Life in the Year 2423
Jingwei Zhao
By the year 2400, scientists were able to create spacesuits capable of withstanding the freezing temperatures of Pluto. Although Earth remains intact, many of its supplies are steadily dwindling. The population of trees has dropped all the way down to just a few million.
The coal supply ran out back in 2130, so our main energy source is from hydropower. The oceans are bigger than ever since more glaciers are melting, and the global temperature is increasing by one degree every 60 years.
Almost all of the resources Earth had to offer have been used up. Most people stay at home these days, but with the planet slowly becoming more inhabitable, the solution is to migrate to other planets. In the year 2100, the first human reached Mars, and by 2150, the first community was established on the red planet.
The current year is 2423, and multiple cities and districts have been built on Mars, with more people being transported via space shuttle every week. Over the past few centuries, schools, farms, and manmade bodies of water have all been created on the new planet. As more and more buildings are formed, the more Mars begins to looks like Earth. However, the dusty and red ground still clearly differentiates the neighboring planets.
However, the opportunity to go to Mars still only belongs to the upper class. It is expected that by 2475, the opportunity to go to Mars will be available to the middle class. By 2600, the entire human population should be off Earth.
Technology progresses rapidly. AI has become sentient, with humans and robots forming a partnership. Robots have taken over many jobs, such as teaching or librarianship. Lee has a house caretaker robot that maintains his living area on a daily basis.
Humans have been working to move people to Pluto as well. With the help of AI, scientists have been able to create 500m x 500m bubbles that are suitable for living, and they have already set a few down on Pluto’s surface. It is projected that Pluto will be suitable for living before the year 3000.
I know I’ve spoken a lot about the potential of living on other planets for quite a bit, so let’s switch gears and look at daily life. Thankfully, unlike most dystopian literature, the governments of most countries have improved over the past few centuries. No one is above the law, and no government officials are corrupt.
Many other issues have been solved, such as banning gambling and smoking. Although some people still do such activities illegally, most don’t. There are very few rural areas left at this point, as most of the land has been converted into suburban areas or cities.
Despite listing many positive aspects of Earth, there are still many problems. For example, human interaction has been decreasing as robots and AI become more popular. The majority of the population spends almost all their time online, and you see few people walking outside.
In times like these, people prioritize their online image over nearly everything, and since they don’t spend much time with others, many also experience loneliness. The majority of people achieve fleeting moments of joy through escapism, which often prove to be insufficiently fulfilling.
