6. What did people presume 50 years ago?
Source: UK Foresight Intelligent Instrastructure Project, http://www.foresight.gov.uk/
7. What do we presume today?
Source: UK Foresight Intelligent Instrastructure Project, http://www.foresight.gov.uk/
8. What should we be presuming
about 50 years time?
Source: UK Foresight Intelligent Instrastructure Project, http://www.foresight.gov.uk/
9. Living and working in perpetual motion
‘Always on’ culture with lots of traffic, but low-emission is the norm and
sustainable energy forms are widely adopted.
Source: UK Foresight Intelligent Instrastructure Project, http://www.foresight.gov.uk/
10. The Powermat Portable is intended for travelers. Place any device on the mat, and it
uses induction to deliver a wireless charge; the power flows to small receivers that can
be fitted to most handheld gadgets. The Powermat is powered by an AC adapter, but a
built-in lithium-ion battery allows charging when you can't find a wall socket.
Availability: Fall 2010
Source: www.powermat.com
11. Living and working in an urban colony
Building-integrated energy generation systems are a standard feature of all new
buildings, with photovoltaic skins a standard feature.
Source: UK Foresight Intelligent Instrastructure Project, http://www.foresight.gov.uk/
13. Living and working with good intentions
Consumption of energy is closely monitored, ultra-energy-efficient vehicles are
connected into an integrated traffic management system.
Source: UK Foresight Intelligent Instrastructure Project, http://www.foresight.gov.uk/
14. Santa Monica Civic Center parking structure
Source: http://www.greendiary.com/, posted Nov09
19. Chronology of Future Events
2030 Global and regional earth
system modeling (integrated
Skilled immigration applicant
Consumers are willing to pay
more for low carbon footprint
Economies that were
previously dominated by
Energy efficiency of home and
office appliances increases by
increase and are easily accepted
products manufacturing industries 50%.
assessment model) provides
highly accurate /sectors have moved
dramatically towards Majority of trips in daily life will
Ecotourism becomes dominant Technologies significantly
knowledge-based services be through efficient public
in the tourism industry improve the healthcare system
Food scarcity occurs as a result transportation as opposed to
to cope with new infectious
of a significant shift in land A low carbon related SR,ISO personal mode
diseases stimulated from global
allocation from food crop to Coastal ecosystem management warming Standard is considered the
energy crop becomes widespread and norm of business practice 20% of electricity is generated
economically beneficial by decentralized sources
Effective mechanisms are Carbon accounting becomes
devised to cope with the Technological process changes mandatory globally
direct impact of climate New generations of well- toward producing food locally
related events educated people choose new to serve societal demand while
reducing carbon emission Environmentally friendly goods
knowledge-intensive,
is now the dominant consumer
agriculture-based industries
goods in the global market
that are more sustainable
Algae technology capable of
Water scarcity becomes a cause Global IT network will reduce
producing fuel (H2, oil, or
of War the traveling of people to the Air freight shipments are down
ethanol) becomes commercially 1990 level to 1990 level
wide-spread
2040 Carbon capture and storage
(CCS) is effectively and fully
High demand on carbon A global regulatory framework Political instability and inter- Most existing commercial
deduction creates sustainable of low carbon is totally accepted buildings are retrofitted to save
implemented income from the poor rural regional conflicts due to
climate change impacts lead to 50% of energy use on average
people who plant trees and
energy crops little interaction between the
Technology and management major economic co-operations
enable forest plantations to act Personal transportation,
as the main carbon sink Shift of farming land to higher supplementing mass
Migration of people from altitude and colder areas cause transportation, will mainly
It is realized that emission
coastal area towards inland major destruction of the most consist of shared, loaned or
trading has had little effect on
induces major conflicts over important carbon sink rents vehicles
reducing the global green house
land and resources
gas emission
2050 Anthropogenic greenhouse gas
emissions are stabilized at 1990
Breakthroughs in battery
storage technology make
level obsolete all other fuels
including H2
Beyond 2050 Conventional fuels disappear
completely from transportation
sector
