top of page

By 2040, the air and water are clean, food is healthy, and weapons are banned.

Anonymous

April 26, 2023

By 2040, the air and water are clean, food is healthy, and weapons are banned.

This image was generated with Dream Studio AI.

In 2040, the air and water will be clean, no one will have to go hungry, no weapons will be manufactured, and all wars will be over. All people - from politicians, business representatives, researchers, and bankers to employees, children, and pensioners - are involved in a circular bioeconomy which prevents emissions that pollute the environment, harm health and cause climate deterioration.

Renewable Organic Materials derived from plants, animals, microorganisms, and their excrement are only handled in the following local systems connected to "smart grids":
• "Non-Sewage systems" with hygienic and easy-to-handle devices for collecting both food and toilet waste - that prevent emissions which are polluting air and water, and facilitating the return of plant nutrients and organic carbon compounds to cultivated land - contributes to a) carbon storage, b) increased biodiversity of soil organisms, c) increased soil water holding capacity - as well as several other factors that are positive for soil fertility, while gray water is purified locally with biological methods.
• Sustainable biological transformation methods for Renewable Organic Materials in residues and waste are used in order to utilize bioenergy and all the essential chemical elements in ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable ways.

Unsustainable thermal methods such as combustion, thermal gasification and pyrolysis of Renewable Organic Materials as well as unsustainable chemical methods are banned.

Instead of manufacturing equipment for military purposes, all resources are used for continuous improvement of equipment that reduces the over-utilization of natural resources and thus benefits the CIRCULAR BIOECONOMY.

Gray water from settlements, treated with biological methods, is reused for irrigation in urban farms and parks and farms around cities as well as for fountains and for water-games.
------------------

Background

In 2021, political decision-makers and company representatives have begun to seriously realize the transition to a knowledge-based sustainable society. It started with media pressure when journalists launched campaigns in collaboration with conscious and committed citizens.

Information was disseminated about an SBRS concept, which in short is about
• saving water
• saving the arable land
• increasing energy efficiency
• reducing costs when the environment, health and climate are positively affected.

The "SBRS concept” stands for "Sustainable Biological Recycling System" and consists of using the following innovative types of equipment to be able to use sustainable methods:
• hygienic and easy-to-use devices for collecting food and toilet waste without diluting with water
• digitized logistics for everything related to Renewable Organic Materials, that was previously handled unsustainably in waste and sewage systems
• local high-tech biogas plants to produce biogas and biofertilizers
• local biological water treatment of gray water from households
• trigeneration for the conversion of energy in biogas to electricity, heating/cooling, etc.
• upgrading of "digestate" to biofertilizers.

The basis of all life is photosynthesis. In plants, the sun's radiant energy is converted into BIOENERGY with the help of at least 16 chemical elements (S. Pettersson, 1984). Carbon (C), oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H), which make up about 96% of the plants' dry matter, come from carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The other 4% that must be present for photosynthesis to work are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), boron (B), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), chlorine (Cl), zinc (Zn) and molybdenum (Mo). In later literature, a few more elements are mentioned.

When facts about basic conditions for cultivation systems became widely known, it increased our understanding of food production without consuming or destroying the fertility of the soil, i.e., its production capacity. It was noted that soil degradation continued for decades, before 2020 became characterized by insufficient recycling of the essential chemical elements and organically bound carbon back to cultivated soils.

Particular attention was paid to information from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which in May 2019 published that less than 2% of the plant nutrients are reused. It was an alarm clock that showed that 98% of plant nutrients becomes pollutants in our air and water, due to unsustainable handling of Renewable Organic Materials.

All air pollutants move around the earth, fall with the rain, and pollute water, soil, vegetation and create costs through health problems, destroyed buildings, etc. Growers were forced to buy imported mineral fertilizers, pesticides, and fossil fuels, which after the transition, that lasted until 2030, were produced in each country, and usually locally, to minimize long transports.

Both direct costs via tariffs for water and waste and indirect for environmental problems caused by using unsustainable methods and synthetic chemicals, as well as uncertain food quality and increased health problems in unhealthy working environments, were borne by the citizens, which created major protests in many countries. These resulted in the media disseminating information about ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable alternatives.

After COP26 in 2021, both politicians and business decision-makers, including legislators and banks, had to take the idea of a transition to a knowledge-based sustainable society seriously. Everyone under COP26 agreed that the most important thing is health and that it can only be achieved with measures where technological innovations, only in the absence of military purposes, prevent most emissions that pollute the environment and thus threaten health and the climate.

The main goal was to prevent costly losses of bioenergy and the essential elements of life.

In 2022, the entire arms industry began to be restructured to manufacture equipment used for conversion, instead of weapons, for the benefit of the environment and humanity.
-------------------------

In 2040, my oldest grandson will be 40 years old.

related stories

hallo
Hlfe im Alltag
I would like an automated world for this time. I can organize my mobility without any special effort. Public transport can be used everywhere and at any time at low cost. Energy is available to everyone in sufficient quantities and at a reasonable price. Sufficient living space is available to everyone. Shopping can be done from home without any problems. Deliveries are made directly to the apartment. Cultural life is accessible to everyone.
hallo
Mildere tijden
I walk down a sunny street in Utrecht, where children sit on benches with their noses deep in books. Not because they have to, but because stories inspire them. In 2030, people realized that technology is great, but it shouldn't kill imagination. So there were reading squares everywhere, interactive libraries and writers telling schools how stories could change the world. Meanwhile, the walls of new homes were literally growing. We discovered how to make building materials from CO₂ from the air, combined with bio-concrete that regenerates itself. This is how we solve climate problems while building sustainable homes. In healthcare, something extraordinary has happened. Robots and AI are taking over tasks, but not at the expense of humanity. Care workers actually have more time for patients. Everyone is seen, heard and helped. And perhaps best of all: people have become milder. We have learned that working together is more rewarding than winning. A smile on the street is normal again, and granting is more important than owning. This is Europe, 2050. And it feels good.
hallo
Utopia kommt ein Stück näher
I would like to see the conflict between economy and ecology overcome by 2040. Companies will no longer have to strive for extreme profit, but will be rewarded for sustainable production. In addition, products produced in this way are subsidized by the state so that almost everyone can buy them. The neo-liberal economic ideas have finally been consigned to the dustbin and no one would think of following the capitalist ideas any more. In addition, the social systems have been harmonized so that the major gaps have been closed and no one has to work beyond the age of 65. The professional civil service has been abolished and only a few essential professions (police, fire department, judiciary) still have civil servants in the necessary positions. Private health insurance has been abolished and transferred to the statutory system so that all employees pay equally into the social security system and stability is guaranteed. Parliaments have shrunk to reasonable sizes (Bundestag 301 members, the rest staggered according to population up to a maximum of 49) and the associated bureaucracy has also shrunk. The money could be used for sensible projects to reduce legal regulations, so that digitalization could also be decisively advanced.
hallo
wunschtraum
wish mail it is important to me to live in peace and to secure the earth for all descendants for a peaceful and livable environment.in addition, the preservation of animal species to promote real selection.furthermore, the school must be designed in such a way that everyone can benefit from it.everyone needs the most important basics and not things that nobody needs.the same applies to the health system, where a reform is absolutely necessary so that everyone can find a family doctor and does not fall out.taxes should be used sensibly and those who squander taxes should also pay for them.the idea that money is spent on pointless things and nobody is responsible is completely different for the normal employee.mistakes can happen,but you should also stand by them and not squander other people's money without punishment.it is also very important that all those who have a leading position are also trained for it.at the moment ministers are being put from one position to another in politics who actually have no idea about it.people should live well and happily.the gap between rich and poor must change and not become even wider.the pension should also be enough for pensioners to live on.everyone should pay taxes without restriction up to a certain amount.everyone should be treated equally and that welds the people together because it conveys real justice.
Join #OurFutures now!

The future is shaped by our ideas and our actions today. Tell us about your visions of the future and help us create a futures narrative aimed at inspiring citizens, policy-makers and foresight experts alike!

Our-futures-banner-coloured_v3.jpg

The European Commission support does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained.

ERA_logo.jpg

We support the European Research Area aimed at creating a single, borderless market for research, innovation and technology in the EU.

©OurFutures 2025, All rights reserved.

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
bottom of page