How will the future affect you?
By 'Cia' Rodemann
Tags: climate scenarios, futuristics, marketing scenarios, trend forecasts
Category: Uncategorized
My dad, a historian, became a futurist and taught some wonderful courses in the Chrysalis program in his last decade. Many of the books and forecast groups are still around. That’s when I became aware of The Worldwatch Institute and many other groups whose prophetic calls for energy conservation, alternative energy sources etc. and the likes of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring garnered lots of attention, few takers.
At the same time, advertising and business schools were cranking out tomes on branding and consumer marketing, opportunities to be exploited if you knew the right demographics, learned the right metrics, positioned the products properly.
With that future now upon us, I read a piece this past week about likely climate change and political/religious scenarios. Rapid population growth was the biggest contributor to rampant starvation and consumption exceeding the planet’s ability to provide, hardly something new as we’ve been talking about it for decades now. Its just the scale and scope and rapidity adding billions more people to this planet which take one’s breath away.
One of the scenarios I read was the impact of coastal flooding and 3-5′ rise in sea level, insufficient fresh water and increase in deserts rendering crop production problematic. That author cited a likely rise in temperature to 150 degrees F by 2050 and serious ramifications. The charts and graphs came from highly reputable scientists.
In the face of all this, another trend report showcased opportunities for savvy marketers in the face of huge increases in urban populations world wide. Let me share one tidbit with you on what this change looks like. Foreign Policy, August, 2010 ran the numbers and says China will have 221 cities with over a milliion people by 2030. For perspective, there are 35 in Europe in 2010; India will boast 68. More than the entire population of the United States and Brazil combined will move to Chinese and Indian cities during this period. Over half of the world’s population is urban.
The industrialization of the world which began roughly 200 years ago in our great grandparent’s lives and shifted our population to a largely indoors species has had enormous consequences for the planet and ourselves. Even with Blackberries, we’re still creatures in the midst of an evolutionary process, while we tinker with genes, colliders and space travel.
We are like the canaries lowered into a mine shaft to see if it’s safe down there. By the time they pull us up we might be fast asleep forever. This change is something we’re a part of, involved in causing, and can’t seem to stop. Unlike the dinosaurs, we’re gifted with consciousness, yet not sure what it is, or electricity for that matter. There can and will be creative ways of production, marketing and consumption. Increasingly they come from abroad.
These scenarios and forecasts are the golden nuggets for savvy folks to understand and help shape positive outcomes. Presumably not all that’s positive is a bottom line concern. Today’s spirituality post from David Steindl Rast bemoaned how much our society evaluates everything on utility or ‘usefulness’ rather than ‘aliveness’. That’s like the bottom line concern which dominated every ’80′s interaction. He pointed out how much enjoyment of life can come from this subtle shift in our thinking.- to value ‘aliveness’. Its often the catastrophic events which shake us up and make us realize how special appreciating ‘aliveness’ is; events like crazy winter weather, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, mud-slides, fires, earthquakes.
As I wrap up blogging as Designed for Success owner/consultant to leave for a new position, we’re in the midst of a monster ice/snow event with high wind. Have a hot chocolate, tea or cider and appreciate your life, your gifts and the present moment- to hit the pause button. Its moving fast . . . the future, like a panther in the night. All the very best.
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