May 20 2008 / by futuretalk
Category: Other Year: General Rating: 12 Hot
By Dick Pelletier
What will life be like in 2030? Those who ponder such things,
futurists and other visionaries, suggest exciting and sometimes
fantastic possibilities. As we begin our trek into the world of
tomorrow, predictions of things to come rush towards us at
breathtaking speeds. 
Experts predict that between now and 2020, we will see more
science and technology advances than we experienced during the
entire 20th century and from 2020 to 2100, developments will
outpace the last 20,000 years of human progress.
Nobody knows for sure what will happen in the future, but by
projecting present-day knowledge, we can make plausible guesses.
Hollywood creates fantastic futures, but they always talk about
worlds gone mad, or make it sound so negative that none of us would
ever want to live there.
But from research that’s underway today, and scientific
projections of things to come, we can piece together a probable
future world, and what life might be like living in that world.
Readers are invited to track me down in 22 years and tell me
whether I was right or wrong.
People: World population has climbed to 9.3 billion, and
most people look forward to a life expectancy of 200 years or more.
Advanced nanotech has eliminated world hunger in 2030 and could,
experts say, provide a comfortable life on Earth for up to 100
billion people in the future. (cont.)
A recent Scientific American projection that one in five
Americans would be senior citizens by 2030, proved far too
conservative. Stem cell therapies and genetic engineering have
provided tremendous improvements in health care, which has slashed
death rates far beyond what most pundits had predicted; and during
this same time, public apathy towards creating children simply to
“continue the family line” has resulted in fewer births. Nearly 40
percent of the US population is over 65 in 2030, and accidents are
the leading cause of death.
Most senior citizens opt for genetic rejuvenation, which
provides stronger internal organs, bones and muscles; and a more
resilient, youthful looking skin. Those who have undergone this
procedure do not consider themselves old ¬ they have the look and
feel of a 20-something. Senior citizens, with their vast memories,
strong minds, and youthful bodies, are envied and respected
everywhere. China has revered their older population for centuries
¬ now, the rest of the world is following suit.
Earth is safer and more enjoyable in 2030 than it was during the
turbulent ‘teens and early 20s. Mind-expanding sciences eventually
gained the upper hand on terror threats bringing peace to nearly
all the world.
The U.S., China, and European Union have maintained a united
bond over the last 10 years, which has spurred freedom and growth
in most of the world’s under-developed regions.
Energy: Most of the world’s energy will soon come from
fusion reactors. Industrial development of this inexhaustible
energy is in full swing everywhere. However, in 2030, half of our
driverless cars operate with electric motors powered by hydrogen
fuel cells, and half still run on fossil fuels.
Weaponry: Non-lethal arsenals make up most world defense
systems. These nanotech humanitarian weapons do not injure or kill;
they use special procedures that temporarily disrupt the enemy’s
thoughts ¬ taking away all desires to fight. However, most
countries will soon be manning their war machines with robots ¬
removing humans completely from risks of war.
Biotech: 2010 to 2020 was heralded as the “golden age of
biotech”. Stem cell and other gene therapies made replacement
organs affordable to everyone. Most people now live in a healthy
body immune from disease and aging.
Nanotech: 2020 to 2035 is considered the “golden age of
nanotech”, and it has taken center stage throughout the world in
2030.
Nano-replicators have been perfected over the last five years,
and are beginning to appear on kitchen counters everywhere. These
“miracle” machines provide food, clothing, and appliances for
families at little or no cost. Replicators are affecting world
commerce unlike anything ever before in history. Old economics
based on scarcity and prices have mostly disappeared. This has
transformed the workplace ¬ eliminating most human labor ¬ while
raising living standards around the world.
Most vendors provide replicators free, and charge a small fee
for software that gives the machine its building instructions.
Receiving food and household items at little or no cost has
dramatically cut living costs. Workers spend less time on the job
because they need less money to live on. This results in more time
for fun and recreation with family and friends.
Software costs represent the largest family expense in 2030. To
replicate a new car, TV, food, or other items desired, software is
ordered via the Internet which instructs replicators to build the
item(s) using raw materials such as dirt, air, and seawater.
Also, recently developed nanobots, tiny cell-repair mechanisms
that roam throughout the human body to locate and correct health
problems before they start, are beginning to appear. Nanotech is
revolutionizing manufacturing, health care, travel, energy, food
supply, and warfare ¬ it’s no wonder people refer to this amazing
technology as “the most hyped science of all time”.
Beyond 2030: The Singularity: Researchers anxiously await
the arrival of the singularity, a point in time expected around the
mid-2030s, when many believe that computer/robots will surpass
humans in intelligence. As silicon creations reach this critical
level and learn to duplicate themselves; they will add more
brainpower to each succeeding generation they construct. This will
cause an explosion of information, unlike anything the world has
ever seen. Experts predict these super-intelligent robots will
maintain a strong bond with their creators and share this
newly-gained information with humans through human-machine
interfaces.
Mind Uploading: Forward-thinkers believe that by 2035,
memories, personality, and feelings ¬ non-physical elements that
describe a human being ¬ could be scanned and uploaded into a
robot, or newly-cloned human body, enabling life to continue
indefinitely. Although few people want to live forever, most
believe the choice of life, or death should be theirs, not left up
to some accident.
Are we alone? Humans have never accepted the idea that only
Earth harbors life. Most experts believe that humanoid-type life,
with sense organs like ours, has probably developed in other places
and times ¬ although skin type, facial arrangement, number of
digits etc. could differ from ours.
The question of whether alien planets have intelligent beings on
them is still unanswered in 2030. Experts even disagree that
intelligence of human quality is the normal culmination of
evolution. But the proposed “worm-hole” project ¬ which will enable
instant information exchange to vast distances in space ¬ is
expected to get underway sometime between 2040 and 2050. Everyone
is hopeful that mankind will finally discover the existence of
alien life forms sometime during the last half of this century.
Will this future happen? British Telecom’s Ian Pearson
suggests that advances in genetics and nanotech expected by 2030
will be sufficient for us to make a realistic stab at ending death.
Clearly the road to this mind-boggling future winds around unknown,
possibly even dangerous turns. But strong commerce and government
support is driving this optimistic vision forward ¬ and it promises
to unfold in our lifetime. Get ready to enjoy!
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