Our grandchildren's world

摘要

We live in a time of great uncertainty, with a rising population and changing climate, and many worst-case projections seem increasingly likely to come to pass. But that doesn't mean we should give up hope. After all, engineering is all about finding solutions to problems, and what greater problem could we face than the extinction of our species! To counter all the doom and gloom, I decided this month to look ahead to a world where political and industrial inertia have been conquered, and engineers set free to tackle the challenges ahead. So, come with me to the world of 2100 AD. Many of our children and grandchildren are still alive, but their way of life is as different to ours as ours is to that of the Victorians.