What Earth in 2125 could look like - Iseult Gillespie
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DownloadFaced with the realities of current crises,
it's easy to assume our world is headed in a bleak direction.
But there’s good reason to be hopeful—
with developments in science and technology,
a positive future is more viable than ever before.
So, what if the future was awesome?
Let’s explore what the future of three cities could look like,
if we harness the tools we already have at our disposal
to solve today's problems.
These visions are inspired by solarpunk,
an art and social movement that imagines sustainable worlds
in which humans, nature, and technology exist in harmony.
It’s 2125.
In the past, Los Angeles was running out of water
and its citizens were dependent on 5 million cars.
Today, people glide down highway 101 on electric bikes, buses, and trains.
There’s no fee for these services—
instead, folks contribute their technical or gardening skills,
or provide entertainment for others as they go.
Year-round sunlight makes LA well-suited to solar infrastructure,
but water is still limited.
City dwellers manage this by maintaining water-efficient farms in high rises,
and within the 17 million square meters of land that once housed parking spaces.
Here, students and scientists mist local fruit, vegetables, and grains
with nutrients.
They also create portable farms, stacking layers of plant and fertilizer
into temperature-controlled shipping containers
that can be transported out to city residents and beyond.
In Lagos, Nigeria, the city’s coast is completely transformed.
In the past, sand mining and urban expansion
eroded roughly 84% of the shoreline,
which put the city at risk of catastrophic flooding.
But the city responded by restoring the wetlands,
which now act as natural sponges.
An intricate array of pipes, equipped with turbines,
capture the energy of flowing water and convert it into electricity.
This powers buildings and services all over Lagos,
like the city’s famous Balogun market,
where people come together to trade, socialize, and entertain.
Along the coast, people steward thousands of native mangrove plants,
which act as carbon sinks,
clean up the pollutants of the past, and support biodiversity.
This area celebrates the mangrove in many forms—
local designers use its tannins to dye fabrics,
while scientists research its pharmaceutical potential
and its uses as a natural pesticide.
Further out to sea, people embrace sustainable fishing practices
and repurpose fish processing waste
to power ships, floating farms, and public housing.
Meanwhile, São Paulo, Brazil has fully reimagined housing.
In its industrial past, the city battled heavy pollution,
and up to a third of the population lived in unsanitary conditions.
But today, homes, schools, local government buildings,
and entertainment spaces are made from repurposed materials
from the former auto industry.
These buildings generate their own solar power and capture rainwater to reuse.
At the center sits a new solar football stadium,
which generates energy and doubles as an incubator
for growing native plants.
In areas where the land remains toxic,
citizen scientists are stewarding thousands of mushrooms.
These mushrooms break down the bonds in the decades-old chemicals
which remain in soil long after the burning
of oil, gas, and household garbage.
They then produce new spores,
attracting insects and birds to the area once again.
These versions of LA, Lagos, and São Paulo embody the principle of life
enmeshed with the promises and limitations of its surroundings.
And while this future may seem far from reach,
it is achievable, and it might not even take us 100 years to get there.
All over the world, communities are embracing these and similar ideas
to build more sustainable systems.
In Vancouver, Indigenous First Nations are building affordable, net-zero
housing projects incorporating green spaces and bike infrastructure.
In Singapore, urban farms flourish on skyscrapers
and in the shells of former prisons.
In Prague, urban beekeeping takes flight in hotels and theaters.
Optimism can be a powerful mobilizing force.
From natural technologies to renewable energy,
we have so many transformative tools at our disposal.
All we need is the will to implement them.
Key Vocabulary (50)
toward
"Go to school."
belonging
"Cup of tea."
also
"You and me."
inside
"In the house."
specific
"That book."
A third-person singular pronoun used to refer to an object, animal, or situation that has already been mentioned or is clear from context. It is also frequently used as a dummy subject to talk about time, weather, or distance.
Used to show who is intended to have or use something, or to explain the purpose or reason for an action. It is also frequently used to indicate a specific duration of time.
A preposition used to indicate that something is in a position above and supported by a surface. It is also used to indicate a specific day or date, or to show that a device is functioning.
A preposition used to indicate that people or things are together, in the same place, or performing an action together. It can also describe the instrument used to perform an action or a characteristic that someone or something has.
A conjunction used to compare two things that are equal in some way. It is most commonly used in the pattern 'as + adjective/adverb + as' to show similarity.
A preposition used to indicate a specific point, location, or position in space. It is also used to specify a particular point in time or a certain state or activity.
Used to identify a specific person, thing, or idea that is physically close to the speaker or has just been mentioned. It can also refer to the present time or a situation that is currently happening.
A coordinating conjunction used to connect two statements that contrast with each other. It is used to introduce an added statement that is different from what has already been mentioned.
A preposition used to show the method or means of doing something, or to identify the person or thing that performs an action. It frequently appears in passive sentences to indicate the agent or before modes of transport.
Used to indicate the starting point, source, or origin of something. It can describe a physical location, a point in time, or the person who sent or gave an item.
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Description
What could our future look like if we harness our technology to create a sustainable world? Take a look at the possibilities. -- Faced with the realities of current crises, it’s easy to...
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