2109: a life of equality – but no polar bears

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It is going to take 98 years for there to be pay parity between men and women. But what other predictions can be made for the year 2109?

What kind of world is it that ensures that women are paid the same as men? One very different from our own, it seems. The Chartered Management Institute reckons it will take 98 years for us to reach pay parity – by which time our planet looks set to undergo some radical changes.

Robots should finally be smart enough to liberate us from mundane chores – and space tourism will be old news, as will planetary exploration. Instead we will begin reaching out beyond our solar system to neighbouring stars, using millions of tiny nanoships to scout for suitable planets, and giant solar sails to carry us there. And we will use clean nuclear fusion to meet all our energy needs. At least that's according to futurologist Michio Kaku, whose book Physics of the Future attempts to predict what our world will look like a century from now.

But while this may still all sound somewhat far-fetched (and a tad familiar) we may actually find ourselves hoping he's right, not least because of how crowded our planet will become. For, while it's still possible that our global population level may actually have dropped by 2100, if growth continues at current levels, there is the distinct possibility that a century from now we could be brushing shoulders with 43.6 billion other people. Quite literally in fact because, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, if average temperatures are allowed to rise by 1-4C we could see sea levels rising by as much as six metres, which would create even less space. Along the way extinctions may help free up some land. It's impossible to tell which ones, according to Jean-Christophe Vie of the International Union of the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Endangered Species, but in the firing line are tigers, polar bears and the Javan Rhino, he says.

But it's not all bad news. Advances in medicine should boost mortality rates in countries such as the UK. And for women that's great news, because not only will they get to finally enjoy equal pay but their life expectancy should rise to 90, five years longer than their male counterparts.

• Equality

Duncan Graham-Rowe

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2011 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

Josh Halliday 01 Sep, 2011

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/aug/31/equality
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