Reimagining the world in 2050

In 1990, when my father was turning 20 he had several aspirations about how life would change after 30 years. He envisioned a better quality of life for his family, technology-oriented world, better purchasing parity and growth-oriented employment opportunities. Needless to say, many of his aspirations and wishes turned out to be true. Similarly in my 20’s, I cannot help wonder how aspects of life would be different in 2050

1. Interplanetary Travel : - With global warming and several imminent natural threats to human civilisation, our existence on earth may be limited. Thus, it might be a good idea for humans to consider becoming interplanetary species. While interplanetary travel is possible in 2020 it is expensive and thus impossible for the general population to access it. However, the recent advent of private companies in the space race can change this. Companies like Elon Musk’s SpaceX have been able to design reusable rockets and engines which have significantly cut space travel costs. Furthermore, the entry of many other private players like Bezos’ Blue Origin is expected to drive up competition in the field and further drive down costs which might just make interplanetary space travel accessible for everyone by 2050. This will further lead to a separate branch of space tourism, adventure and settlement.
2. Medicine : - The future will see the emergence of wearable and implanted technology which will automatically track all health indicators like heart beat, pulse and predict whether the person is at immediate risk and notify the doctor. The current COVID crisis has led to the rise of virtual tele-consultations with doctors. This trend is expected to continue and in the future we can also expect AI to play a major role in identifying and diagnosing diseases. Another exciting innovation in this field is transplant of lab grown organs eliminating the need for human organ donors.
3. Economy and Quality of Life : - The changing economic dynamics of the world suggests that it is very difficult to predict the state and ranking of world economies. Reputable financial organisations have predicted that emerging economies like India, China and Indonesia will have a large share of the world economy and have a larger GDP by PPP. Life in 2050 would be more efficient and streamlined. With IOT, devices will be able to communicate with each other freeing us from doing mundane tasks. Consider this: you go home from a tired day of work. Your home is already air conditioned. If there is no milk in the fridge, then the fridge automatically places an order for the same, which is delivered to you by a drone and the money is automatically deducted from your e-wallet. This is how seamless life will become in the next 30 years.
4. Transport : - Recent innovations like Tesla's autopilot, which allows cars to automatically drive themselves on highways, shows that we might be closer to the dream of fully self-driving cars than we realise. In the transportation sector we can expect vehicles to be completely driverless. It is predicted that in 2050 we might not require traffic lights as vehicles can communicate with each other and ensure uninterrupted transit on their own. In terms of fuel for vehicles the increasing importance of electric vehicles is a good indication that by 2050 vehicles could entirely run on renewable energy which will be a good news for the planet.
5. Education : - The coronavirus pandemic has taught us that the importance of online education cannot be underestimated. With mode of education increasingly turning online and expanding internet connectivity, huge numbers of students are enrolling in online courses and by 2050 almost 90% of students shall be receiving their degrees online. The use of technologies like augmented and virtual reality(VR/AR) will be greatly amplified in the education sector creating a 360 learning experience and helping students understand concepts better.
6. Job Markets: - As research in artificial intelligence continues to grow and AI starts to perform well on several human tasks it is already replacing humans in several jobs. If this trend continues it could lead to wiping out of 50% of current jobs by 2050. However as every dark cloud has a several lining, this will lead to the creation of more specialised jobs which will require expertise in the field of AI and robotics. Thus, it is necessary to ensure that members of the workforce keep updating their knowledge and skills regularly so that they are able to grab these new opportunities.
7. Sustainable Development : - UN report warns that water shortages could affect 5 billion people at the end of 2050. These natural resource shortages could lead to conflicts unless a sustainable solution is reached. It is very important that nations work on achieving the 17 SDGs proposed by the UN which include Quality Education, Gender Equality. Sustainable Development in the form of conservation of natural resources and taking care of the environment is the utmost need of the hour in order to ensure a prosperous future in 2050.
8. Global Warming : - Current estimates predict that average global temperatures are expected to rise by 2˚ C if the present negligence towards the environment continues. This could lead to flooding of low-lying areas, long heatwaves and dire climatic consequences. It is important to shift to a renewable energy-based economy, cut down carbon emissions and make energy consumption more efficient. The good news is that several countries and corporations have recognised this as a major crisis and are working towards mitigating it.

Based on the above aspects the overall future of humanity in 2050 seems to be optimistic. While the current pandemic might give us a feel of hopelessness about the future, it is important to remember that we have overcome much more difficult situations and progressed to greater heights.