It's impossible to predict exactly what will happen in the future, but we can make some pretty good guesses based on the present state of things. Unfortunately, the following theorists don't have high hopes for our planet and the human race.
Some of them believe that if we don't see our end by way of a natural disaster, it will be robots and artificial intelligence that finishes us off. Others believe we ourselves will cause our own demise. Maybe we'll find a way to reach peace and harmony. Maybe we'll find a way out of climate change. Maybe we'll move to Mars. I suppose only time will tell, but these theorists have some ideas in the meantime.
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#45 Earthquakes Are Brewin'
The New Madrid earthquake fault will reactivate and drop all bridges going over the Mississippi from Iowa down to New Orleans. The only unaffected bridge would probably be the new I-70 at St. Louis. Memphis, St. Louis and everything nearby will be devastated. Even Chicago will feel the effects.
When it was active last time, it rang church bells in the Northeast.
#44 We Are Living Too Long
I predict a huge surge of young people refusing to take care of older people. There will be a shortage of nurses, while nursing home facilities will be built everywhere. My parents are boomers and they're in their 60s. With life expectancy increasing due to advances in technology and medicine, the overpopulation of elders will soon become a real problem.
#43 Advertising Will Get Even Scarier
#42 The World Economy Is Shifting Right Under Our Noses
Africa will become China's China. Forget "Made in China" labels, everything will have "Made in Africa" labels instead.
SF Gate
#41 Water Shortage For The Mormons
The Salt Lake Valley in Utah is going to run out of water supply.
In Utah, you are required to have a lawn, so you need access to water to keep it alive. Utah is the second driest state in the country and its population is growing rapidly. When they drain the Great Salt Lake, there will be no inversion in the mountains, meaning there will be no more snow, and thus, no more water.
The Great Salt Lake has shrunk dramatically in recent years. In Iran, there was a lake in a dry mountain valley just like the one in Utah. It dried up and turned into an unlivable desert.
#40 Robots Are Coming Into The Bedroom
Robots for adult play.
You see how realistic they are now. Imagine how they'll be in the near future.
#39 Another Major Financial Crisis Is Already Underway
Currently, USA college grads face an insurmountable amount of debt from school. College loan debt amounts have surpassed credit card debts and are also quickly closing in on mortgage debts.
Many students will default on loan payments and banks will be out of all that money, triggering higher interest rates until the economy collapses.
#38 The Power Grid Is Expanding
Functionally, I predict the entire population of earth will be on the power grid. It will most likely happen in our lifetime. There will be isolated tribes or remote people who may not be, but even those in the most abject of poverty will be lifted up a rung on the ladder because of what they’ll gain access to.
Clean water and power will mean even greater population growth for a certain period of time, which will cause some issues. Eventually, the global population will start to a decline, causing opposite effects that may or may not work towards humanity's favor.
The world is going to change exponentially over the next few generations.
#37 The Terrifying Future When Automation Takes Over
In the early 1800s, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, Luddites saw that the impending machine revolution would make their jobs obsolete and revolted. They started burning down machine mills. But here's the thing: Luddites did understand the technology, and they were right. The mills did make them obsolete. They lost their livelihoods, their homes, and their capability to take care of their families. It would be decades before the economy adjusted to the new employment landscape.
In the next 10-20 years, a generalized AI will be invented, and computing systems will become cheap enough that a significant portion of the population will become instantly unemployable. Their jobs will be fully managed by off-the-shelf computers and robotic hardware. This is going to be way worse than the Industrial Revolution was for the Luddites. Tens of millions of people in the US will find themselves out of work:
3.4 million drivers. This one's already in progress. Google, Uber, Lift—they all want in on that autonomous driving game
1.2 million tax preparers. Who doesn't just use TurboTax? It's only going to get worse.
1 million warehouse employees. With automation, only one employee will be needed per warehouse location.
3.2 million farmers. There will be one person per farm managing automated equipment.
The total estimates for eliminated jobs that I've seen for the US are between 40 million and 70 million jobs. which is about a third of the workforce.
I'm not going to own the automation. You're not going to own the automation. Amazon is. Google is. IBM, Toyota, Nestle. Tencent. Giant multinational corporations will own the automation. And they don't care about you. They don't care about people who do the work. They care about the owner class of people: the shareholders.
Right now, five men control 50% of the world's wealth. Five. The super wealthy need the rest of us because we perform the labor that makes their entire world possible. In the future, what are they going to need people for?
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#36 How The Caste System Will Make A Comeback
Jealous of the rich and wealthy? Well now, they not only get better jobs, schools food, and healthcare, but their lineage is also going to be superior to yours.
They're designed to be smarter and more attractive than you could ever be. Their offspring will be athletic, friendly, and not prone to addiction or disease.
You won't be able to afford those things for your kids. Only the 1% can.
It'll be like a caste system. Your parents' success or failure will leave a permanent, biological difference between you and others. It's a stigma that will follow you forever.
And those with enhanced genes? They get to pass on those advantages.
Also, just think of the controversy! People would go crazy on social media over this stuff. "Black parents have baby modified to be white." Who could resist a headline like that?
#35 Another Deadly Plague Is Inevitable
Also, unknown viruses are constantly being released from the dead who are in the permafrost that is melting.
#34 Are We Alone?
The James Webb Space Telescope is going to reveal a lot about just how alone we are in the universe.
If there are other planets within 20-30 light years that have had their atmospheres transformed by life (just like the Earth, 2 billion years ago), we will know.
If there are none, and we are the only planet with any sort of life at all, we will also know.
#33 Be Safe Or Be Sorry
Elon Musk mentioned on Joe Rogan's podcast that he tried to warn Obama, Congress, and 50 governors to put regulations for AI in place.
He noted that a lot of death had to happen in order for seatbelts to become officially regulated. In the same token, he anticipates a lot of death will also happen before regulation of AI development.
#32 Global Warming Is Real And It Is Coming
Global average temperatures are currently at 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial revolution levels. During the last Ice Age, temperatures were 5 degrees Celsius below those levels, so 1 degree is a whole lot. The majority of climate change predictions based on current data say that, more likely than not, we will reach 3 degrees Celsius by 2120; i.e., 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial revolution levels.
When we hit 3 degrees Celsius, sea levels will have risen drastically. Over 280 million people's homes will be underwater. That's trillions of dollars of damage around the world.
It's extremely difficult to predict the exact effects of rising temperatures. For example, we've found that the DNA and mutation patterns of many insect species change significantly with global temperatures. We have no idea what that could mean for our lives, but disrupting the ecosystem on a global scale is never positive.
And speaking of disrupting the ecosystem, there are many species that will be damaged by the changes, primarily all of the crops that require a specific climate and sea levels. Recall that sea levels will rise a lot, so many plant species will be hugely damaged. One example is coffee—rising sea levels could threaten coffee beans to the point of extinction.
So yeah. It's a big deal.
#31 Back To The Stone Age
Coronal Mass Ejection. As far as I'm aware, there isn't a country in the world whose power grid and power infrastructure is shielded enough to withstand a very large solar flare. A worldwide power outage will mean no phones or email. Back to the Stone Age, we'd go.
#30 Not Exactly The Economy Boom We Were Expecting
We are going to need half of the existing workforce to train for careers they might not even be able to pursue.
#29 The End Of Russia Is Near
The Russian Federation will be dismantled. Contrary to what Putin would like everyone to believe, Russia is actually in a very precarious position. The country has exhausted its reserve fund at the start of this year. Its oil and gas prices after the 2015 oil glut also still haven't recovered, and the country's military is overextended trying to counter NATO's containment strategy.
When there is another recession, Russia will suffer the most, as demand for export commodities will dry up, killing the primary revenue stream for the Russian economy. Russia is used to being poor, but appearing weak is when they run into trouble, and if Russian soldiers continue to be stuck in a no-win scenario in Ukraine with their government unable to pay them, we'll likely see a coup and acts of separatism that will lead to the break up of the country.
#28 The Breaking Up Of A Nation
I feel like at some point the US may see one of its states secede. Especially a state like California, where surrounding states don't have much in common with it. If they leave, it could set off a chain reaction.
#27 Premature PTSD To Wreak Havoc On The Youth
Young kids playing virtual reality games before they've firmly grasped reality-versus-fantasy differences will likely develop PTSD from shocking and gruesome storyline events.
#26 The Future May Be Grim For Antibiotics
Antibiotics will eventually become ineffective due to over-prescribing, as well as improper use of them. People who don't take their full course of antibiotics causes an increase in the likelihood that the bug they've been infected with will survive and mutate into a form that will render antibiotics ineffective.
#25 Is Nuclear Destruction A Certainty?
World War Three or a nuclear war. In 10 years or 100, another major war is almost inevitable with the technology we have.
#24 The Truth About Pollution
Polluted air, water, and soil will require millions of years to recoup. Industry and motor vehicle exhausts are the number one pollutants of the environment. Heavy metals, nitrates, and plastic are also an issue.
While water pollution is caused by oil spills, acid rain, and urban runoff, air pollution is caused by various gases and toxins released by industries and factories which rely on the combustion of fossil fuels. Soil pollution is majorly caused by industrial waste which deprives soil from essential nutrients.
We are not ready for any of that.
#23 How One Volcano Will Wipe Out The Entire Planet
The Yellowstone supervolcano eruption will affect millions of lives. It is several hundred years overdue for an eruption and has the potential to wipe out pretty much the entirety of the Americas and most of the world from the fallout.
#22 To Vaccinate Or Not To Vaccinate, That Should Not Be The Question
Millions of people are going to die because of anti-vaxxers. Previously eradicated diseases like small pox are making a comeback because people still refuse to vaccinate their kids.
#21 All Hail The Alt-Right
The alt-right will take control of most of the USA as a kind of a White Taliban, complete with fundamentalist morality codes and extralegal, violent enforcement. Blue wave or not, these guys have come out of the woodwork and will not relinquish their public presence. People think Trump is the problem. Nope, he's just the beginning. This has been 60 years in the making, and the left has refused to see it for what it is: angry white men reasserting totalitarian cultural dominance.
#20 This Fault Line Is Due For Action, And It Won't Be Pretty
A massive earthquake in the Pacific Northwest will sink the western ends of the Americas. When the Cascadia Subduction Zone moves, it’s going to generate a magnitude 8-9 earthquake for Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and southern British Columbia. The damage will be widespread. Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver will grind to a halt. The resulting tsunami will wipe parts of the coastline.
What frustrates me the most isn’t that we can’t do anything about it. A lot of people also have no idea it’s coming, and most who do either don’t know how to prepare or don’t want to put in the time and money to do so. We could save thousands of lives by taking certain actions right now, but it's really expensive.
If you live in the Pacific Northwest, please know that this is going to happen sooner or later.
#19 The Silent Killer Catches Up With Us
Thanks to our subpar dietary standards, we may soon see, for the first time, a younger generation that dies before an older one. The problem will only get worse because they are making it a civil rights issue to bring up the health issues caused by obesity.
"I know, I know, it's my body and my choice," people always say. But very soon, we will find out that this problem is going to affect almost everyone.
Waist-to-height ratio is a very good predictor of how long you will live. No, your doctor is not trying to shame you. That shame you feel is your mind knowing very well that gorging yourself constantly is bad for you.
#18 Western Culture Could Be Shifting East
We could possibly see a complete shift in terms of demographics and culture in the West.
Westerners aren't having children.
Muslims are mass migrating to Europe and having several children.
A Western country could see a Muslim majority by 2100. This will have major ramifications on geopolitics.
The UK, Sweden, or France for example, could go through this.
#17 The Lights Are Going Out
We're going to run out of affordable oil. I'm a geologist who works in oil and gas. There's going to be a gap of maybe 30-50 years before renewables can refill. Your lights are going to go out and I'm scared for my children.
Ooga
#16 Save The Bees Please
Food shortages, even in rich nations, due to problems with honeybees and other ecosystems we've damaged over the years will cause widespread famine and death.
#15 Beware Of Big Brother
There will eventually be a system enforced that allows the government to monitor its citizens' every move, like a Big Brother on a massive scale. It’s happening already, but the effects are not yet noticeable. Soon they will be, but no one seems to be prepared for it.
#14 Universal Healthcare Will Be A Necessity Soon
In the US, medical costs are unsustainable and getting worse.
Luckily, medical inflation has dropped to 2-3% a year, which means prices will only double every 24-36 years. But they could still rise to 4-6% a year as they did historically.
The average retired person spends 40% of their social security check on medical care not covered by Medicare. By 2030, it'll be 50%.
Social security is rapidly just becoming a way to pay for medical bills. And people don't have pensions now, so that means you have to use your savings to pay for retirement.
Retirement was supposed to be a mix of pensions, social security, and personal savings. But social security is going to Medicare, pensions are gone, and personal savings are down.
Basically, old people are going to need trillions to keep up with medical care.
#13 When The Power Grid Is Hacked
An organized attack on the US power grid will cause chaos. There have already been plenty of reports of infiltrations by foreign actors. That's going to be the next, horrifying stage of warfare. Our world will be entirely unprepared to live without electricity, and people will slowly get more and more desperate as supply chains slow down.
#12 I've Got 99 Problems And Phosphorus Is Definitely One
We are estimated to hit peak phosphorus within the next 50-100 years.
Phosphorus is a non-renewable resource that is vital in our fertilizers, and without it yields will be drastically reduced, meaning that we'll need far more land to get the same amount of food produced.
I've read different estimates, but one estimate is that we'll need about twice the land, as yields will be reduced by 50 percent. Given that we're already running short on good agricultural soil, that means that it's quite likely that we're heading for some pretty serious famines.
#11 The Fountain Of Youth In Real Life
Many people are talking about how there will be too many old people.
There are more old people in recent times because we've cured diseases that would have killed them. Imagine what happens when we cure aging.
Everyone will be old inside a young body.
There would be no regrets about things you didn't do when you were younger. You could still do them now.
There would be no war, because who would risk thousands of years of life for whatever petty desires world leaders have?
Productivity would be through the roof. Think 80 years of experience in a 20-year-old's body.
You could work for 20 years and take 20 off. No need to save for retirement. Spent too much in your 20-year vacation? Start working again.
And think about it this way: It will happen if humans don't nuke each other out of existence. Even climate change won't stop it. We can pull carbon from the air, make carbon bricks and bury them if climate change gets to be enough of a problem.
The only question is if you and I will be alive to see it or not.
#10 Bio-Warfare Could Be Our End
Biological warfare. We have vaccines for some diseases, but not for all of them. By the time we find cures for them all, the death toll could already be insane. Even more terrifying, scientists can purposely engineer the disease to be more deadly and resistant to treatment. The Bubonic Plague, smallpox, Spanish Influenza, and many more diseases all caused a large number of deaths and they weren’t even modified.
#9 An Updated Version Of Eternal Life
The subconscious mind, including memories, will be transferred electronically to some storage device, so it may be moved between bodies. You may have the ability to never die. You would just move to a new body.
#8 Cryptocurrency Will Be The Only Currency
The Blockchain will be used for everything, from currency and academia to retail and everything in between.
HP Mega Trends
#7 Watch For A New Global Leader
China will completely overtake America in the world stage. What is the UN going to do when the most powerful country in the world doesn’t care at all about genocide, justice, or just human rights in general? The worst part is we could easily stop it, but the West likes their cheap consumer products far too much to nip this problem in the bud.
#6 Civil Rights Reversals
Say goodbye to many of the civil rights advances people have fought for (and even died for) in the 50s-70s. A far-right Supreme Court is the gift that keeps on giving.
#5 The Aliens Are Close
The SETI Institute predicts we will find proof of intelligent alien life within the next couple of decades. (I'm not convinced, but they've done the math and philosophy to justify their position).
If they're right, and we legitimately hear from aliens within our lifetime, I think the movie Contact is a reasonable guess on how it would play out in our society.
#4 Life On Credit Can't Last Forever
#3 Where Will You Go When The Sea Level Rises?
Migration. Coastal areas are home to billions, and science is telling us that sea levels are going to rise.
Where will they go? Where will YOU go?
#2 AI Domination Is No Joke
Technological singularity: the point where AI becomes as intelligent as people. I think AI will also be able to self-improve and develop itself past human intelligence. It will likely to be massively connected online and be able to hack anything it pleases., Eventually, it will control the planet.
At this point, we don't know what will happen.
#1 The Illegal Media Crackdown
Nothing life-changing, but something I’ve been anticipating none the less: the crackdown and death of torrent websites, and making the act of torrenting copyrighted material a prosecutable offense. Sooner or later, some bill or law will be passed, millions of dollars will be wasted, and people will be sued to bankruptcy for downloading Despicable Me 5 for their kids. Some might even be charged with misdemeanors.
