Flying Cars...

[xthread]

Some predictions for the next thirty years.

1. We will identify an extrasolar object that is almost certainly life-bearing, as evidenced by being within the habitable zone of some other star, and has high concentrations of O2 in it's atmosphere. No, I have no idea whatsoever what telescopy advancements will allow us to determine that the atmosphere of an extrasolar object has large amounts of free oxygen. I am not an astronomer.
   
2. We will find methods to cure type 1 and type 2 diabetes. There have been a lot of extremely exciting research results released in the last six months, I expect that we'll see those results pay off as we make the leap from lab to hospital.
   
3. We will still not have flying cars. Ok, that one's a cheap shot, we may actually have flying cars, there are running prototypes now, but they're ferociously expensive. I'm also tempted to make other snide predictions like 'we will not be using IPv6,' but that's also just an inflammatory cheap shot.
   
4. We will not see a global economic or environmental collapse of the first world. We will see significant environmental damage from global climate changes. We definitely will see a northern arctic freight passage, and I'll be surprised if we don't see human habitation of the Arctic. As zunger points out, this will be geopolitically... interesting. <cheap shot> especially when large petroleum reserves are discovered in the arctic</cheap shot>
   

Comments

Predictions

[a-steep-hill.livejournal.com]

World production of oil and natural gas will have peaked, probably decades in the past.

Coal may well have peaked, on a net-BTU's basis if not on a total tonnage basis. But if we're still pursuing coal as a primary energy source, then the falsification of xthread's fourth prediction is only a matter of time.

Incidentally, what counts as "collapse"? Does it require mass starvation and infrastructure failure, and a 90% reduction in population? That's probably not going to happen.

Does it count as "collapse" if the symptoms are a pattern of monotonic decrease in biodiversity, agricultural production, available fresh water, standard of living, average income, and political freedom over a period lasting longer than our lifetime?