As the clock struck twelve midnight to herald the arrival of the 2020s, people the world over were filled with a mixture of optimism and pessimism at what the new decade might have in store for us. Many hope the New Year will see an upturn in their fortunes and those of planet Earth. The past decade could be described as having been somewhat tumultuous. Global warming stoked fears of our very existence being in peril; wars and conflict have continued to rage around the world; millions still lack basic things like clean water and education; and thousands of species became endangered or extinct. There is hope that technology and greater cooperation between nations will make the 2020s a better decade.
The technology website cnet.com predicted that many of us will advance further into the realms of science fiction. It wrote: "The decade beginning in 2020 will take us even further toward a world where far-out ideas like hooking brains up to computers, and even immortality, become topics of serious conversation." Futurologist Vivek Wadhwa wrote about the prospect of flying cars, bionic exoskeleton suits and unlimited clean energy. He told cnet.com that: "Some technologies will take longer to reach the masses than others, but they will be at hand. The 2020s will be when the incredible promises of technology finally happen." Let's get together again in 2030 and compare notes on how things went.
