The UK Ministry of Defense’s view of the future is filled with tech weapons and information advantage, but nary a flying car. Will we never reach the Age of Jetsons?
Some highlights from Richard Norton-Taylor’s report on what the Brit government believes lies ahead:
- New weapons—An electromagnetic pulse weapon, the kind that sci fi movies say can kill people and leaving the buildings standing, will become operational by 2035. In an overpopulated world, EMPs become the ethnic cleansing tool of choice.
- High Tech—Brains will be wired with information chips as pervasive technology makes it easier to flashmob (emphasizing the “mob” for future terrorists).
- Population—Eight-plus billion people will be roaming the earth, the vast majority hailing from less developed countries (including 87% of those under the age of 25 … we may yet see Logan’s Run come true). Clean water will be in demand, as will timeshares in Africa and the Middle East.
- Social unrest—In just a few years, half of the world will be urban, sparking a growth of shanty town digs. By 2035, 3 of 5 will be urban and migration will will be widespread. On the sunny side of the MoD report is the suggestion that increased globalization will eliminate inter-state warfare. The bad news is inter-communal conflict is going to replace it with borderless wars. Middle-class becomes the new proletariat as the revolutionary class makes a comeback. Information is our weapon. Moral relativism is our motivation to bring back Marxism.
- Islamic militants—All those young, unemployed and resentful Middle Easterners apparently embrace Umma as they migrate elsewhere. The West gets company as a target in the form of China and their new-found materialism. The “theatre of violence” persists, although the damage attributed to terrorism remains small in comparison to other forms of conflict.
- Iran—With or without George Bush’s help, Iran will grow in strength and strategic power. Rather than becoming an Evil Empire, the youth movement forces globalization and progressive governance to become the norm.
- Climate change—The future is underway as the globe warms at an unprecedented rate. The north Atlantic loses salt due to more freshwater melting from the Arctic, leading to another minature ice age for coastal regions reliant on ocean winds for temperature control.
And yes, by 2022 Soylent Green will be made of people, and apes will rule the world.
