What will be the world's problems in 50 years?

[SlowwHand]

Well, here's hoping, Shiva. Sounds like a plan.

[Zkribbler]

Any of four possible eco-disasters could be the biggest problem....if they happened. From most likely to least likely:

(1) Shutdown of the Atlantic Conveyer due to the influx of fresh water from the melting icecaps. The Atlantic will essentially form two layers: les-salty water on top, traditionally salty water on the bottom. This will cause the usual submerging of cold water in the far North Atlantic to cease, and this will in turn stop the northward flow of warm water from the Equator. Europe will be thrown into a mini-ice age.

(2) Mega-Tsunami drowns the U.S. East Coast. There's a volcano in the Canary Islands which has over the millenium has built up concentric rings of volcanic soil (which is impentetrable to water) and normal soil with is filled with water. If this volcano blows, all that water will be turned to steam, which will blow out the western end of the island, creating a tsunami so large it'll make the Indonesian one look like a ripple. It'll wipe out the eastern seaboard of the U.S.

(3) Eruption of Yellowstone, the largest supervolcano in the world. Poison gas and ash would kill nearly everything in the central U.S. These eruptions happen every 600,000 years or so, and it's now 40,000 years overdue.

(4) Comet hits the Earth -- If you don't think this can happen, ask the dinosaurs. Can't find any dinosaurs? That's my point.

[Chemical Ollie]

What will be the world's problems in 50 years?

Not me, I suppose

[LordShiva]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
(1) Shutdown of the Atlantic Conveyer due to the influx of fresh water from the melting icecaps. The Atlantic will essentially form two layers: les-salty water on top, traditionally salty water on the bottom. This will cause the usual submerging of cold water in the far North Atlantic to cease, and this will in turn stop the northward flow of warm water from the Equator. Europe will be thrown into a mini-ice age.

But if Europe is thrown into a mini-ice age, then the ice cap will re-freeze

[chequita guevara]

Re: What will be the world's problems in 50 years?

Originally posted by Lancer
Today, terrorism threatens free people everywhere, they want us dead and are actively working toward that goal. Rogue states are working to aquire nukes and at least one has done so.

50 years ago in "Iron Curtain" had divided europe. Fifty years before that colonialism was rampant and europe was engaged in an arms race that would result in two world wars.

Fairly diverse problems.

Actually, these are all the same problem: capitalist imperialism v. the rest of the world. The forms of struggle between the powers and resistance of the colonized has changed, but the essentials are the same. This would lead me to believe that the problems in 50 years will be the same.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by LordShiva
But if Europe is thrown into a mini-ice age, then the ice cap will re-freeze

True...it may take a few thousand years, but it will re-freeze--absent this planet going into a Venus-style runaway greenhouse effect.

[Chemical Ollie]

Re: What will be the world's problems in 50 years?

Originally posted by Lancer
Today, terrorism threatens free people everywhere, they want us dead and are actively working toward that goal. Rogue states are working to aquire nukes and at least one has done so.

Despite that it's on an all-time high level, I would say terrorism is a very minor problem today.

Malaria and AIDS is a greater problem to the world than terrorism is.

[Zkribbler]

...but assuming no eco-disaster and assuming that fission reactors come online in 2020 as predicted then I predict in 50 years, things will be fairly good for the world in general

Fission power will give us cheap and plentiful electricity.
This, in turn, will provide for cheap desalination of sea water, which will alieviate both the water shortage and the food shortage.

Having a multi-centric system of political power -- with many strong nations but no superpowers -- with lead to competition among them for spheres of influence. --But the good news is that (with a bit of luck) these powers will have learned the lessions of Vietnam, Iraq and the Soviet incursion into Afghanistan -- that 3rd-World countries cannot be controlled militarily by outside nations. This means that the competition for the loyalties of these lesser nations will have to be economic...i.e. "What can you, great power, do for my little country?"

My hope is that the economically powerful nations of the world will be forced to compete for these lesser nations by building up their infrastructions and their consumer classes.

In sum, in 50 years we will see: a 3rd World that is developing, a decreasing number of military conflicts, energy that is cheap and clean, and water and food that are plentiful.

[lord of the mark]

1. The europeans will be complaining about the new fundie Christian govt in China.


2. The govt of India will be pressuring the US and UK to be "loyal to the anglosphere" and to stop focusing so narrowly on their national interests.

3. A group of ecoterrorists will have hacked into the national carbon trading accounts, throwing the world economy into chaos.

4. An Anti video game violence attorney will claim that 3d holodeck images of monsters give kids nightmares and depression. Defenders of games will point out that depression is easily cured with a one time pill.

5. The Presbyterian church, and Reform Judaism, will be debating commitment ceremonies for holodeck fictional characters. Fundamentalist Christians in China will protest.

6. The New York Public Library will be converted to condominiums, its entire collection now available on the I-Civ, which neatly clips to your lapel.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by lord of the mark
6. The New York Public Library will be converted to condominiums, its entire collection now available on the I-Civ, which neatly clips to your lapel.

...."No Miss, I'm not looking down your clevage, I'm reading your collection of Shakespeare."

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Terra Nullius
Who you callin' "us," Gus?

The rest of the world, but it's not really worth a threadjack

[Lancer]

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Any of four possible eco-disasters could be the biggest problem....if they happened. From most likely to least likely:

(1) Shutdown of the Atlantic Conveyer due to the influx of fresh water from the melting icecaps. The Atlantic will essentially form two layers: les-salty water on top, traditionally salty water on the bottom. This will cause the usual submerging of cold water in the far North Atlantic to cease, and this will in turn stop the northward flow of warm water from the Equator. Europe will be thrown into a mini-ice age.

(2) Mega-Tsunami drowns the U.S. East Coast. There's a volcano in the Canary Islands which has over the millenium has built up concentric rings of volcanic soil (which is impentetrable to water) and normal soil with is filled with water. If this volcano blows, all that water will be turned to steam, which will blow out the western end of the island, creating a tsunami so large it'll make the Indonesian one look like a ripple. It'll wipe out the eastern seaboard of the U.S.

(3) Eruption of Yellowstone, the largest supervolcano in the world. Poison gas and ash would kill nearly everything in the central U.S. These eruptions happen every 600,000 years or so, and it's now 40,000 years overdue.

(4) Comet hits the Earth -- If you don't think this can happen, ask the dinosaurs. Can't find any dinosaurs? That's my point.

Zkrib, any idea what happens in the tropics if warm water stops moving elsewhere? Boiling oceans? Increased evaporation? Would this tend to help cool the Earth? Would Britney take it ALL off?

[Aeson]

50 years... world's problems... hmmmm...

People... namely the ones who like to blow other people up/away. (Not just blow. They'll still be around, but aren't much of a danger. Especially to me, because I'll be 80.)

[Barnabas]

South America will be only one country, the capital will be either a new city founded to be the new capital of the unified south american state, or Cuzco, the former capital of the Incas, which is still a rather important city.
Brazil will speak spanish.

The USA remains one of the 3 most powerful countries in the world, and the only western christian super power, altough whites will be only slightly more than a third of the population in 50 years, ethnic make up of the USA will resemble Brazil but with more east asians, inter marriage makes ethnic differences blur, in 50 years all americans are just americans and no longer italian americans, african americans etcetc

China and India are the most powerful countries in the world, the 500 years period of hegemony of the west which started with Columbus finding the Americas is finally over, the center of the world will return to asia again.

Technology advances and a replacement for oil is found, that, and not a war, pulverises islamic terrorism, and islamic fundamentalist ideologies, the islamic world becomes an even worse ****hole, saudi arabia cant even maintain their desalination plants once their oil wealth is gone, many problems with refugees.

Europe becomes more and more irrelevant, due to its demographic decline, most western european countries have muslim communities which make over 25% of the population, in a few smaller countries "lebanese" demographics are achieved
I see risk of europeans genociding away their muslim population, sincerely

Most european nations have muslims minorities of over 20 %, christianity becomes more popular, not because of an increase of faith, but more because of nationalism, tradition, pride in european history etc


Africa becomes China´s cheap work factory

Population will not grow past 9000 million people

[Impaler[WrG]]

Today, terrorism threatens free people everywhere, they want us dead and are actively working toward that goal. Rogue states are working to aquire nukes and at least one has done so

I dispute that Terrorism is even remotly a problem on par with things like the first and second world wars. Islamic Terrorism is like Anarchism was a century ago. Nothing more then an excusse for major powers to play their games of domination.

South America will be only one country, the capital will be either a new city founded to be the new capital of the unified south american state, or Cuzco, the former capital of the Incas, which is still a rather important city.

Probably at best a EU like confederacy, also no change in language is likly beyond english adoption as a second language.

The USA remains one of the 3 most powerful countries in the world, and the only western christian super power, altough whites will be only slightly more than a third of the population in 50 years, ethnic make up of the USA will resemble Brazil but with more east asians, inter marriage makes ethnic differences blur, in 50 years all americans are just americans and no longer italian americans, african americans etcetc

I'd give that demographic transition 100 years, I live in Tucson a roughly half hispanic city and half of our hispanics are just as white as any Anglo. Also realize that the US population is huge so to significantly shift demographics takes huge numbers of imigrants.

China and India are the most powerful countries in the world, the 500 years period of hegemony of the west which started with Columbus finding the Americas is finally over, the center of the world will return to asia again.

China yes, Inda no, it will at best be a regional power and will continue to be plauged by poverty and wealth disparity. China will have almost wholey eliminated these issues. The main powers will be much as Orwell predicted, the US in aliance with Canada and Australia and probably still Japan, Europe in aliance with Russia and finaly China with Africa as its neo-colonial shpere. South America is a semi-independent play. The middle-East is as you predict is even more of a hell hole for its general population, the elites live of their oil-money inheritences and fortify themselves in Dubi.

Europe becomes more and more irrelevant, due to its demographic decline, most western european countries have muslim communities which make over 25% of the population, in a few smaller countries "lebanese" demographics are achieved

Unlikly, I see Europe actualy doing rather well despite their seemingly crushing pessimism about their own situation. They have the only aliance in the history of the world that other want to join for reasons other then fear of invasion by a 3rd party. Islam dose not have the kind of intelectualy energy to expand itself in true convertion, rather secular liberalism has had the upper hand for the last hundred years. More people may nominaly call themselves muslim in the future but the European value system will dominate and infact spread at the expense of fundamentalism which is nothing more then the backlash against liberalism.