12 Things That Will Become Reality By 2020

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12 Things That Will Become Reality By 2020

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Predicting the future is a risky business, indeed. But if anyone has a right to try, it's a science-fiction writer. We may not always get it right, but sometimes we can look beyond the trees and actually SEE the forest. After 12 months of thought, I arrived at the following 12 predictions for the year 2020.

1) The Information Age is gaining momentum. It grows as all the stored data created by human beings everywhere continues to expand. By 2020, all real power on Earth will stem from the entities that control the most information. If corporations control the majority of information, then corporations will have the most power. If governments control it, then governments will have the most power. If people control their own information - well, you can see where this is going. The control of information is one of the biggest issues on the planet, although a lot of people don't realize it.

2) If the scientists and researchers who support climate change are correct, most of the glaciers in temperate zones will have either shrunk dramatically or completely melted. If you live in areas where weather records are broken each year, the effects will be cumulative, that is, as the problem gets worse, the faster it will get worse each year, sort of like an expanding circle.

3) It's likely the United States, in cooperation with Eurospace and others, will establish a presence on the moon. If they don't put it underground, all the personnel could be killed in ten minutes by a major solar event. An outflow of protons from the sun, for example. We can only hope they protect the residents by making it an underground base.

4) We could go to Mars by 2020, but only if everyone can agree on the funding and the mission. In reality, we could launch a mission there sooner, but I think it will take longer because NASA is committed to the moon.

5) Today's big-screen plasma TV's will be selling at Goodwill for peanuts in the future. By 2020, many people will be watching three-dimensional holographic projectors set up in their living rooms. Soon after this technology becomes common, companies will create interactive films, games, and role-playing software. They might call it HV, for Holographic Video. This technology is already closer to reality than you think. It would be expanded to computers almost immediately for video eMail and other uses.

6) Another 2 billion people will exist on the planet by 2020. One way to imagine this is to think about the current population of the United States expanding by seven times in the next 13 years and then moving to other places on Earth. They will all need water and food. Of all my predictions, this one gives me the most discomfort.

7) The day of the big SUV and fossil-fuel car will be in serious decline. Either automotive makers will have to offer reasonable electric/alternate fuel vehicles, or they will go broke just like the guys who made buggies when the automobile first came along. Much as we hate to think about it, we reached peak oil production long ago. Prices are going to continue to rise as a growing number of people demand their share of the oil. We can either fight over the leftovers, or we can find other sources of energy and move forward. If there is a World War III before 2020, this will be the reason.

8) Wilderness areas and rain forests will exist in smaller amounts than now, but will still exist.

9) Personal freedoms will still be in place, but somewhat less than now. These freedoms will be curtailed first in situations where public safety is an issue.

10) By 2020, even if global restrictions are in place regarding human-based genetic engineering, some countries will be experimenting with it.

11) Private spacecraft will be taking paying customers to orbit, the ISS, and sub-orbital flights for a fee. First the rich, and then other companies will jump in trying to get the public business at a cheaper rate. There will be some accidents early on, and then government will regulate it like the airlines. Everyone will look back on Paul Allen as a pioneer.

12) Clean water will be the number one priority for more than half the world's population, with fear of famine running a close second.

I wish I had better news. However, sometimes when you know the future, when you can see the numbers - then you can do something about it. The single biggest problem facing us in the future is overpopulation, because most of our current problems on Earth can be traced back to it in one way or another.

Sometimes I think that Alvin Toffler had it right all along.