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If you haven’t seen it yet,  of Western Washington University  called “How fire and lava may have made us who we are.”

, Medler argues, would never have been able to evolve into modern humans without fire to warm them or to provide ample nutrition for brain development.

Mastery of fire is what makes humans different from all other organisms on this planet. Fire is humanity’s first breakthrough technology, and without fire, none of the civilized world around us — or the people in it for that matter — would be possible. Fire is power, and power forges and makes all the tools of mankind work. We are, whether we like it or not, a fire people.

Last week, when  that they had successfully made a breakthrough in fusion technology, mankind unlocked an even greater form of fire. For the very first time,  in a laboratory has occurred that produced more energy than it took to initiate.

From this day forward, everything changes. Fusion, once fully realized as a power source,  without plastering over the natural landscape with miles of solar panels or impaling hills with hundreds of wind turbines.

Fusion reactors, unlike fission reactors, , so they are safer and cleaner than current nuclear-powered reactors that are controversial and terrifying to some.

Once we fully harness fusion technology, we can purify more drinking water, grow more food, make more powerful computers, and yes, most exciting of all, we can finally send humans to other planets or even other stars. Fusion is the power of the universe itself, and by tapping into it, we can evolve to a much higher form of humankind, just like ancient hominids evolved into Homo sapiens through their use of fire technology.

Big Ideas Need Big Legislative Thinking

So, all this being said, we need to start thinking ahead and preparing for the dawn of commercial fusion technology in Hawaii. One of the very first things that the incoming Legislature should do is seize this moment by creating the legal provisions and funding mechanisms to provide for future fusion reactors. We need to act now to be ready tomorrow.

At present, , “No nuclear fission power plant shall be constructed or radioactive material disposed of in the State without the prior approval by a two-thirds vote in each house of the Legislature.”

While we are somewhat spared by the fact that this section specifically says “nuclear fission,” the next part, “or radioactive material disposed of” could still be so broadly interpreted to prevent future fusion reactors — which are not the same — from ever being built in Hawaii.

And with all due respect, we don’t have a Legislature comprised of nuclear physicists or engineers, so you might as well assume knee-jerk fear, ignorance and lack of forward thinking will have every future Legislature voting “no” if ever put to a two-thirds vote.

We need to start thinking about changing it now, because the gears of local politics spin so slowly that if we don’t spin them up now, we’ll never get around to it.

Hawaii needs to see this moment for what it is and see how fusion power can make many of our local supply-and-demand challenges irrelevant.

The Legislature should begin by creating a Future Fusion Task Force. This task force should avoid tapping the usual suspects of radical nonprofit activist groups, big financial interests, development interests and insurance interests — you know, the people who block everything, except the pricey things carved out only for themselves — and be comprised exclusively of the most esteemed academics, scientists and futurists.

The task force’s duties should involve studying the possibility of amending the state constitution to include provisions to allow for fusion-powered reactors; evaluating potential sites that could be reserved for fusion reactors; and most importantly, determining how the state can help accelerate the progress of fusion development. If they have positive recommendations, then the Legislature can use that as their evidence-based justification to move forward with new enabling legislation.

I don’t believe that we will be waiting very long for viable fusion technology to become available on a commercial basis. There are times in our human technological development when we hit a springboard that leapfrogs us higher, faster and farther than we’ve ever gone before.

The invention of the airplane, the development of atomic power and the perfection of the solid-state transistor are all examples of how one development led to a rapid succession of new developments in a short time. Hawaii needs to see this moment for what it is and see how fusion power can make many of our local supply-and-demand challenges irrelevant.

Don’t be afraid to dare greatly. Fear paralyzes, but faith is what gives us the power to do things that we couldn’t do before.

We need to dream big for Hawaii and recognize that the only future we will ever have is the one that we start building – and preparing for – right now.