The World in 2050
What
will our world look like in 2050? Not just here in Summerton, but
in Clarendon County, across the U.S. and around the world. The
following is a brief collection of both
negative and positive predictions about our world in 2050. These
predictions were extracted from multiple reports
and studies by groups around the world focused on the future of
America and this planet. You may find that they all point to
redefining society and life on Earth as we transition from a Type 0
to a Type
1 Civilization.
So
here we go! Here are just a few of the major predictions about our
future come 2050. As you
read these predictions about the future, think about how they might
relate to life in Summerton - or
in your
town:
Agriculture
Agriculture
- Demand for Food and Water resources will grow substantially as the global population increases. Unfortunately, much of the world's fish stocks in the ocean could become extinct by 2050 and global yields of food crops could also plummet nearly 10% by 2050 leading to food scarcity.
- High-tech solutions, precision farming systems, as well as approaches borrowed from organic farming, will all be needed to boost yields several times over to meet the growing global demand. Expect to see widespread use of drones, autonomous self-driving farming vehicles, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) or crops, and 'open' farming machinery - see Open Ecology.
Business
& Manufacturing
-
Collaboration, 'Open' Solutions, Sharing, and a focus on continuous Innovation will be the key business strategies pursued by most industries. Many new materials for housing, clothing, technology ... will be developed and used to revolutionize many industries and the products they produce. See 4th Industrial Revolution
-
Hi-tech, intelligent buildings powered by alternative energy sources will be used by most growing and forward-thinking companies. Use of Smart 3D Printers and Advanced Manufacturing Techniques will transform manufacturing and be the norm. The telecommuting workforce across the U.S. and around the world will continue to grow, and the market for the Internet of Things (IoT) will be huge - consisting of trillions of interconnected devices of all sorts.
Education
-
Free and open access to most of the world's digitized information will be available to almost everyone in the world. Use of 'open access' textbooks and research, coupled with the spread of 'open data', will revolutionize the education system and help to dramatically lower costs. Read Next Generation Education 4.0 Systems
Energy
-
The official end of the 'Oil Age' and use of fossil fuels on Earth will occur by 2050. Renewable energy sources will provide up to 80% of U.S. energy needs by 2050, e.g. wind, solar, hydro, hydrogen fuel cells, and more. Nuclear 'fusion' power will also finally become commercially available
-
Continent-wide smart 'supergrids' will be deployed and used to better manage the world's energy distribution system. Both the high cost and scarcity of energy on Earth will become a thing of the past.
Environment
-
Average global temperatures will likely rise more than 4°F by 2050. The resulting climate change will make storms far more intense, e.g. hurricanes, tornadoes, cyclones. Sea levels across the globe will rise by a little over 3 feet, flooding many coastal cities in the U.S. and around the world.
-
Nearly half of the world's rain forests and jungles will vanish by 2050, and approximately 5 billion of the world's projected 10 billion people will live in water-stressed areas. Wildfires will triple in many regions of the globe, deep ocean mining operations will become widespread further destroying sea life, and major extinctions of many animals and plant life will have occurred by 2050.
Global
Economy & Trade
-
The U.S. dollar will lose its global dominance by 2025 as the Euro and China's currency become co-equals in a "multi-currency" monetary system. India's economy will finally rival that of China and the U.S. by 2050, and Brazil, Mexico and Indonesia will finally begin to rival the economies of the U.K. and France.
-
Collaboration, 'Open' Solutions, and continuous Innovation will be the key strategies for success in the 21st century global economy. New financial systems, economic development, business models and tools will have emerged, e.g. Bitcoin, Micro-financing, Electronic Wallets.
Government
-
The vast majority of countries will have adopted some form of democratic government by 2050, and the U.S. will learn to work with more closely with new partners around the world to reinvent regional and global governance systems.
-
Both Public and Private sector organizations will shift their focus to long term investments and solutions. Governments will have to learn to adapt fast enough to harness change and new technologies, instead of being overwhelmed by it. Many Non-State actors will take the lead in confronting global challenges, e.g. global business conglomerates.
-
Building leadership in government and business that can be 'trusted', that is not corrupt, is citizen-centered, and not built on greed and the quest for money and power... will continue to be a major challenge for society.
Health
-
Skyrocketing global population will spur the faster spread of infectious diseases and viruses. By 2050 we will see more instances of global pandemics and the spread of deadly diseases. Read Health 4.0 by 2040
-
Rise of 'Regenerative Medicine', Genetic Engineering, Stem Cell Research, and the development of 'Human Augmentation' technologies will dramatically alter people's life spans and capabilities.
-
Use of genomic information and biorepository systems will transform healthcare and help dramatically lower costs.
-
Reduction in child mortality and improvements in health due to numerous advances in medicine. Genetically engineered "designer babies" will become more commonplace
Military
&Warfare
-
Unfortunately, war will not become extinct, though its frequency and scope will continue to change and adapt to rapid shifts in power and events on the global stage. Global power will shift to networks and coalitions of nations in a multi-polar world.
-
Development of a wide range of new weapon systems will continue - see Future Weapons. There will be more widespread use of fully autonomous, semi-intelligent military weapons, e.g. drones, robots.
-
Expect to see weapons and warfare spread to outer space as the quest to colonize the moon and other planets becomes a reality.
Population
-
It is predicted that the global population will reach a plateau of approximately10 billion by 2050, barring any unforeseen major pandemic or major extinction event.
-
By 2050, one in every six people on earth will be over 65 years old, and over 60% of the world’s population will live in urbanized areas and smart cities of the future.
-
Mass migration of the world's populations effected by climate change will increase.
-
The U.S. will continue to see steady population growth through 2050, with the Southern and Western regions of the country leading the growth
Society
-
The importance of Personal Privacy will remain a high priority for people everywhere as business and government continue to infringe on this area of life.
-
Women will take on a growing leadership role in business and government around the world.
-
By 2050, it is predicted that 30 per cent (2.8 billion) of the World's population will identify with Islam compared to 31 per cent (2.9 billion) identifying as Christian.
Space
Travel & Colonization
-
Spaceflight technology will take a major leap forward allowing for Inter-Planetary travel. Public and private sector organizations will be aggressively moving forward to explore and exploit resources on nearby planets in outer-space. There will be permanent human settlements on the moon, followed by the first permanent colony on Mars.
-
Different life forms will begin to be discovered on other planets and galaxies by 2050.
Technology
-
The pace of technological innovation will continue to increase. There will be another 1,000-fold increase in computer power, data transmission rates, storage, ... Mobile solutions will rapidly evolve, especially as the world embraces a wide range of wearable technologies. Implantable technologies will start to gain widespread acceptance in healthcare, warfare, and other sectors of our lives by 2050.
-
Trillions of 'Internet of Things (IoT)' and Smart Appliances will be deployed and interconnected. Use of 3D printing technology by individuals and manufacturing industries will become widespread. Drones will be employed by many industries, e.g. agriculture, manufacturing... Robots will become a common feature in homes and workplaces around the world.
-
Hopefully, many other new technological breakthroughs will be developed just in time to boost economic productivity and solve many of the challenges related to a growing world population, rapid urbanization, climate change, ...
Transportation
-
Electric cars will largely dominate the automobile industry by 2050. In addition, hi-tech self-driving cars and trucks on the road will be commonplace.
-
Look for completion of high-speed rail routes between major cities across the U.S. and around the world, e.g. Maglev and HyperLoop systems. A trans-global highway and rail network will have emerged that will eventually link all continents.
-
The commercial space transportation industry will continue to grow far into the foreseeable future.
The
rate of change will not be slowing down. It will continue to increase
and amaze us. The U.S. and the rest of the developing world will
learn to adapt to these many new technologies and changing scenarios
as we continue the transition from a Type 0 to a Type 1 Civilization.
Focusing on Summerton & Clarendon County in 2050
So what does all this mean for the citizens of Summerton and Clarendon County, S.C. Let's take a quick look at some probable changes and scenarios we can expect to see in our future. Be sure to also read the Clarendon County Comprehensive Plan 2018-2028
Demographics
Population
Conservatively
speaking, the population of Summerton and the surrounding area should
more than double by 2050. That means Summerton's population may
slowly but steadily grow to over 2,000 residents and Clarendon
County may grow to over 60,000 people by 2050.
Education
& Training
The
education and qualifications of the local workforce will have a
direct impact on the ability of the area to attract new industry and
businesses. Improving the level of education will be a high priority
for the community. By 2050, every person will have at least a high
school education. At least 50% will have 2-year community college or
4-year university degrees – a necessity if they are to compete in
the global marketplace.
The
means of delivering education and life-long training to citizens will
change dramatically. For example, consolidation of small school
districts will occur to cut administrative overhead, save money, and
improve the range of educational services provided. Privatization of
higher education systems by for-profit universities will rival or
replace state-run schools supported by tax dollars. Self-paced online
education programs will replace many traditional brick-and-mortar
high schools and universities. Read
“The
Open Education & Training Revolution Continues”.
Income
& Jobs
In
2050, people will still continue to work in the following fields -
Agriculture, Forestry, Manufacturing, Construction, Transportation,
Finance, Education, Retail Trade, Hospitality Services, Food Service,
Tourism, Healthcare, and Public Services. However, expect to see a
significant shift in the percentage of people working in each of
these industries.
By
2050, many new workers will be needed to work in the rapidly
expanding information and technology industry. Many new jobs will
open in the hospitality, food service, entertainment, tourism, and
outdoor recreation industries. Expect to see significant growth in
ecotourism, agritourism, water parks, miniature golf courses,
marinas, hotels, condos, new homes, restaurants, retail businesses,
new homes, retirement communities, and much more.
Along
with the new industries will come many new jobs – many of which
will be higher paying jobs requiring a more complex set of skills.
Thus the need for improvements in the local education and training
programs.
Housing
By
2050, as the population doubles in the area, the education standard
is raised, and higher paying jobs in new industries become the norm,
expect to see a boom in the housing market and construction industry.
Many existing summer homes will be upgraded to year round homes.
Expect to see more construction of high-end condos and townhouse
communities along the lake. More secure, gated communities will
spring up to accommodate retirees from other parts of the country.
Many of these new homes will be better constructed 'smart homes'
incorporating solar power and other hi-tech features. Skilled workers
will need to be trained to build these new homes.
Expect
the prices for these new homes, lake-front property, and land in
general to climb dramatically over the coming decades. It's not going
to happen overnight. Think long term – think 2050. Key to the
growth is Lake Marion, our weather, and the geographic position of
Summerton and the surrounding area halfway between Columbia and
Charleston, S.C.
“It's
tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” -
Yogi Bera
|
Local
Government – The Public Sector
The
mayor and town council of Summerton are going to face some major new
challenges in the coming decade. By 2050, the number of residents and
businesses in Summerton and the surrounding area will more than
double. The town will need to refine the 'Comprehensive Plan' for
Summerton to include new infrastructure that will be needed, online
information systems, updated town ordinances, zoning, town boundries,
taxes, new services, utilities, additional staffing, and much more.
Once
the pace of change begins to pick up, to succeed the town will need
to consider hiring a professional town manager who will need to work
with the Clarendon County government, Santee-Lynches Regional Council
of Governments, and the State and Federal governments to obtain
grants and participate on more intergovernmental initiatives. By
2020, there will begin to be many additional governmental functions
that only a full time town manager and professional staff will be
capable of handling.
The
town will need to start focusing on many potential new local and
intergovernmental initiatives such as: improving the education
system; providing additional public health and healthcare services;
establishing a public relations and marketing programs to attract
developers and new industries; raising additional revenue; bolstering
disaster preparedness and public safety programs; building up
tourism, agribusiness, tackling environmental issues, providing more
online government services, and much more.
Local
Business – The Private Sector
The
number of businesses in Summerton can expect to grow from
approximately 80 small
businesses today to more than 150 by 2050. The number and type of
businesses will include many traditional businesses, e.g. realty,
insurance, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, banks, retail stores.
Read Best
New Business Ideas for Small Towns
Now
- think about telecommuting centers, information technology
companies, ecotourism companies, assisted living centers, family
recreation facilities, alternative energy system, the Internet of
Things (IoT), construction of 'smart homes', farms planting
genetically modified organisms (GMO); precision farming; drone
operators; … Many of these new businesses will require more a more
educated workforce with hi-tech skills. There's a lot of work to be
done!
Non-Profit
Community Organizations
As
the population grows and becomes more diverse, non-government
organizations (NGO) like churches, charities, civic groups, and
veterans organizations will not only see an increase in their members
– but many new organizations will emerge to serve the changing
population.
Think
of more proactive environmental groups, new religious organizations,
increased activity by historic preservation groups, the need for more
charitable services, the rise of home owner associations (HOA), more
social groups...
Like
the government and local businesses, the use of information
technology (IT) to run their operations and reach out to their
members will be of great importance. Think computers,
telecommunication networks, video conferencing systems, social
networking, mobile solutions, and… Notice how it all comes back to
education, training, and technology for the organizations and
workforce of the future.
Links
to Selected Articles & Web Sites
The
following are a few selected articles published by the Summerton
Weekly News over the past several years on the future of
Summerton, South Carolina, the USA, and the World.
Selected
Web Sites
Selected
Videos
|
Summerton
is
known as a wonderful place to vacation, raise a family, run a
business - or simply retire to, when all is said and done. The deep
spiritual commitment and sound family values of its people are
reflected in the many churches and close-knit residential communities
in Summerton and the surrounding area. However,
the town of Summerton is now caught up in the transition from its
deeply rooted agrarian past into the modern 'Information Age' of the
21st Century.
Change
is going to continue to come to Summerton and the surrounding area.
There is really no stopping it. So rather than fighting it, the
community needs to embrace it and be more proactive in shaping its
future – rather than letting 'outside forces' dictate what's going
to happen. But you know what? It turns out that Summerton is well
positioned to thrive in this coming century.
To
close, let me quote Yogi Bera again - “When
you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
Links
to Selected Summerton & Clarendon County Web Sites
Clarendon
County
Other
Selected Sites
|
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