Acharya Prashant begins by telling a story about mankind, or Homo sapiens, to explain the concept of 'Operation 2030'. He describes the state of humanity in 1750 as one of material hardship, with insufficient food, rampant diseases, and a low life expectancy, which made man feel like a failure. To overcome this, man sought success, defining it as a war against nature, which led to the Industrial Revolution. This revolution was fueled by the discovery of energy sources like coal, oil, and gas, which replaced muscular power. This newfound energy led to increased industrial production, consumption, and material prosperity, which was equated with success and happiness. However, this model of success has had severe consequences, particularly the exponential rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Acharya Prashant notes that from 270 parts per million (ppm) in 1750, CO2 levels rose slowly to just under 300 ppm by 1900. After 1950, the increase became exponential, and the rate has accelerated since 2000. He refers to the 2015 Paris Agreement, which aimed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, a critical threshold to avoid activating irreversible climatic feedback loops. The goal was to reduce carbon emissions by 43% by 2030 from 2019 levels, but this 1.5°C barrier has already been breached. This pursuit of success has resulted in climate injustice, where the poorest populations, who emit the least, suffer the most from its consequences. The emissions from the richest 1% of the global population have caused 1.3 million deaths in the last decade, predominantly in poor countries. Acharya Prashant labels this form of success as "bloody," "violent," and "criminal." He questions whether a success that involves exploiting resources and people, and leads to the extinction of species, is a success worth pursuing. He posits that the relentless clamor for success stems from a fundamental human condition of feeling like a loser and internally defeated, which drives the desire to conquer externally. Instead of chasing a destructive model of success, he advises looking within to understand this inherent sense of inadequacy. The old model of success has failed, leaving a destructive legacy for the younger generation. He concludes by urging the youth to find a new, more honest, authentic, and less violent definition of success, as it is now up to them to make amends for the damage caused by previous generations.
