Gary Leimback: A view of the future in 2040

It is significant that William Shatner, the man who first took us into the 23rd century in the original Star Trek series, is one of the first civilians to travel into space on Jeff Bezo’s Blue Origin rocket. Upon his return, he was overwhelmed with emotion from the experience.

The ride also refreshed his perspective about life on this Earth. He saw human life as very fragile, and that we are a very small aspect of the universe. He also voiced some pessimism about our planet concerning the dire consequences of climate change with more fires, floods, droughts and hurricanes that we see all around us.

However, I would like to speculate a little about a different kind of future that we might have with current technological developments. Things change so fast it is difficult to predict what life will be like in 2040, let alone the 23rd century.

With the prices of real estate exploding, by 2040 we all may be living in motor home-like modules, which are movable and self-sufficient. They may be combined into various communities powered by one microgrid per community. Microgrids are currently being produced that can power a large multi-story building separately from our current power grid structure. Each one can be powered by solar power, wind power and other green energies. They are using new Tesla batteries to store power so that each microgrid can stand independent from all others. However, they can be linked to the larger national power grid. They currently cost around $250,000 per microgrid, but in 20 years, as they are produced in mass, the unit price will probably come down. The wealthy may want one for each mansion. Such an expensive technology will probably start out community by community.

With microgrids becoming more numerous, they will be able to provide enough power for every family to charge their electric cars overnight. Electric cars will completely replace gas and diesel vehicles. Parking meters will be replaced by re-charging stations on a one-to-one basis.

The power microgrid will also allow a choice of an in-home vertical farm or an in-home hydroponic farm for each family to supply their daily food needs. Both kinds of farms currently exist and, as homes and communities become more self-sufficient, either kind can be implemented, one per home. The technologies to create plant-based meat will also become widespread as animal species become extinct.

As sea levels rise the solution will be massive de-salinization factories all along the ocean coast lines. This will help provide drinkable water for all water-based utility systems needed for all cities and towns. It will also help overcome drought conditions and be an attempt at mitigating the rising sea levels.

Jet engines needed for air transportation, will turn to electric battery power with hydrogen fuel cells as back-up. Small scale nuclear power like we use in submarines probably is not a good option, as their falling out of the sky would be catastrophic.

All these technological advancements should continue to power a healthy economy. As the transitions are made, financial subsidies, education programs and other necessary social programs will have to be implemented as needed to continue to meet human needs. Artistic, economic and literary innovations should flourish as these changes make life better.

Determining how the politics of America will adapt to these technological changes is difficult to say. Such changes will require people to keep open minds to learning and education and an emphasis on cooperation.

Some utopian schemes see a future world of peacefulness and happiness. All parts of those societies work together in successful synchronization. Other visions of the future turn out like Klingon societies, where daily war-like behavior and personal battles are commonplace and established norms.

This means that the success of America’s future depends on how we get a handle on crime and establish a workable political harmony of some sort. The American political system is built on conflict. Our society reflects this conflict in our current tribalism and political divisions. To take advantage of the coming technological advances as described here, we must somehow overcome our conflictual natures and make as much progress in our relations with others as we do with technology.

Gary Leimback lives in Salt Lake City. These may sound like wild speculations, but they are all do-able with current technology requiring only intensified mass production and public acceptance.