as the really stupid people...the people who need to be told that the coffee is going to be hot. I'd also bring back national service.

I'd ban soccer - the fans need to be segregated because they can't be trusted, they cost the tax payer a fortune in policing and vandalism and as far as I can see, any revenue it generates is absorbed by the clubs so they can continue to pay pompous wusses who are usually foreign and therefore inelligible for national team selection, far too much money. I'd introduce a "license to drink alcohol" that you must present when you go to a pub, restaurant, sporting event, or off-license. It'll also be required for the purchase of home-brew kits. It'll entitle you to a fixed amount of alcohol units in a given week/month. If you get into trouble with the police more than once you lose your license. If you are caught buying alcohol for unlicensed people you lose your license automatically.

I would ban the construction of apartments and ban the purchase of 2nd homes as well as "buy to let". It prices people out areas, leaves many properties vacant for long periods, causes runaway property inflation and often makes landlords of people who really shouldn't have that responsibility. Every house will have enough land to grow food on. No house will be allowed more than 3 bedrooms - enough for 2 parents, 2 kids. Every adult over 18 with a job is issued with a 2-bedroom house and a mortgage which they pay off through their lives. If they get married they are moved into the 3-bed houses so they can have kids, whilst getting a rebate on the house they have given up to go towards their child's costs - or if they choose not to breed, their pensions. In cases of infidelity or domestic violence that results in the breakdown of the marriage, the culprit loses the accrued wealth, is moved back into a 2-bed house and loses primary access to the kids, regardless of gender. They also start from square one with their mortage.

Jujitsu will be taught at schools - teach everyone how to defend themselves with an emphasis on defence rather than attack - should sort out some of the bullying and street violence...

Umm...

Here's an interesting one for you. Can the world be saved? Should it be?

Remember how the first version of the Matrix was a utopia that the human minds rejected? Is it possible that fixing everything is simply impossible and is the dream of an arrogant mind believing that control over every aspect of life is actually possible? Just wondering.....

That said:
Linux, you can't have a Federation without more members than just Earth. I do, however, like the abolishing money. Gene was definitely onto something with that.
As for communism - great theory, but unless I'm mistaken, it hasn't been successful anywhere. I suppose Cuba is the closest to a working model. I've not been, so I can't confirm 1st hand, but I would love to check it out. The main problem seems to be that the people "administering" the system always end up with too much power.

Angelic, your solutions are wide-reaching and I think that's my problem. I favour education over legislation and I'm also a big fan of self-determination. It is in a nature to control, to want to be controlled, to rebel and/or to stand alone. Imposing anything like this kind of global change would require an enormous amount of goodwill and cooperation and I don't believe the world is ready for that. People need the right to determine their own future and fulfil their own potential (in as much as possible) and not be told what it will be by the state, or global, government. I'd like to believe that if each country/region/area was allowed and supported to develop their own solutions to problems based on their local customs/culture/heritage/beliefs there would be less hatred in the world. You are absolutely wrong about the death penalty. It is never justified and though their are many potential answers and no easy ones, killing people is just not one.

Africa as a continent needs our support and understanding, but not our interference. Our lack of knowledge about the different cultures and histories down there is staggering and is no doubt contributing to the "Western World's" cack-handed approach to "sorting it out". Plato is supposed to have said - "Only the dead have seen the end of war". I believe this is true. A famous T-101 once said, "It is in your nature to destroy yourselves.". Agent Smith likened us to a virus only concerned with breeding and consumption. Schopenhauer felt that all human life was dominated by the "will to live" and that subconsciously all of our actions are determined by basic instincts such as finding a breeding partner.

On certain levels it would appear that no matter what we think we can do, it is beyond the human mind to affect change on a global scale. I still love Jor-El though, for saying that we are "a great people Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show them the way."

Human beings only change when it is absolutely necessary. This has been shown time and again throughout history. The reason the events of First Contact begin, is because of WW3. I'm happy to discuss it and to be wrong, but I don't believe that unlimited money and power to affect whatever change you see fit, is the answer to the world's ills.