WFS-September-October 2001 Forecasts

A magazine of forecasts, trends, and ideas about the future.
September-October 2001, Vol. 35, No. 5

Contents of the Current Issue

Back Issues

Online Indexes:
Author Index A-L
Author Index M-Z
Index of News Articles

Reprints/ Permissions

Writer's Guidelines

Send a Letter to the Editor

Top 10 Forecasts From Outlook 2001 Report

Current Forecasts

Special to Web visitors, here are a few of the editors' favorite forecasts from the September-October 2001 issue of The Futurist:

More people will join the 100+ club. The United States will have 1.1 million centenarians in 2050, as the first baby boomers begin reaching their 100th birthdays. More people are heeding the positive attitudes that enable them to live longer, healthier lives, including being optimistic, being proactive about dealing with problems, and embracing lifelong learning, writes Michael Brickey, author of Defy Aging. ("The Extended Life: Four Strategies for Healthy Longevity," page 51 of print edition of the September-October 2001 FUTURIST.)
Farmers could save wildlife. Agricultural activities could be transformed into environment- and wildlife-preserving ecoagricultural work, suggest two environmental groups, Future Harvest and the World Conservation Union. For instance, farmers could cultivate crops in wetland areas rather than in dry fields, use natural biocides instead of chemicals, and establish protected reserves near farms, ranches, and fisheries. (World Trends & Forecasts, Technology)
Vaccinations will be easier to swallow. Edible vaccines--plants modified to carry viral proteins that fight a range of diseases--could help protect more people from HIV, measles, malaria, and other viral infections. The best prospects for edible vaccines may be rice and lettuce, which could be mixed in with breast milk as an affordable baby food for people in poor or remote communities. (World Trends & Forecasts, Technology)
More doctors specializing in diseases of the elderly will be needed. In the next 30 years, the number of Americans age 65 or older will double to 70 million, but the number of certified geriatric doctors is expected to decline dramatically from fewer than 9,000 today. (World Trends & Forecasts, Demography)
Computer power and transmission speeds will accelerate. The world's fastest computer, IBM's ACSI White, may reach 16 trillion calculations per second by 2004, making it possible to transmit the entire contents of the Library of Congress in about two seconds, predicts Graham T.T. Molitor. ("Five Forces Transforming Communications," page 32 of the print edition.)
Hearing aids could become fashion accessories. A necklace embedded with microphones boosts signals sent to a wearer's hearing aid and helps the user screen out unwanted noises. The necklace could benefit as many as 2 million people in the United States alone. (Tomorrow in Brief)

To order the print edition of the September-October 2001 issue of THE FUTURIST ($4.95 plus $3 postage and handling) or to become a member of the World Future Society ($45 per year).