SFScon22 - Tobias Bernard - Post-Collapse Computing.pdf
The climate crisis is here. This year’s IPCC report pretty bluntly states that unless we take drastic action in the next 2-3 years, civilization as we know it will collapse in our lifetimes. While we can and should fight to avoid the worst effects of this crisis while we still can, it’s also worth asking: What if we fail, in part or completely? What will the world look like in 20 years? What mitigation strategies should we be looking at? What’s the timeline? And of course, what does it mean for free software, and GNOME in particular? In this talk I’ll go over some of the scenarios we’re likely to face if we don’t change course, from a free software lens. What can we do today to prepare for potential disruption or collapse of infrastructure like power grids, the internet, or global supply chains? But also, what will we need in this future that free software can help provide?
