The world in 2050

Some of the brightest brains who write for the Economist have forecast what the world will be like in 40 years’ time, and it’s far from doom and gloom.

By Karyn Scherer In Current Affairs

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28th April, 2012

A few of you may beg to differ, but 1970 wasn’t a particularly memorable year for the human race. After the euphoria of the previous year, when we managed to land on the Moon, the mood in the Western world was darkening. The Vietnam War was turning into a prolonged disaster. Personal computers had not yet been invented, test-tube babies had yet to be born and women in Switzerland and Portugal still weren’t allowed to vote. It was, however, the year that Alvin Toffler forced the world to face its fears, with his best-selling book about change, Future Shock. Just over four decades ...

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