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2032 timeline contents 2032 – Britain's ash trees have been wiped out by a fungal disease | Leatherback sea turtles are on the verge of extinction | China's space station is deorbited | 4th generation nuclear power | One-third of Saudi Arabia's electricity comes from solar | Terabit internet speeds are commonplace
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Britain's ash trees have been wiped out by a fungal disease It was discovered in the UK during 2012, initially only on imported nursery stock, but in October of that year it was found on trees at two sites of established woodland in the East Anglia region. This occurred despite clear warnings from ecologists and foresters that imports of seedlings from the continent should be banned in case of infection.* Despite efforts to contain the disease, it was impossible to stop.* Within a few weeks, Chalara fraxinea was confirmed in dozens of other locations. Over the next two decades, it spread throughout the country, wiping out most of the 90 million ash trees in Britain.* Many plant species, birds and other animals dependent upon the trees for survival were also lost,* at a time when their numbers were already in sharp decline.** With ash trees forming a significant proportion of the UK's woodland, an eerie silence is descending on many areas of countryside, with birdsongs and other wildlife becoming ever rarer.
Leatherback sea turtles are on the verge of extinction After mating at sea, females come ashore during the breeding season to nest. At night, they excavate a hole in the sand, depositing around 80 eggs. This is filled with sand, making detection by predators difficult, before the mother turtle returns to the sea.
Once common throughout the world, their population declined rapidly during the 20th century and into the 21st. At the Jamursba Medi Beach in Papua Barat, Indonesia – accounting for 75 percent of total sightings in the western Pacific – nest numbers plummeted from a peak of 14,455 in 1984 to a low of 1,532 in 2011. Several major problems faced leatherback turtles: nesting beach predators, such as pigs and dogs that were introduced to the islands, eating the turtle eggs; rising sand temperatures that killed the eggs or prevented the production of male hatchlings; the danger of being caught by fisheries during migrations; and harvesting of adults and eggs for food by islanders.* Plastic debris, mistaken for their favourite food (jellyfish) was another problem. Some individuals were found to have ingested almost 11 pounds (5 kilograms) of plastic into their stomachs.
China's space station is deorbited
4th
generation nuclear power
For these reasons, nuclear power becomes a lucrative industry from the 2030s onwards. China and India, in particular, take advantage of this enhanced power source. Solar and wind power has greater long term potential, however, due to the finite supply of uranium.
One-third of Saudi Arabia's electricity comes from solar The enormous expanses of desert, as well as measurably more intense sunlight in the equatorial regions, gives the country a huge amount of room to expand further. Even larger projects are now planned. Construction is also underway on high voltage cables connecting Saudi Arabia to neighbouring countries and some in Southern Europe. Eventually, this will be expanded to include all of Europe and Northern Africa.* Alongside solar, another 21 gigawatts is generated by a combination of nuclear, wind, and geothermal power.* Through nuclear cooperation agreements with China, France, South Korea and Argentina, Saudi Arabia has now constructed 16 new nuclear reactors.* Longer term, the country has further ambitions to be powered entirely by renewables. Much of the oil industry in Saudi Arabia is now transitioning away from energy production to the manufacture of plastics and polymers.* These developments, coupled with the fact that it remains one of the wealthiest countries in the region, are helping Saudi Arabia transition to a more sustainable long-term future. However, the reality of the situation has forced the government to drastically cut back oil exports.* The Middle East, as a whole, has descended further towards chaos in recent years, as both demand and supply diminish for its key export.* A strong military, ties to the West, and extensive desalination infrastructure have allowed Saudi Arabia to remain relatively stable for the time being.
Terabit internet speeds are commonplace In addition to the benefits resulting from Web 4.0 (described earlier), connection speeds have also vastly improved. Bandwidth has been growing by roughly 50% each year. Many homes and offices in the developed world now have a terabit connection.* Many of these connections are now appearing on people themselves, in the form of wearable or implantable devices.
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References 1 Ash dieback disease – symptoms guide, The Forestry Commission: 2 Let's rename the ash dieback 'Cameron's contagion', The Guardian: 3 Ash dieback 'beyond containment', BBC: 4 "Stephen Woodward says the ash tree will be virtually eliminated within 20 years." 5 Ash dieback: Spotter's guide and maps, BBC: 6 Shocking decline in UK birdlife, Future Timeline Blog: 7 See 2025-2030. 8 UAB research says 2,000 pound turtle could be extinct within 20 years, University of Alabama at Birmingham: 9 See 2022. 10 Generation IV reactor, Wikipedia: 11 Saudi Arabia targets 41 GW of solar by 2032, PV Magazine: 12 See 2050. 13 Saudi Arabia Plans $109 Billion Boost for Solar Power, Business Week: 14 Saudi plans 16 reactors by 2030, World Nuclear News: 15 Saudi Arabia reveals plans to be powered entirely by renewable energy, The Guardian: 16 Saudis may not have oil to export by 2030, Aljazeera: 17 See 2035. 18 Nielsen's
Law of Internet Bandwidth, Useit.com:
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