The recent discussion about global warming has mostly focused on supply side issues. While conservation has been discussed, the root causes of our overconsumption of energy are still not the focus of intense debate. Specifically, no one seems willing to discuss the fact that there has been significant growth in the size of new houses (and lots) over the last 50 years. Even those who do discuss it fail to offer any good explanations and simply express their disgust at American consumerism. I believe that increasing demand for private physical spaces could be the result of living in a society where true privacy has become rare. If we are indeed trading one sort of privacy for another, the consequences may not be what we bargained for.
In order to understand the magnitude of what this proposed relationship could mean, it's necessary to understand the effect that increasing home size has on energy consumption. First, increasing size offsets any gains made by increases in efficiency; larger homes require more energy to build (especially if energy inputs for materials are tracked) and more energy for HVAC systems. Larger homes also take up more space, which has a dramatic effect on commute distance and, as a result, energy use in the transportation sector. Furthermore, the low population densities created by large lots and homes make it difficult to implement mass transit alternatives to single occupant vehicles. The demand for large detached homes also makes mixed use development challenging.
I won't go into great detail discussing what results from this increased energy use. But, suffice to say, global warming will be one of the biggest problems facing our planet in the next 100 years.
How does this all link to privacy? Well, let's consider what has happened in the last 60 years. Communications mediums have saturated the American marketplace. Network television, telephones, and most importantly, computers have allowed us to have instant access to information. The home was once a place where we could be isolated from the world around us. It was a place to relax, have dinner with the family and sit on the back porch. These days, people I know (including my own father) work until 10pm, chained to their computers in their own homes. We're always connected, even in our bathrobes while we eat our midnight snacks. Maybe our quest for more space has been partially a reaction to our inability to keep the world around us out.
In the world of the future, a five bedroom, ten thousand square foot house will hopefully be a thing of the past. Our ability to deal with global warming may depend on it. Would we all be better able to stomach it if home computers, blackberries and cell phones went along with the McMansions?
Maybe some day I'll sit on my porch on a cool evening with my grandchildren. I'll tell them about those crazy times when people never let themselves enjoy the peace and quiet afforded by a modest, comfortable home. And they'll laugh at the absurdity of it all and ask me to tell them another joke.