Corollas2019-23ToyotasTech

Search Corolland!

Future Developments

By c2105026, November 23, 2007



Hello all,

Just thinking about the future in general, both for myself and mankind, here are some ideas I came up of what may happen to humankind by 2100.....I am NOT saying whether or not I agree with any decisions, purely an objective projection based on current and past current affairs.

Please feel free to discuss

Major developments -

By 2010 - Public movement behind global warming snowballs, most western countries have clear cut targets to reduce fossil fuel usage by half by 2040.

2010 - US/Coalition troops withdraw completely from iraq and afghanistan after a stalemate. Declining military spending results in more funding for homeland security/counterterrorism in western countries.

2010-2015 - smoking completely banned in many western countries, many countries introduce a nominal carbon tax on relevant goods, China now 3rd biggest economy in world. Unification of Israel and Palestine after large middle east war. CDs almost completely phased out, motion pictures shot and screened digitally, junk food carries health warnings.

2015-2020 - sustained high gas prices, global warming and energy security concerns, and much research into alternatives means that a prolonged phase-out of petroleum-based transport fuels has begun, but is slow. Television now broadcast mainly via the internet, for first time online shopping revenue surpasses conventional shopping. after a mass shooting at a highschool on an unprecedented level, gun ownership in US becomes much more regulated. Euro now world's most trded currency, and is now used to price commodities. China now democracy.

2020-2030 - Renewables now account for a quarter of total energy usage. Global warming slowing down markedly. Cars can now self-drive on expressways. Ford Motor Company, General Motors and Chysler go into receivership after a 2010s resurgance; big 3 now toyota, cherry (from China) and Hyundai. Man goes back to moon. Oil production peaks, but effects voided by use of alternatives. First openly gay US president. After corruption scandal, UK goes to referendum to decide if it should be a republic, but proposition is denied. Intrest in health means much less junk food is consumed. Cures or vaccines for breast, prostate and stomach cancer found. All new cars sold by law must use only alternative fuels. servant robots appearing.

2030-2040 - Such is the power of the EU that some European countries are unifying; Chinese economy now as big as american economy; due to road safety enhancements, motor vehicle occupant fatalities are rare. Landline phone system decomissioned. Man goes to mars. Developments in algal-based fuels mean crude oil is now redundant; gas is still avalable to classic car enthusiasts at $1 a gallon. due to medical enhancements, life expectancy is now 100. Enhanced micorwave technology means the kitchen oven is obselete. After the extinction of reality TV, TV becomes much more cultural and witty. Cars banned from downtown areas of most cities.

2040-2050 - Europe now unified as one country, with worlds biggest economy. Britain now a republic. Energy systems now decentralised; many new homes built with equipment to make own fuel and electricity. Surging world population means 80% of all water used is recycled. In west, 50% population now officially athiest. Future of Film and TV threatened as 'imagination vision' hits mass market. Increased wealth in developing countries mean terrorism is on a sharp decline. Paper-based currencies go electronic - the yen is first. Cars now feature colour-changing panels, 30,000 mile service intervals, and feature bodies made of bio plastics (steel now way to expensive to use for cars).

2050-2070 - population stabilises at 9 billion. UK now republic, british commonwealth disbands. Oil now no longer produced. For the first time in decades, global temperatures start cooling down. All persons now live in a democracy. All telecommunication now via hologram.

2070-2100 - global currencies amalgamate, as do many nations.

Bikeman982

Pure speculations.

Future predictions are quite frankly useless at best. Personally I would leave that for the Sci-fi world. Think about it, how many concepts were created in the past which never were realized or which came unanticipatedly? (hover cars, nuclear war, humans on mars, etc). Back in 1907, the world was much different that the world of 2007 in almost every respect.

That's because there are an infinite number of variables that you have to take into consideration when predicting the future, unexpected changes which can lead to more changes. What if I were to tell you that the current War on Terrorism is a result of World War I? Think about the chain of events; WWI lead to the collapse of European economies. This collapse lead to the rise of radical governments like Germany's Nazi Reich, Russia's Soviet Union, Japan's militarism, and Italy's Fascism. These conflictive ideologies lead to WWII. The ideological conflict between the eventual victorious Communist Russia and Capitalist Anglo-American alliance lead to the Cold War. The idea of containment practiced by the US and to stop Soviet influence around the world lead to interventions in Middle Eastern politics, like the US support of Israel. This became a key seed that gave rise to anti-american movements in islam, which lead to Islamic terrorism against the US. This helped lead to the formation of Al-Qaeda which attacked the US on 9/11, which lead to the war on terror.

Could someone from 1907 have predicted World War I? Maybe, but could they have possibly predicted this chain of events which would lead to the current War on Terror? Another thing to think about is how easily this timeline could have changed. Lets take a simply and very possible event; Hitler's assasination before seizing power (I stole this from the computer game Red Alert). Without Germany rearming, Europe would have been virtually defenseless against a Soviet invasion. Think about how much history would have been changed if the Soviet Union started WWII? If continental Europe fell under Stalin's control, the UK would have been no match against Stalin's endless resources and manpower stretching from France to Siberia. If the UK collapsed before America tried to stop the Soviets, it would have no staging ground to wage war in europe. The Soviets and Americans could have been locked in an naval war across the atlantic, each trying to gain a foothold on the other continent. Meanwhile, Japan makes an alliance with Stalin and attacks Pearl Harbor. America is caught in a two-front war on both the Pacific and Atlantic with the Soviet-Japanese alliance in control of 1/4 of the world's population and natural resources to wage an endless war. Need I go further?

Bikeman982

Future predictions are quite frankly useless at best. Personally I would leave that for the Sci-fi world. Think about it, how many concepts were created in the past which never were realized or which came unanticipatedly? (hover cars, nuclear war, humans on mars, etc). Back in 1907, the world was much different that the world of 2007 in almost every respect.

That's because there are an infinite number of variables that you have to take into consideration when predicting the future, unexpected changes which can lead to more changes. What if I were to tell you that the current War on Terrorism is a result of World War I? Think about the chain of events; WWI lead to the collapse of European economies. This collapse lead to the rise of radical governments like Germany's Nazi Reich, Russia's Soviet Union, Japan's militarism, and Italy's Fascism. These conflictive ideologies lead to WWII. The ideological conflict between the eventual victorious Communist Russia and Capitalist Anglo-American alliance lead to the Cold War. The idea of containment practiced by the US and to stop Soviet influence around the world lead to interventions in Middle Eastern politics, like the US support of Israel. This became a key seed that gave rise to anti-american movements in islam, which lead to Islamic terrorism against the US. This helped lead to the formation of Al-Qaeda which attacked the US on 9/11, which lead to the war on terror.

Could someone from 1907 have predicted World War I? Maybe, but could they have possibly predicted this chain of events which would lead to the current War on Terror? Another thing to think about is how easily this timeline could have changed. Lets take a simply and very possible event; Hitler's assasination before seizing power (I stole this from the computer game Red Alert). Without Germany rearming, Europe would have been virtually defenseless against a Soviet invasion. Think about how much history would have been changed if the Soviet Union started WWII? If continental Europe fell under Stalin's control, the UK would have been no match against Stalin's endless resources and manpower stretching from France to Siberia. If the UK collapsed before America tried to stop the Soviets, it would have no staging ground to wage war in europe. The Soviets and Americans could have been locked in an naval war across the atlantic, each trying to gain a foothold on the other continent. Meanwhile, Japan makes an alliance with Stalin and attacks Pearl Harbor. America is caught in a two-front war on both the Pacific and Atlantic with the Soviet-Japanese alliance in control of 1/4 of the world's population and natural resources to wage an endless war. Need I go further?

What if.....???

 

 

Wow you're incredibly optimistic there aren't you? default_laugh

Bikeman982

I predict that in the future, everyone who reads this will die.

Does anyone disagree?

I'll go one step further.....everyone will die whether they read this or not.

It was an interesting read C. Your guess is as good as anyone's. 100 year average lifespan though...not for me. Too many changes in 100 years to acclimate to. I quite frankly wonder how older people are able to do anything given the technologies in place which are required of people to do even the most mundane activities.

I predict that in the future, everyone who reads this will die.Does anyone disagree?

Well, my parents are in their 50s, they are well versed in the use of internet, mobiles and the like, these are relatively new developments (last 15yrs or so). Yes, once issues like obesity and smoking are resolved (give it a few decades), I beleive that cures and vaccines will come for various kinds of diseases and disorders like cancers, aids, diabetes and so on will come progressively in the fullness of time. This would raise the life expectancy. Now what to do for those extra 20yrs or so....well, people could try squeezing in another career if they like, I know many people who retire, get bored then work part time as a consultant or similar.

True, somethings are just not predictable - like whodathunk 9/11 would have happened? I remember the night 9/11 happened (time difference; it happened late at night here) I had dinner with some friends, remember feeling sad for my pet cat that died a couple of years before, watching 'rove live' then being awoken at precisely 11.17pm by a friend saying on the phone 'something big is happining in NYC, you may want to turn on the TV'. After the towers fell, I rang my parents; they essentially did not beleive me for they thought I was wasted (or something). Noone was on campus the following day, everyone was at home watching CNN. Also, Diana car crash - that was a big shocking surprise.

OTOH, some events are entirely predictable. When Gorbachev rose to power and started loosening up the Communist State in a very big way, it may have been obvious that the berlin wall would have come down a few years later. And this years aussie federal election; it was obvious from 12 months ago howard was going to severely pressured.

As for being optimistic I beleive that given enough motivation humans can surpass almost any obstacle - like WW2. Facism was destroyed, and europe was rebuilt. Communism faded away later on. More democracies are being formed rather than dictatorships. People are now realising the size of their ecological footprint. People are stopping smoking. People are driving safer. People are using their time more effectively. There are ongoing breakthroughs in alternative enerygy research. Obesity is starting to be cla,mped down on. All good, healthy things. I beleive mankind has a healthy, prosperous future, with some hurdles on the way. Why be an optimist? Because you never get anywhere by saying 'it can't be done, so why try?'

Bikeman982

I'll go one step further.....everyone will die whether they read this or not.

It was an interesting read C. Your guess is as good as anyone's. 100 year average lifespan though...not for me. Too many changes in 100 years to acclimate to. I quite frankly wonder how older people are able to do anything given the technologies in place which are required of people to do even the most mundane activities.

I predict that in the future, everyone who reads this will die.Does anyone disagree?

OK - everyone will die, whether they read this or not.

 

I am hoping they read it before they die - after they die is too late!

Do the predictions change my life ?- probably not.

People are adaptable and will change with the times.

I would like to see elimination of diseases and sickness as well as less poverty in the world - and world peace.

I agree that there needs to be an alternate fuel source and little or no dependency on fossil fuel.

I am in favor of recycling and also a stable world currency.

Eliminating motor vehicle accidents will certainly affect many people.

Good predictions - and very optimistic. I didn't read of any thermonuclear global war.

I did not mention threat of nuclear war because we have gone for 60 yrs without one, whilst there may be an ongoing possibility it will never happen for people are too afraid of what may happen. World leaders are basically sane - yes USA and China may hypothetically have a stare down and some verbal exchanges but they know that a nuclear war will detroy the world for billions who are in no way involved. So we have 60 yrs without nuclear apocalypse, we have fewer missiles about than we did, don't think it will happen. However, I do envisage faith-based terrorism continuing. As the developed - and developing- world goes secular, there will be some who want to terrorise people back into beleif and/or destroy the heretics. Hamas, Al-Qaeda, KKK etc are examples of this.

Bikeman982

I did not mention threat of nuclear war because we have gone for 60 yrs without one, whilst there may be an ongoing possibility it will never happen for people are too afraid of what may happen. World leaders are basically sane - yes USA and China may hypothetically have a stare down and some verbal exchanges but they know that a nuclear war will detroy the world for billions who are in no way involved. So we have 60 yrs without nuclear apocalypse, we have fewer missiles about than we did, don't think it will happen. However, I do envisage faith-based terrorism continuing. As the developed - and developing- world goes secular, there will be some who want to terrorise people back into beleif and/or destroy the heretics. Hamas, Al-Qaeda, KKK etc are examples of this.
Any religion or faith that condones killing people cannot possibly be based on ethical measures for a humane society.

 

 

K_Watson

I did not mention threat of nuclear war because we have gone for 60 yrs without one, whilst there may be an ongoing possibility it will never happen for people are too afraid of what may happen. World leaders are basically sane - yes USA and China may hypothetically have a stare down and some verbal exchanges but they know that a nuclear war will detroy the world for billions who are in no way involved. So we have 60 yrs without nuclear apocalypse, we have fewer missiles about than we did, don't think it will happen. However, I do envisage faith-based terrorism continuing. As the developed - and developing- world goes secular, there will be some who want to terrorise people back into beleif and/or destroy the heretics. Hamas, Al-Qaeda, KKK etc are examples of this.

Any religion or faith that condones killing people cannot possibly be based on ethical measures for a humane society.

 

Pretty much all of them do condone killing of innocents. Christianity and Islam are both very violent religions, despite what their followers say. Just read their respective holy texts, it's disgraceful.

Terrorism exist in many forms. There are political terrorists, environmental terrorists, ethnic/racial terrorists, etc. Since 9/11 religious terrorism has become practically the only form people think about. We negligently forgot about other equally dangerous terrorists from our past like the anarchist McVeigh or the anti-globalist Kaczynski. I can't think of one major religion or even a government today that openly supports murder. Generally homicide is recognized as the universal crime that knows no borders. Of course, there are individuals and even groups within governments and religions who break their own rules.

As for the whole idea of predicting the future...

OTOH, some events are entirely predictable. When Gorbachev rose to power and started loosening up the Communist State in a very big way, it may have been obvious that the berlin wall would have come down a few years later. And this years aussie federal election; it was obvious from 12 months ago howard was going to severely pressured.

No offense, but I have to disagree. History has shown that the most obvious outcome doesn't neccessarily follow through. There are many opther examples similar to the Gorbachev example which didn't end up in total collapse. The PRC, for instance, survive the Tiananmen Square Massacre and to this day is still controlled by the Communist Party. The same thing with the few other surviving Communist governments today that either took a hard stance (N. Korea or Cuba), or somehow survived the slow transition (Vietnam). The USSR had an equally great chance of surviving if say the August Coup had been successful in ousting Gorbachev and restoring control of the country through military force like what China did.

Basically, its the historical equivalent to Chaos Theory; you can apply the same senario, same set of variables, controls, and circumstances, but still get two different outcomes.

Topic List: Go to Everything Else