It’s 2030 – ten years past the COVID-pandemic, and humanity has not yet done enough to slow greenhouse emissions, and therefore climate change has only gotten worse and worse. Hurricane season had come back stronger over and over, and the southeastern coast of the US is unlivable between that and the rising sea levels. Wildfire season is unmanageable. More and more animals have been going extinct in the wild, and efforts to rehabilitate rarer animals have redoubled.
Seeing this, more rational world governments have introduced harsh taxes on greenhouse gas emissions. Electric cars and clean energy become popular, gardens on balconies and rooftops are widely seen in large cities, and a large campaign to “save nature” begins, its efforts too little, too late. Blue skies become more and more rare within cities, and smog seems to be the norm. Efforts to create air filtering technology redouble.
Technology and automation have become a much larger part of people’s lives, and wearable tech has become all the rage. Google glasses have made a comeback, with more competitors. Apple’s iPhone now has 20 cameras on the back, and for some reason, people keep buying it. Self driving technology becomes more commonplace, and Uber’s and Lyft’s become more safe. Video games have evolved as well, and NerveGear becomes the next step after VR.
Automation has taken over many more dangerous jobs, and the skill levels needed for jobs has decreased due to the amount of assistance automation provides. This results in the job market being more open to people with lower levels of education, and an increasing middle class. The fast food industry will be taken over by robots. McDonald’s McFlurry machine will never break again. As much as life has been enhanced and eased by technology, human skill and labor is still valued.
Humanities attempts at going back to the moon as succeeded, and the moon colonization process has begun. Scientists have a regular base there, and people with enough money are now able to spend a few weeks for vacation on the moon. Space outfits become trendy. People are looking forward to the first humans landing on Mars.