From the five choices below choose which best describes your thoughts about the future of humanity from now and during the course of the 21st century. Neutral is basically a projection into the future based on current trends, optimism suggests that things are going to take a turn for the better while pessimism suggests things will take a turn for the worse.
Very Optimistic -
Global economic, social and technological growth will continue unhindered into the medium and long-term. Present global economic concerns are vastly over exaggerated and any recession on the horizon will be minor and quickly give way to renewed growth. Third world issues of poverty and poor living standards will be significantly rectified over the course of this century and the quality of life for the planet as a whole will dramatically improve. Even areas plagued by centuries of turmoil and strife (such as Africa) will see solid improvement. Global warming is something that either doesn't exist or will have an extremely minimal impact on human society. Current concerns over energy supply will be easily solved by technological advances in the near future.
Optimistic -
The future of global economic, social and technological growth will be positive but periodically slowed by poor economic conditions. The current economic downturn will persist for some time but will be ultimately unremarkable. Present levels of global poverty and under-development will be moderately improved during this century but still remain an issue for far off future generations. Nations such as China and India will see significant progress while the west will maintain its high standards of living. Global warming will have a moderate economic and social impact but will not be particularly severe. The costs and scarcity of energy will spur the development of alternatives, the shift will be slow and uncomfortable but successful.
Neutral -
Future growth will be hindered by frequent economic slowdowns which will prove challenging and difficult to resolve. Current economic troubles will persist and develop into a prolonged global recession. Poverty and poor living standards around the world will not see any real improvement in the near to medium term and may in-fact deteriorate. Emerging countries like China and India will continue to industrialise putting ever mounting pressure on natural resources and the environment with no real solution emerging to address this problem. Global warming will be a prolonged and serious problem. The shift from fossil fuels to alternative sources of energy will be very slow, expensive and difficult. Yet while growth may slow for a time, human civilisation will ultimately emerge in a position in which the problems of resource depletion and global warming are both adapted to and addressed and the foundation for long term future development is laid.
Pessimistic -
Current record oil and food prices foreshadow the beginning of some very difficult times ahead. Present economic troubles lead to severe recession and then depression. The standards of living in western countries deteriorate due to economic stagnation. The developing world will suffer acutely, unable to afford food or fuel, civil unrest, conflict and famine increase in severity and frequency. Global warming becomes increasingly severe and is greatly responsible for exacerbating extreme drought, sea rises and natural disasters. The cost of fuel becomes exorbitant with shortages and rationing common. Likewise food and all manner of consumer goods see dramatic price increases. Air travel becomes accessible only to the very elite. Human civilisation will persevere, but the present day socio-economic structure of free-market globalisation and boundless economic growth will not. Local scale economies emerge based on community agriculture and community markets. Driving an hour to work from the suburbs or goods being shipped halfway around the world becomes a thing of the past. The world becomes downsized.
Very Pessimistic -
Modern human civilisation has hit its limits of prosperity and growth due to overpopulation and resource depletion. The energy crisis will not be solved and global warming will become extremely dire. From current record oil prices and food things will continue to get progressively worse due to a 'perfect storm' of factors driven by increasing energy scarcity and global warming. This will result in deteriorating economic conditions leading to a perpetual global depression where oil becomes so expensive and scare that the means of production and distribution, from food to consumer goods, breaks down. The ever increasing disparity between oil supply and demand in fuelling modern civilisation and the effect of extreme global warming on agriculture ultimately creates conditions in which even western nations descend into anarchy and chaos. The global human population will crash over the course of this century on the order of multiple billions due to widespread and endemic wars, famines, diseases and natural disasters. All notions of nation-states, globalisation and complex, developed societies completely disintegrate.
Very Optimistic -
Global economic, social and technological growth will continue unhindered into the medium and long-term. Present global economic concerns are vastly over exaggerated and any recession on the horizon will be minor and quickly give way to renewed growth. Third world issues of poverty and poor living standards will be significantly rectified over the course of this century and the quality of life for the planet as a whole will dramatically improve. Even areas plagued by centuries of turmoil and strife (such as Africa) will see solid improvement. Global warming is something that either doesn't exist or will have an extremely minimal impact on human society. Current concerns over energy supply will be easily solved by technological advances in the near future.
Optimistic -
The future of global economic, social and technological growth will be positive but periodically slowed by poor economic conditions. The current economic downturn will persist for some time but will be ultimately unremarkable. Present levels of global poverty and under-development will be moderately improved during this century but still remain an issue for far off future generations. Nations such as China and India will see significant progress while the west will maintain its high standards of living. Global warming will have a moderate economic and social impact but will not be particularly severe. The costs and scarcity of energy will spur the development of alternatives, the shift will be slow and uncomfortable but successful.
Neutral -
Future growth will be hindered by frequent economic slowdowns which will prove challenging and difficult to resolve. Current economic troubles will persist and develop into a prolonged global recession. Poverty and poor living standards around the world will not see any real improvement in the near to medium term and may in-fact deteriorate. Emerging countries like China and India will continue to industrialise putting ever mounting pressure on natural resources and the environment with no real solution emerging to address this problem. Global warming will be a prolonged and serious problem. The shift from fossil fuels to alternative sources of energy will be very slow, expensive and difficult. Yet while growth may slow for a time, human civilisation will ultimately emerge in a position in which the problems of resource depletion and global warming are both adapted to and addressed and the foundation for long term future development is laid.
Pessimistic -
Current record oil and food prices foreshadow the beginning of some very difficult times ahead. Present economic troubles lead to severe recession and then depression. The standards of living in western countries deteriorate due to economic stagnation. The developing world will suffer acutely, unable to afford food or fuel, civil unrest, conflict and famine increase in severity and frequency. Global warming becomes increasingly severe and is greatly responsible for exacerbating extreme drought, sea rises and natural disasters. The cost of fuel becomes exorbitant with shortages and rationing common. Likewise food and all manner of consumer goods see dramatic price increases. Air travel becomes accessible only to the very elite. Human civilisation will persevere, but the present day socio-economic structure of free-market globalisation and boundless economic growth will not. Local scale economies emerge based on community agriculture and community markets. Driving an hour to work from the suburbs or goods being shipped halfway around the world becomes a thing of the past. The world becomes downsized.
Very Pessimistic -
Modern human civilisation has hit its limits of prosperity and growth due to overpopulation and resource depletion. The energy crisis will not be solved and global warming will become extremely dire. From current record oil prices and food things will continue to get progressively worse due to a 'perfect storm' of factors driven by increasing energy scarcity and global warming. This will result in deteriorating economic conditions leading to a perpetual global depression where oil becomes so expensive and scare that the means of production and distribution, from food to consumer goods, breaks down. The ever increasing disparity between oil supply and demand in fuelling modern civilisation and the effect of extreme global warming on agriculture ultimately creates conditions in which even western nations descend into anarchy and chaos. The global human population will crash over the course of this century on the order of multiple billions due to widespread and endemic wars, famines, diseases and natural disasters. All notions of nation-states, globalisation and complex, developed societies completely disintegrate.
