Escaping our Future
Humanity didn’t understand why they were in danger, nor did they understand what they were endangering, as they continued to engage in harmful behaviours.
I was only 14 in 2020, so for me to know what our planet would look like in 50 years’ time would be somewhat impossible, but I think I would’ve been fairly content with the outcome. The way in which we achieved this outcome, though, may have been surprising.
I’ll begin my story by outlining the world’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which plagued humanity from late 2019 to early 2024. This pandemic affected nearly every country on earth, but its major impacts seemed to be lessening by the beginning of 2022. Anyone who had internet access during this time was aware of the significant portion of the population who were misinformed about the pandemic’s nature, refusing don masks or get vaccinated, but because most individuals in developed countries were able to be vaccinated by early 2022 (90%+), and less fortunate countries had achieved a somewhat manageable number (around 50%), society appeared to have escaped the worst that the virus could throw at it.
That was, until a new strain emerged from a cluster in western Africa, which went on to cause the deaths of over 50 million people, in addition to the already mounting toll from the original. It soon became clear though, that of those killed by the new strain, over 99% were unvaccinated.
I’m mentioning this strain, because I believe that it was the turning point in the way our society fundamentally operated. Clearly concerned with how damaging the new strain was, and identifying the risk that unvaccinated individuals posed, the world’s governments all issued vaccine mandates, threatening monthly fines of up to $100,000 for refusal of said vaccines. They didn’t stop at this, though, because it was clear that the actual spread of the misinformation surrounding vaccines was just as dangerous as those who believed it, so they tackled this through widespread social media reform, even ensuring that all governmental parties issued statements regarding common fake news tropes among their follower bases. This incidentally led to a major decrease in climate change misinformation as well, which was shown in polls of the world population’s belief in climate change, which eventually rose to 90% by late 2024 in the US alone.
Nevertheless, society’s shifted perspective on our climate, and science overall, cannot be attributed to just one factor. During this period another major occurrence was taking place, that being the effects of climate change on the planet.
For decades, experts were warning us that we couldn’t continue burning fossil fuels, and using petrol, and so many other things. Yet we were only able to respond to these warnings when the effects were staring us in the face. The first notable extinctions caused by climate change were giraffes, soon followed by elephants, and finally orangutans (How Climate Change is Threatening our Species).
These species were plastered in every children’s picture book, and known around the world, so they seemed to act as a wake up call for the general public. People could no longer ignore the critically endangered signs, because there were no more chances to save these species that were so well known. In addition to this, climate change had caused sea levels to rise upwards of two feet and caused numerous tragedies along coastlines around the world, as well as ridding over 100 million individuals of their homes. The time to act was upon us and against all odds, we managed to respond.
This increase in climate change interest was almost immediately felt in political spheres around the world, where leaders who were dedicated to immediate action were elected and began enacting change that would go on to be praised by historians. This was especially important as society transitioned out of quarantine from the pandemic and carbon emissions picked up where they left off. This ultimately led to deaths of tens of thousands more species and created the need for some countries to ration food. The Great Barrier Reef was also unable to handle rising temperatures and ocean acidification, and was destroyed in the late 20’s.
That being said, the newfound political action in regards to climate change was becoming increasingly obvious through carbon taxes, funding for research into renewable energy sources, better accessibility for electric vehicles, and more across the globe. In fact, the percentage of fuel that was considered non-renewable fell from 80% in 2021 to just over 50% in 2030 and eventually dipped below 20% in the late 40’s. The outcome of these movements was instantly recognizable, with scientists reporting slowed global warming, and greater recovery in the earth’s ozone layer. Ocean acidification was also slowed, but in addition to climate change, was nonetheless tragically deadly.
The reforestation movement, which began in the late 20’s, was one which can only be described as miraculous. It came about after major world leaders pledged to plant 50 billion trees before the end of 2040, and once the trees were fully grown, would suck millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere yearly. This also assisted in the recovery of species who were previously endangered due to deforestation.
One of the less popular policies implemented during this period was the restriction on children per family. It was seen as necessary by many, due to the growing concerns regarding sustaining a 9 billion person population, so families were limited to two children around the world, which ultimately led to a decreasing population, and which is why we only number 8 billion now. Nevertheless, it was difficult for many, and undoubtedly a slightly authoritarian decision.
These systems continued throughout the 30’s and 40’s, ultimately allowing our society to continue functioning, albeit on a scarred planet. The steps taken were necessary, but they were undoubtedly stringent and difficult for our generation to manage.