If you're in the prime of life, say between 30 and 55, you probably remember 2000, more or less. And you've got a pretty reasonable chance of seeing 2050.
So what do you think the world will be like in 25 years time? And how different will it be from 25 years ago?
If business as usual (BAU) continues, it's quite likely that the global population will be 50% bigger than it was in 2000.
Same goes for GDP. And total energy consumption. And total food production. But also other limited resource consumption and total pollution production.
Now bear in mind that first statement. This is a future you will probably see and experience. It isn't some far distant time that you don't need to worry about because you won't see it. Or problems that you can just leave to your children and descendants to sort out.
25 years is time enough to raise children and get them to child bearing age, but it's not that long. Because think back and you can remember 25 years ago. Remember 2000 and the Millenium and how 2050 felt like the far distant future? Well we're half way there.
So is "Business As Usual" sufficiently sustainable that it will keep going for another 25 years? Will 2050 be pretty much like 2025, just more so?
In the mean time though we've got another Year 2000 problem coming in 2038.
Resource constraints, pollution constraints, food production limits, climate change effects, heavy weather, pandemics, geopolitics all seem to be piling up and getting close to tipping points. Each year it seems to get harder and harder to believe that BAU can continue till 2100 and maybe not even 2050.
@jbond maybe not BAU, but the dependance to On Demand Economy is heading for collapse. ir drives artificial inflation. i dont need a ceaser salad in january when i cand pop the seal on a mason jar of salade d'hiver that was grown and preserved within walking distance.
@sparky57 JIT, On Demand, AliExpress, zero hours contracts, gig economy are not very resilient. Unusual events that stress can produce quite rapid collapse. Euro Gas prices after Russia-Ukraine, crop failures, Suez and Panama canal closures. We're going to need that resilience but global capitalism and JIT have driven all he slack out of the system.