The Europe of 2050 is nothing like what we knew. I wake up in my apartment in Florence, overlooking green roofs covered with next-generation solar panels. The air is clean, and the flying means of transport silently cross the sky. I go down the street and get into a shared autonomous vehicle – there is no longer a need for private cars. My destination is Venice, which is no longer flooded, as a pioneering floating platform system keeps the city intact. On the road, my AI system suggests ecological actions that I can take to reduce my footprint. In my job as a circular economy analyst, the day goes by designing products that do not create waste. Our clothes are biodegradable, our homes are built with recycled materials, and the energy comes exclusively from renewable sources. At night, I walk to a park where trees communicate with sensors, providing data for biodiversity conservation. I sit and stare at the sky, thinking about how far we've come. Europe 2050 is the future we have chosen to build – and we have succeeded.

I can't see into the future, but I hope there's something beautiful waiting for me. The most important thing, of course, is that we stay healthy and that there are no more wars. The technique can help us in the household, transport, work, etc. But it should not go too fast so that everyone can follow and participate. for our children this will not be a problem because they already learn that at school. But for the elderly, this can become too much or no longer have an interest in new technology. Poverty should also disappear so that everyone can have a comfortable life. If the rich and the firms work together, this must be solved, solidarity is what we call it.

I wake up in the morning, it's summer, the sun warms, but it doesn't scorch. Nobody is obsessed with the environment, it is an issue that worried us many years ago, the necessary measures were taken and everyone approved them, no country was for free. Protecting our successors and our country was the only priority. Wealth is not important, we are in a world without borders. People are happy, acting without prioritizing individual or family well-being, but for a common well-being. If we are a rich country, we have an obligation to help, without oppressing, a country most in need. So we also educate our children. With solidarity, and with empathy for all.

I would like to see a future in which we are no longer reliant on fossil fuels, where sustainable energy sources are being correctly used and where food waste has been reduced. Further to this, I would love to live in a world where fascism is not on the rise and where we are not on the brink of all out war in Europe. I have been privileged to live this long without being drafted into a conflict started by some autocratic, megalomaniac in a far off land who feels he has a point to prove, and would very much like to continue to avoid the death and destruction that such small men can cause. Ideally we would live in a society where people are judged and valued on their character and actions, not on their skin colour, gender or sexual orientation.