This is a nice explanation of the Kardashev scale. My interest is using the goal of achieving Type I status as a means of overcoming our slide into political and environmental disasters. We currently have no goal as a species other than to screw over someone around us of far away. We desperately need a planetary level civilization which is a base characteristic of a Type I planet. This doesn’t need to be some sort of authoritarian empire, SF and Star Wars has distorted this to the level of a Type 0 planet but we do need an agreed standard of rights and a coordinated commitment to planetary maintenance. This is critically important to correct for warming and resource depletion or we will sink back into pre-civilized status.

To use even the energy that reachers us from our star requires much more than simple engineering. It requires commitment and the ability to manage planetary scale projects. Who knew? A 19th century nationalist political mentality does not work at a planetary level.

Here is a discussion on doing all of this: