I hear they are looking for Mars colonists.

I think it was yesterday, on NPR. Can't remember which show. But they were talking to some guy about this and towards the end of the show something was mentioned about a fire above one of the poles. I would imagine the north. I can't find anything on it though. I'm wondering if a cloud on methane might have went up and burnt for a short period of time. I also caught a while back something on the permafrost. This shit having been all froze up for 10's thousands of years can hold some viruses we might not want out!

You might find this of interest, especially if you're a reader. [npr.org]

You can listen to the interview at about 30 minutes long. But this Brian Alexander wrote a book about Lancaster Ohio, and a factory there. Before a hostile take over the wife's of the CEO's were staunchly involved in the communities schools and city council. It's quite an interesting story and quite an ugly end to a once thriving community. Your reply leads me to a fairy tale dream world of mine, only corporations actually care for the communities they are in and the people that work for them.

Corporations are automating. The push is to full automation with no one working. That's where the jobs are going. With full automation, prices approach zero, because there is no work force to pay. Companies will be able to sell to each other, but not the public. So capitalism will crash, the economy will crash, and there will be chaos to some extent. If someone rich realizes and puts an automated army to working climate change, we may survive. Although, one possibility is AI digitizes everyone and saves them in computers, which aren't affected by climate change. We become a simulation, but might be given bodies again, perhaps android bodies. Who knows what will be.

@EdEarl I somewhat agree that corporations are pushing towards full automation, for most items. Custom items seem better fitted to humans production, at least for the foreseeable future future (Ex, Mercedes [theguardian.com]

And yes, something has to happen. The full automation of production, suggests a full service styled economic system....humans as servants to whom?
The rich....same as it ever was.

Alternately, it may be possible that employee owned companies can come into control. I like this as a pragmatic alternative to radical redistribution of wealth.

In any case vertically diversified corporations are expanding at an incredible rate.

@William_Mary
I have read about the company towns of the late 1800s like the one that Pullman formed. A visionary model that worked for about 13 years, until 1893 when a sever downturn hit Pullman. Pullman reduced the pay to his employees but he did not reduce the rent he was charging in his company towns. It did not end well.... it was a kind of cultural impasse where the model did not evolve.
I am not sure, but I think some sort of neo-feudal system might be the default position between the wealthy and the poor. (and the evolution of capitalism/socialism). It will (also) be paternalistic but ruled by recognized experts in the control of its social engineering. A virtual society of workers who's existence is tied to the company tie.
While I doubt such a system can be just, I do not doubt its efficiency, which may make it inevitable.

@cava The Pullman and Lancaster stories are quite different I believe. Lancaster was a case of concerned citizens from within a company base voluntarily injecting themselves into their already existing community. These were people of the community with a purpose. Where Pullman was built for a purpose to maximize profits. For the era it's a wonder he didn't also develop his own currency, which was the case in some mining towns as such in West Virginia and surrounding areas. I personally find that to be quite different from the failed history of a rich owner attempting to exploit his workers. In the Lancaster case, we have products that are still being used today in as much as need having been hostilely taken over to maximize profit by a bully company. Then dissolving the company base of natural citizens, injecting outside people who don't care and only there to serve the company's agenda. I think the Pullman town ideology could actually be a successful work. But it takes a majority or group with a meaningful purpose to serve a community that you're not likely to find from a singular individual with a self serving agenda. Also requiring a backup plan if your product becomes obsolete or strongly competitive. With Pullman that was quite inevitable. With Lancaster we have only our own flaws of human nature combined with trade laws to blame. If it wasn't for the work of one individual, or company, with an agenda to destroy another company for profit, left alone, this company that once was the major glass maker of around the world could still be the temp plate of success. Not only as a company, but for a city also.