Blog Post

Headlines from the year 2020

Here's a fun exercise that a group of architects, designers, and others completed today as part of the Designing for a Living World symposium that I'm attending, hosted by Interface at Shelburne Farms in Vermont. It's a little thing I call... "Headlines from the Future." Here's the deal. Take these ten topics:
  1. Oceans
  2. Agriculture
  3. Energy
  4. Poverty
  5. Terror
  6. Climate
  7. Water
  8. Health
  9. Cities
  10. Geopolitics
Now, imagine you are reading a newspaper (whatever form that might take -- pulp of dead trees, lit screen, cave scratchings -- from the year 2020. It might be a local rag, a national or international journal, a trade publication. It might be the sports, business, news, or entertainment sections. Write a headline for each of those ten topics. Take about 10 minutes to do this. If possible, do this in a group. A group from school, from work, your family, friends, you name it. Share what you come up with. Discuss. I'll give some examples in a sec. But first... here are some discussion questions once you've written your headlines. Do that now if you can! Are your headlines optimistic, pessimistic, realistic, something else? What does that say about you? What does that say about your hopes and fears? What does it say about where you are steering yourself? To paraphrase Paul Hawken, who led our discussion, which future are you designing for? How many things did you imagine as being 12 years out that might be only 2–3 years out, or may already be true? Do we have as much time as you imagine? Are there negative outcomes that become positive because they spur changes in our behavior? How do you see that taking place? How much do you think we can predict the future? Are there things that may happen that we haven't even imagined? Do you have an adequate sense of your own ignorance? Here are some favorite headlines that our group wrote in our exercise today:
  • Dubai Sells $1 Trillion in Petroleum Development Rights to Carbon Conservancy
  • Kyoto Underwater; Kyoto Protocol Targets Met by All Developed Nations
  • Eat Local, Says FDA; Closes Doors
  • Free Higher Ed for Children of Poverty Created UN Leaders
  • Global Ceasefire Reached for 2020 Tehrain Olympics
  • Reduced Oil Dependency Root Driver in Lower Terror
  • Former Terror Groups Protest Environmental Degradation
  • No More Insurance for Weather-Related Claims
  • Florida Blizzards; Malaria in Michigan
  • Cost of Tap Water Tops Oil
  • L.A. Mass Transit Works
  • Infrastructure Failure Rampant
  • U.S. Stripped of Security Council Veto Power
  • Carbon Tax Filing Deadline Approaching April 15th
  • Benyus-Hawken Ticket Wins Popular Vote
What are yours?

Published August 15, 2008

(2008, August 15). Headlines from the year 2020. Retrieved from https://www.buildinggreen.com/blog/headlines-year-2020

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BuildingGreen Basic Member

September 7, 2008 - 6:24 pm

Oceans – Mass Fishing Results in Ocean’s Ecosystem Collapse
Agriculture – Cloned Livestock Becomes New Norm
Energy – Blackouts Worldwide Turn Government Focus to Energy Conservation
Poverty – Poverty is the New White Collar
Terror – Fighting Terror Goes Green
Climate – Webster Dictionary to Issue a New Definition for Climate as a Result of Similar Environmental Conditions Worldwide
Water – Cause for Alarm Has Been Ignored: Ground Water Supply is Depleting Rapidly
Health – Poor Air Quality is Leading Cause of Record Health Problems
Cities – Cities Found to be The Leading Source of Sustainability
Geopolitics – United Nations to Develop Green Trade Program

BuildingGreen Basic Member

September 6, 2008 - 4:04 pm

Oceans – Phytoplankton Farm Proven Huge Success in Reducing CO2 Levels.
Agriculture – Urban Farming is the Fastest Growing Industry in NYC.
Energy – Wind Generated Electricity is Fastest Growing US Export
Poverty – Shipping Container Communities Provide new Low Income Housing
Terror – All Terror Cells Eradicated from Afghanistan
Climate – Record 57 Hurricanes This Year
Water – Bottled Water Outlawed Worldwide
Health – Cleaner Environment Increases Population
Cities – New Cities Booming on East Coast California
Geopolitics – Russia and US Develop First Solar Space Farm

BuildingGreen Basic Member

September 4, 2008 - 12:45 pm

Ocean- Our oceans continue to have a problem with excessive plastic pollutants-plastic grocery bags outlawed in most states

Agriculture- Surveys show more people are producing their own food or co-oping through out neighborhoods

Energy- Home Wind turbine sales at it's highest

Poverty- Past initiatives to Decrease Poverty finally seeing light

Terror- Since the end of the Iraqi war and the demise of Bin Linden the World is at Peace

Climate- Global Warming Climate Changes Still in Question

Water- More People Utilizing Storm Water Barrels for Watering Lawns and Plants

Health- The New Privitized Health Care System Getting Rave Reviews

Cities- Cities Banning Together to Support Local Environmental Initiatives

Geopolitics- Lack of Available Professors to Teach Geopolitics

BuildingGreen Basic Member

August 21, 2008 - 11:05 am

OK, maybe these are more like the year 2130.....

1. Oceans - People dancing in oceans en masse, joined by schools of dolphins
2. Agriculture - museum of commercial agriculture opens, see outdated chemicals
3. Energy - SuperSolar Stock Dips as HydroCel announces 3rd Quarter Gains
4. Poverty - Study on Poverty Finds These Last Century Communities Had Heart
5. Terror - 120 Year Old Man Remembers a Time of Terror
6. Climate - World's Temperate Zones Continue to Increase
7. Water - Personal Aquifer Technology Allows You To Drill Your Own Well
8. Health - Why Last Century Humans Cooked Their Food
9. Cities - Cities of Last Millennium and Their Problems of Nature Deficit Disorder
10. Geopolitics - Resource Sharing Summit Progresses Better Than Imagined

BuildingGreen Basic Member

August 15, 2008 - 10:31 pm

Wow.