Future Tenses: By 2050 (Review)

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In the coming years, the Earth will go through [vocab word=substantial]substantial[/vocab] changes. By 2050, the world's [vocab word=population]population[/vocab] will have reached almost ten [vocab word=billion]billion[/vocab] people. That's more than [vocab word=double]double[/vocab] the population of just a hundred years earlier. However, our life and our environment will have substantially changed by that time.

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Many [vocab word=expert]experts[/vocab] [vocab word=predict]predict[/vocab] that by 2040, most humans will have been living in cities for a few [vocab word=decade]decades[/vocab] already. In [vocab word=response]response[/vocab] to this [vocab word=urbanization]urbanization[/vocab], many cities will have [vocab word=implement]implemented[/vocab] creative housing [vocab word=solution]solutions[/vocab] to house the growing population. One solution is the development of "smart cities"; they use technology to save [vocab word=energy]energy[/vocab] and lower the [vocab word=pollution]pollution[/vocab] levels. As a result, the air will have become cleaner and our cities will have become more energy-efficient.

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On the other hand, food will have become more [vocab word=limited]limited[/vocab], with so many mouths to feed. To [vocab word=combat]combat[/vocab] this problem, we will have been using new [vocab word=agriculture]agricultural[/vocab] technologies such as [vocab word=vertical]vertical[/vocab] farming and [vocab word=lab]lab-grown[/vocab] meats for years. By 2045, we will have [vocab word=replace]replaced[/vocab] some traditional farms with these new technologies. These new technologies allow us to grow more food in less space so we can feed everyone.

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Our natural environment will have [vocab word=undergo]undergone[/vocab] serious changes, too. [vocab word=climate]Climate[/vocab] change will have led to [vocab word=shift]shifts[/vocab] in weather patterns. Many [vocab word=fertile]fertile[/vocab] [vocab word=region]regions[/vocab] will have become dry and [vocab word=barren]barren[/vocab]. By 2050, world leaders will have been working together to protect the environment for future [vocab word=generation]generations[/vocab]. For example, many countries will have [vocab word=adopt]adopted[/vocab] [vocab word=renewable]renewable[/vocab] energy [vocab word=source]sources[/vocab] such as [vocab word=solar]solar[/vocab] and [vocab word=wind]wind[/vocab] [vocab word=power]power[/vocab].

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Finally, let's consider how our daily lives will have changed by 2050. Many people will have been working remotely for decades. This will have [vocab word=reduce]reduced[/vocab] the need for expensive office space and daily trip to the office. The use of [vocab word=autonomous]autonomous[/vocab] vehicles will have largely reduced traffic [vocab word=congestion]congestion[/vocab]. Moreover, [vocab word=advance]advances[/vocab] in VR technology will have changed how we communicate with each other.

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We cannot predict the future with a 100% [vocab word=accuracy]accuracy[/vocab]. However, it is clear that the Earth in 2050 will look very different from the world we know today.