Futurist Gerd Leonhard - Special Edit: 'Twice Upon A Time' Only The Good 2030!

My name is Gerd Leonhardt and I am a futurist. Well, I think it matters a lot how we think about the future, because as we see the future, so we act and as we act, so we become. In the words of American futurist Barbara Hubbard. Indeed, I believe that our attitude contains our Future. It is 2030 and things are looking up. Instead of a turn towards climate, Armageddon and techno tyranny, we took the road towards the good future, towards more holistic and sustainable economics and global collaboration on the issues that matter most for our survival, such as energy, food, water and health. Awareness, resilience, ingenuity and innovation are the order of the day. Supercomputing fast, global connectivity such as 7G augmented reality, open virtual work platforms and machine intelligence governed by ethics have together unlocked an Aladdin's cave of possibilities. An increasing number of people from all walks of life around the globe are involved in profitable economic activity and we are witnessing a renaissance of human only occupations such as counseling, teaching and caretaking. Tens of millions of new jobs have been created as a result of the sustainability revolution. All layers of business and industry, from utilities and banks to manufacturers and technology are becoming connected ecosystems of services and experiences transforming our lives. Human agency, ingenuity, imagination and creativity are more important than ever before. Our algorithms have empowered, not enslaved us and humans are being kept firmly in the loop everywhere. Humanity first is the leading paradigm of technology. Ethics and AI have dovetailed to underpin a new economic logic that that is respectful of human limitations, transparent, equitable and balanced. As technology is being tempered with purpose, ethics and values, we are witnessing the reboot of social media as a human rather than a data centric business. Algorithms are everywhere, but they no longer mindlessly run the show. Humans are back in the loop and consciousness is starting to beat convenience. Humans in 2030 are empowered by technology, not threatened or substituted by it. After peace returned to Europe in 2023, the tough lessons we learned from that crisis fueled a rebirth of geopolitics and global collaboration across the board in civil society, trade, science and technology. At the same time, a rejuvenation of democracy is driving big changes in policy making. A global Ministry for the Future has been established in Zurich, Switzerland and it is now starting to influence many key decisions on humanity's future. Our planetary resources are no longer taken for granted. Strong and binding international agreements have forced nations to act on climate change swiftly and jointly. Kim Stanley Robinson's 2020 carbon coin idea is becoming a reality. Those that have polluted in the past are now Paying those that haven't yet, paying them not to do the same, to leave the carbon in the ground. Global temperature increases have been slowed down and carbon emissions have been dramatically slashed. Nobody can afford to be a provider in this new world. Investing in fossil fuels is now akin to criminal activity. The green economy has taken off and that old synchronicity between profit and planetary destruction is history. Finally, it costs less and pays more to think and act green. Green is not only the new digital, but sustainable is quickly becoming the new profitable. As stock markets around the world move towards long term thinking and the four Ps people, planet, purpose and prosperity. 30% of all land will soon be reserved for nature and rewilding. Our world is on top of the agenda. EO Wilson would have loved it. Nuclear fusion is evolving leaps and bounds, promising energy abundance within a decade and jump starting our space exploration plan. We will indeed become a multi planet species before the end of the century. The food and agriculture revolution is in full swing as we explore new possibilities of feeding 9 billion people. Cultured meat, organic farming, both in vertical systems as well as in the fields and the global rise of vegetarianism are promising to solve our food shortages while helping to heal the planet. Electric vehicles and shared mobility have done much to reduce global pollution and traffic jams in overcrowded cities are soon to be a thing of the past. Gasoline thinking has been replaced by ecosystem innovation, battery technologies have leaped, lithium is an old hat and cars can travel a thousand miles on a single charge. Work has become hybrid in all of its variations with many new jobs in the cloud as well as lots of new jobs on the ground. For example, in climate change, adaptation and mitigation, the culture wars of the early twenties have been replaced by the new belle Apo. A strange kind of golden age where the old is clearly no longer feasible and the new swiftly fills the void. Human lives are improved and extended by many new healthcare solutions such as digital therapeutics and AI assisted drug discovery. While costs are dramatically declining. Free medical care for everyone is coming within reach. Education has finally gone beyond downloading information and storing outdated knowledge. Knowledge for later use towards imagination and creativity, consciousness and human only skills. Sustainable airline fuel and hydrogen is taken over from kerosene and in Europe high speed trains are dominating long distance travel. While around the world many of us connect in virtual environments instead of jetting off to a brief meeting. Tourism has been rebooted to be completely circular and long standing aberrations such as cruise ships are disappearing in the rearview mirror along with their smokestacks. The so called developing countries are taking the lead in a global reboot of what good tourism actually means. Yes, the 2030 planet is becoming cleaner and healthier as we recalibrate the way we work, live, eat, eat, move around and sustain ourselves. The planet heaves a sigh of relief, a new awareness and budding global consciousness is tangible, especially among Gen Y and Z. Our planet is not healed yet, but it is healing. A fantasy, a possibility, or a potential. The past happened once upon a time, but as you can clearly see, the future may happen twice upon upon a time. Whichever way you look at it, your attitude will define your future and the choices you make today will create your future. Thanks for watching and see you in the future.