In general, if you believe the numerous works of all kinds of future predictors, nothing good awaits humanity. Almost all of them agree that very soon the main problem of Earth will be its overpopulation. According to a report by futurists from the British Ministry of Defence, prepared by employees of the Doctrine Planning Centre headed by Admiral Chris Parry, by 2035 the human population will number 8.5 billion people, 98% of whom will live in so-called developing countries. Notably, only 40% of earthlings in 30 years will be residents of villages and hamlets – the main mass of people will move to cities, earning a living by working in the industrial sector. This, in turn, will lead to a sharp increase in social discontent – the report says that this will be caused by 'the difference in property status between rich and poor, which will become much more noticeable than now, and will entail a large number of constantly erupting riots and disorders of a class nature.' Probably, this explains the 'revival' of Marxist theory of social structure predicted by the British military – its main force will be representatives of the middle class, dissatisfied with being cut off from access to resources and the sharing of superprofits. It is not difficult to assume that Latin America has been assigned the role of the citadel of the 'Marxist renaissance' – futurists are confident that the current 'pink-red' presidents governing key countries of the region will leave behind no less ideological successors who will manage to spread class teaching to other countries.
The main demographic center of Earth will be the Middle East and Near East – its population by 2035, according to the forecasts of the British military, will increase by 132%, leading to mass migration of its inhabitants to Europe and both Americas. The locomotive of the region, as strange as this sounds now, will be Iran – it is predicted to play the role of a regional superpower, without whose active participation no issue of Middle Eastern policy will be resolved. Scientists try to explain Iran's strengthening by 'a favorable demographic situation (today almost half the population is under 30 and this trend will continue in the foreseeable future), the country's advantageous geostrategic position, and underestimated industrial potential.'
Notably, the development of Iranian industry is directly linked to the expansion of the globalization process, into whose orbit Tehran will also be drawn. By the way, the compilers of the report are confident that by 2035 a democratic regime will be established in Iran, but it is not specified how this will happen – by force of foreign arms or through legitimate political instruments.
China is assigned a rather unenviable role in the forecasts – it is very likely that in 30 years it will become the main target for Islamic radicals irritated by its 'materialistic society'. In addition, the problem of Uighur separatism will worsen, which, according to some analysts, could lead to a full-scale war between insurgents and central government troops. It must be said that the cause of China's predicted conflict will also be its overpopulation – the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire, whose number could exceed 2 billion people in the near future, will practically fight to develop the territories of neighboring states, including Russia. By the way, Beijing has already announced its plans to combat overpopulation – by 2025 the Chinese intend to create the first lunar colony, and by 2050 relocate up to 1.5 million people to the Earth's satellite. Today, of course, this sounds like science fiction.
In general, 'resource' wars will become a hallmark of the new era – armed conflicts will no longer be masked by political reasons, their main cause will be rivalry for resources – fresh water, minerals, and territory.
Earthlings face other calamities – global warming and new diseases. It is assumed that in the next 25-30 years the average temperature on our planet could rise by 5-7 degrees, leading to large-scale melting of Arctic and Antarctic ice, which, in turn, will not only change the level of the World Ocean but also affect the map of currents that currently form the global climate. In particular, we are talking about a serious decrease in the temperature of the warm Gulf Stream, which currently actually heats the coast of the United States and Western Europe, which could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Epidemiologists also give a worrying forecast – according to their estimates, very soon people will face a wave of epidemics of already known diseases that, however, are not treatable by currently known methods. First on this list is drug-resistant tuberculosis, whose pathogens after a series of mutations have stopped responding to the medications used. According to doctors, similar behavior can be expected from a number of other viruses, including those considered relatively harmless. In addition, the return of once-vanished diseases such as plague or smallpox is not excluded. The appearance of their viruses has already been noticed in poor countries such as Madagascar and Malawi, and Mongolia and India are considered potentially 'unreliable' in this regard.
Anatoly POMORTSEV.
Novye Izvestiya