Type I Civilization: Are we getting there?

[Num7]

The Kardashev scale is a method of measuring a civilization's level of technological advancement, based on the amount of energy a civilization is able to utilize. The scale has three designated categories called Type I, II, and III. A Type I civilization uses all available resources impinging on its home planet, Type II harnesses all the energy of its star, and Type III of its galaxy.

Michio Kaku suggested that humans may attain Type I status in 100–200 years, Type II status in a few thousand years, and Type III status in 100,000 to a million years.

Taken from Wikipedia: Kardashev scale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In order to be considered a type I civilization, we would need to be able to gather and consume most, if not all of the energy available on Earth. We could do so by using close to 100% of the solar energy reaching Earth. I suppose that with available technology, it's something that can be done.

How far from this do you believe we are? 500 years?

 

[HDRKID]

First step is nuclear fusion energy. That is approx nine years away.
Has Lockheed Martin really made a breakthrough in nuclear fusion technology? | Environment | theguardian.com

Then we need maglev or bullet trains to replace travel via air.

 

[Dragonchaser]

My main concern if it's not approached and executed correctly :

Civilization implications
There are many historical examples of human civilization undergoing large-scale transitions, such as the Industrial Revolution. The transition between Kardashev scale levels could potentially represent similarly dramatic periods of social upheaval, since they entail surpassing the hard limits of the resources available in a civilization's existing territory. A common speculation[16] suggests that the transition from Type 0 to Type I might carry a strong risk of self-destruction since, in some scenarios, there would no longer be room for further expansion on the civilization's home planet, as in a Malthusian catastrophe. Excessive use of energy without adequate disposal of heat, for example, could plausibly make the planet of a civilization approaching Type I unsuitable to the biology of the dominant life-forms and their food sources. If Earth is an example, then sea temperatures in excess of 35 C would jeopardize marine life and make the cooling of mammals to temperatures suitable for their metabolism difficult if not impossible. Of course, these theoretical speculations may not become problems in reality thanks to evolution or the application of future engineering and technology. Also, by the time a civilization reaches Type I it may have colonized other planets or created O'Neill-type colonies, so that waste heat could be distributed throughout the solar system.

I believe it is possible to use a self-sustaining power source that works almost on the same principle as Maglev trains .