The Future

~6 mins

The word future comes from Latin futurus, meaning "about to be." The future is speculative — but by studying trends, science, and human behaviour, we can make educated predictions about what may happen in the 21st and 22nd centuries. The future is uncertain, but not random. Choices in the next decades — about climate, war, technology, and justice — will decide whether the story of humanity continues in peace and prosperity or collapses under its own weight.

1) Climate change will likely be the defining force of the near future. Rising greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels are already causing warming, extreme storms, droughts, and rising seas. By 2100, some coastal cities may be uninhabitable. The response will shape politics, migration, and conflict. Climate tipping points are a major danger. These are thresholds in Earth's system — such as ice sheet collapse or rainforest dieback — that, once crossed, accelerate global warming uncontrollably.

2) Renewable energy will replace fossil fuels. Solar, wind, and nuclear fusion research aim to supply clean power. Fusion, the process that powers the sun, joins hydrogen atoms to release massive energy. If successful, it could solve energy needs for centuries. Future energy may include nuclear fusion, solar power satellites beaming energy to Earth, and hydrogen fuel systems. If achieved, abundant clean energy could transform economies and reduce conflict over resources.

3) Water scarcity will increase. Rivers and aquifers are overused, and climate shifts will reduce rainfall in key regions. Control of water may cause future conflicts, just as oil defined 20th-century wars. Technologies like desalination (removing salt from seawater) will be vital. Climate migration may redraw maps. Nations may face pressure to accept millions of refugees. Some regions, like the Sahel in Africa or Pacific islands, may become nearly uninhabitable.

4) Artificial intelligence will expand into everyday life. Already used in translation, medicine, and design, AI could surpass human intelligence in some fields — a point called artificial general intelligence (AGI). This raises ethical debates: will AI serve humanity, or replace human work and decision-making? Artificial intelligence could reshape politics. Deepfakes (AI-generated false videos) may destabilise democracies by spreading disinformation. At the same time, AI could manage economies, predict crises, and improve governance if used responsibly.

5) Automation will reshape economies. Robots and AI will perform tasks in factories, offices, and even creative industries. Millions of jobs may vanish, while new roles emerge. The idea of universal basic income — guaranteed payments to all citizens — may gain traction to balance job losses. Future revolutions may be driven by technology rather than ideology. For example, if AI controls most jobs, societies may revolt against systems seen as unjust, demanding new forms of economic sharing.

6) The future of money will be digital. Cash is already declining, replaced by credit cards, online banking, and mobile payments. Central banks are now experimenting with CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies), which are government-backed digital versions of money. Unlike cryptocurrencies, CBDCs are centralised and controlled by states, making transactions faster but also raising concerns about surveillance. A "cashless society" could emerge by 2100. In such a system, all transactions would be digital, tracked by governments and corporations.

7) Cryptocurrencies, beginning with Bitcoin in 2009, may continue to expand. Bitcoin uses blockchain, a decentralised ledger where transactions are verified by many computers rather than one central authority. Its supporters see it as "digital gold," resistant to inflation or government control. Critics warn of volatility and energy use. Future predictions vary: crypto could become mainstream global money, or remain niche, or even be suppressed by regulation.

Related: Bitcoin | Blockchain | Cryptocurrency

8) Inflation and deflation will remain key pressures. Inflation means prices rising because money loses value; deflation means prices falling due to shrinking demand. With massive government debts and money-printing during crises like COVID-19, future economies may see inflation spikes. But automation, which lowers costs, could bring long-term deflation. Balancing these forces will shape the future. Future financial crises are almost certain. The 2008 crash showed how interconnected banks are; in the future, crises might come from cyberattacks, AI-driven trading errors, or collapses of digital currencies.

Related: Inflation | Deflation | Financial Crises

9) Global inequality may widen. If advanced economies adopt digital money systems while poorer regions lag, divides will grow. Some predict "two financial worlds": one high-tech, cashless and global; the other still dependent on fragile local systems. Bridging this divide will be a major challenge. Predictions about the decline of the US dollar's dominance suggest China, through the yuan, and blocs like BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) may try to challenge this dominance.

10) Alternative value systems may arise. Some communities may reject global finance and build local currencies or barter networks, where goods and services are exchanged directly. Technology like blockchain may allow small groups to run their own secure currencies outside national control. In the far future, money itself may lose meaning if post-scarcity economies arise. A post-scarcity world is one where technology provides abundant energy, food, and goods at near-zero cost.

11) Biotechnology will transform health. Genetic editing tools like CRISPR allow altering DNA to cure diseases, create drought-resistant crops, or even design human traits. This raises questions about fairness, inequality, and the definition of "normal" humanity. Life expectancy may rise significantly. Advances in medicine, anti-ageing research, and organ regeneration could extend human lifespans well beyond today's limits. This might create social challenges: how will societies handle populations living past 100?

12) Space exploration will expand. Private companies like SpaceX aim for Mars colonies within decades. Lunar bases may provide resources like helium-3, useful for fusion energy. The word colony, as before, comes from Latin colonia, meaning settlement. In this case, it means humans settling beyond Earth. Space mining may become an industry. Asteroids contain metals like platinum and rare earth elements in massive quantities. If captured, this could fuel new economies, though legal and political disputes will arise over ownership.

13) The balance of world power may shift. The United States, China, and India are seen as major 21st-century players. Africa's population boom may also give it new global influence, with Nigeria projected to become one of the most populous nations by 2100. Wars of the future may be hybrid — fought with drones, cyberattacks, and information manipulation rather than only tanks or missiles. Cyber warfare, meaning hacking of systems and infrastructure, could cripple economies without a shot fired.

14) Nuclear weapons will remain a threat. Currently about 13,000 exist worldwide. The danger of accidental launch, rogue use, or escalation in conflict may rise. Efforts to reduce or eliminate them will be crucial to survival. Space-based defence may appear. Satellites are already military assets; future systems may include anti-satellite weapons or orbiting defence platforms. This risks an arms race beyond Earth.

15) Migration will increase. Climate disasters, sea level rise, and economic inequality will push millions to move across borders. Cities in safer regions may swell, while fragile states may collapse under pressure. Future cities will adapt with vertical farming, smart grids, and automated transport. Skyscrapers may house entire communities with farms built upward, reducing the need for land. The term smart city describes places where digital technology manages energy, transport, and services.

16) Education will change. Online learning, virtual reality, and personalised AI tutors could replace or supplement traditional schools. Global access to knowledge may expand, though inequality of access will remain a challenge. The future of religion may shift. Some traditions may decline in industrialised societies, while others grow in developing regions. New spiritual movements may emerge, possibly blending technology with belief, as humans seek meaning in a changing world.

17) Democracy will face challenges. Authoritarian systems that use technology for surveillance may compete with democracies that value rights and freedoms. The outcome will depend on whether technology empowers citizens or rulers. Global institutions like the UN may need reform. Problems such as pandemics, climate change, and AI governance cross borders, requiring stronger cooperation. If these institutions fail, nations may turn inward, risking instability.

18) Pandemics are likely to recur. COVID-19 showed how quickly viruses spread in a connected world. Future outbreaks may be deadlier or engineered. Rapid vaccine technology and global coordination will be vital for defence. Transportation may move beyond fossil fuels. Electric cars are spreading, but future travel may include magnetic levitation trains and hypersonic planes. Elon Musk's Hyperloop — vacuum tube trains — is one experimental idea.

19) The Arctic may open to shipping as ice melts. This will shorten routes between Asia and Europe but create conflicts over resources and sovereignty. Quantum computing, which uses quantum mechanics to process information, may revolutionise science. It could solve problems in seconds that would take classical computers millions of years, changing cryptography, medicine, and economics.

20) Inequality may deepen if technology benefits only the wealthy. Those with access to advanced healthcare, AI, and education may surge ahead, creating a new divide between "enhanced" and "unenhanced" humans. Food production will adapt. Lab-grown meat may replace livestock, reducing emissions and animal suffering. Insects may become common protein sources. Hydroponics (growing plants without soil) could make farming possible anywhere.

21) Artificial life may be created. Advances in synthetic biology could produce new organisms designed for specific purposes — from cleaning pollution to producing medicines. This raises ethical questions about "playing God." Warfare may include bioweapons engineered at the genetic level. International agreements will be tested to prevent such technologies from being misused.

22) The internet may evolve into a fully immersive "metaverse," blending virtual and physical life. Work, education, and social life could shift heavily into digital spaces. The danger is surveillance, addiction, and loss of privacy. Cultural identity may globalise further. Music, film, memes, and online trends already connect billions. Yet there may also be a backlash, with local cultures reasserting traditions to resist homogenisation.

23) Space colonisation may force humans to define what it means to be "Earth-born." A Martian generation may see themselves as separate from Earth, leading to new cultural and political identities. The balance between cooperation and conflict will decide the future. Humanity could unite to solve climate and technological challenges, or fall into wars over shrinking resources and rising inequality.

24) A possible long-term outcome is post-human society. This refers to humans enhanced by technology — genetic, cybernetic, or AI merging. Some predict a "singularity," when human and machine intelligence blend, creating a new form of being. Religion, philosophy, and ethics will have to answer questions about AI rights, human enhancement, and life beyond Earth. The biggest challenge may be less technological and more about meaning: what does it mean to be human in such a world?

↩ Back to Encyclopedia