메가프로젝트의 속도전? 속력전? [윤지로의 인류세 관찰기]

High school physics taught me the distinction between velocity and speed, a concept that left me in awe. When I walked 10 meters forward and then back in 10 seconds, my speed was zero, but my velocity wasn't. It dawned on me that directional information could indeed influence physical quantities. One memorable phrase I recall is, "Actually, an automobile speedometer is inaccurate; it should be called a speedometer."

The world seems to move faster now, with AI, government priorities, and my age all playing roles. Years feel like decades. The government's climate and energy policies this time around moved swiftly. The president pledged in his inauguration speech to transition to a renewable energy society, replace energy imports, achieve 100% renewable energy use, and construct energy highways.

This all came under the banner of 'speed ahead.' The goal was to have 3,000 sun-powered villages, reach a 100 gigawatt (GW) target for renewable energy, and build energy expressways. As usual, some were skeptical about whether it would work, but then the focus shifted to 'mega projects.'