Top Ten Futurist Forecasts

1. Genetically modified crops may surpass natural crops in acreage planted by 2020. Crops could be 100% genetically modified by the end of the twenty-first century, according to some optimistic experts. —Molitor, Sep-Oct 2003, p. 42

2. Two-thirds of the world's population will be chronically short of water by 2050. "Water wars" are now imminent in places like Kashmir, where Pakistan's water supply is controlled by India. —Cetron and Davies, Jan-Feb 2003, p. 40

3. How do you walk? Security people will be watching. Your unique swagger, stagger, or shuffle will speak volumes. "Gait analysis" could soon join fingerprinting and retina scans in the identification technology toolbox. —Jan-Feb 2003, p. 6

4. Voters are vanishing worldwide. Voter turnouts have dropped in established democracies, with record lows in the United Kingdom (59% in the 2001 parliamentary elections) and the United States (51% in the 2000 presidential election). Some countries, such as Australia, Singapore, and Belgium, have made voting compulsory, helping boost participation rates to above 90%. —Nov-Dec 2002, p. 6

5. Earthquakes will become deadlier. These future deadly earthquakes won't be more powerful, but they will kill more people simply because there will be more people to kill, particularly in the world's largest cities. Half the world's megacities, with multimillion populations, are located near potential magnitude 7.5 earthquakes. —Futurist Update, June 2003

6. We may be able to engineer longer lives for ourselves. Genetic engineering can double a worm’s life span. Mice are living 50% longer with the help of genetic inventions. Thanks to the human genome project, scientists are closer to identifying ways to decelerate human aging. —Magalhães, Mar-Apr 2003, p. 49

7. Polar bears extinct by the year 2100? Global warming is melting polar bears’ Arctic hunting grounds and threatens to prevent new ice from freezing. If the trend continues, polar bears could starve off in the next 100 years. —July-Aug 2003, p. 6

8. More Americans will go it alone. People in their prime family-forming years are opting out of family life. Since 1970, the proportion of 25- to 34-year olds who live alone rose from 4% to 10%. The proportion of 35- to 44-year-olds living alone rose from 3% to 9% in that time. If these trends continue, look for more solo-living in the future. —July-Aug 2003, p. 13

9. Physicians may soon have ways to help paralyzed people move their limbs by bypassing the damaged nerves that once controlled their muscles. Researchers are already able to get rats to do things by stimulating the pleasure centers in the rats' brains. —Nov-Dec 2002, p. 45

10. You may be wearing your power on your sleeve. Fabrics containing flexible solar cells may soon be possible as researchers overcome obstacles such as losing current when fabrics are bent. Solar textiles could one day be used to provide clothing for emergency workers or as solar-powered carpets for tents in refugee camps. —Sep-Oct 2003, p. 2

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