265
by the end of the twenty-first century, especially
if the scenario described in the transforming our
world document was realised: a world without
poverty, starvation, diseases and privation.
Around 3/4 of humanity will live in cities by
the end of the twenty-first century. Designing a
liveable urban environment will not be easy as
opposing processes have to be faced when a city
is developed. Technological progress (selfdriving electric cars, progressing public transport, computer controlled transport systems) will
probably make urban traffic more environmental
friendly. Moving polluting industrial factories
outside major cities is currently going on in many
countries and it will be started shortly in less
developed countries as well as urban residents
will not bear their polluted environment. At the
same time, attractions of cities will sustain migration into them but the infrastructure of many cities will not or hardly be able to keep to population
increase. Unemployment will be hard to eliminate. Probably shantytowns will remain for long
and associated problems (crowdedness, pollution, health and security risks) will make the
implementation of the sustainable development
of cities difficult.
A new technological revolution is under way
in the twenty-first century dominated by autocatalytic technologies. Transformation as a result
of this revolution could become so extensive that
even the structure of the society will change. No
one knows this post-capitalist world as yet but
humanity—if listens to its prominent reasoners—
can shape this new world and can decide what it
will look like. Social sciences could (should)
have an important role in the process. It seems
very likely that progress in natural sciences and
technology will enable better accommodation to
natural hazards and production in a more environmental friendly way than today. There will be
unpleasant consequences of progress as well.
Advancing robotisation could further increase
unemployment while changing technical and
information conditions will probably result in
new jobs. This will require preparedness and creativity from individuals making the establishment of an education system more developed
than it is today necessary. The authors believe
that social consciousness will have to change
substantially in order to make humanity capable
of accommodating to the changed natural and
social conditions of the twenty-first century.
Unfortunately, collective human consciousness
changes no easily. The time of one generation
would not be enough even if the new education
system described in Sect. 6.2 was successfully
established. The human society is too heterogeneous, opposing concepts and beliefs regarding
the world root too deep in people to change at the
necessary speed or at least close on each other.
Yet, both the natural environment and the society
changes at an accelerating pace and the later people recognise the essence of the changes and their
consequences (either the effects of robotisation
increasing unemployment or the informatics revolution or even climate change and its consequences) the greater the trouble will be. Maybe
connectivity refrains major powers from armed
conflicts but regional conflicts often result in
armed fighting already today and new threats
occurred in the twenty-first century. This is indicated by among others, the risk assessment of
World Economic Forum (Tables 7.1 and 7.2).
Between 2011 and 2016 the order of the probability of the first five global risk factors was
variable. It is worth noting that almost half of the
risk factors were associated with natural hazards
(climate change, extreme weather) and the degradation of nature (biodiversity decrease, water
supply crisis). Regarding the severity of risk factors, social-economic processes dominate, especially the collapse of financial system and
financial crisis. A few years after the financial
crisis of 2008 this is not surprising, however, the
fact that climate change and related water supply
crisis among natural processes are second placed
in the order of risk severity gives food for thought.
Considering global social problems risks related
to informatics systems like cyber-attacks and collapse of crucial informatics structure are relatively new features. All of the above are threat
sources that could hinder sustainable
development.
It has to be emphasised that despite the threat
sources mentioned here and analysed in detail in
this book knowledge is already at hand today to
7 Conclusions: Towards an Environmental Friendly Humane Society
by the end of the twenty-first century, especially
if the scenario described in the transforming our
world document was realised: a world without
poverty, starvation, diseases and privation.
Around 3/4 of humanity will live in cities by
the end of the twenty-first century. Designing a
liveable urban environment will not be easy as
opposing processes have to be faced when a city
is developed. Technological progress (selfdriving electric cars, progressing public transport, computer controlled transport systems) will
probably make urban traffic more environmental
friendly. Moving polluting industrial factories
outside major cities is currently going on in many
countries and it will be started shortly in less
developed countries as well as urban residents
will not bear their polluted environment. At the
same time, attractions of cities will sustain migration into them but the infrastructure of many cities will not or hardly be able to keep to population
increase. Unemployment will be hard to eliminate. Probably shantytowns will remain for long
and associated problems (crowdedness, pollution, health and security risks) will make the
implementation of the sustainable development
of cities difficult.
A new technological revolution is under way
in the twenty-first century dominated by autocatalytic technologies. Transformation as a result
of this revolution could become so extensive that
even the structure of the society will change. No
one knows this post-capitalist world as yet but
humanity—if listens to its prominent reasoners—
can shape this new world and can decide what it
will look like. Social sciences could (should)
have an important role in the process. It seems
very likely that progress in natural sciences and
technology will enable better accommodation to
natural hazards and production in a more environmental friendly way than today. There will be
unpleasant consequences of progress as well.
Advancing robotisation could further increase
unemployment while changing technical and
information conditions will probably result in
new jobs. This will require preparedness and creativity from individuals making the establishment of an education system more developed
than it is today necessary. The authors believe
that social consciousness will have to change
substantially in order to make humanity capable
of accommodating to the changed natural and
social conditions of the twenty-first century.
Unfortunately, collective human consciousness
changes no easily. The time of one generation
would not be enough even if the new education
system described in Sect. 6.2 was successfully
established. The human society is too heterogeneous, opposing concepts and beliefs regarding
the world root too deep in people to change at the
necessary speed or at least close on each other.
Yet, both the natural environment and the society
changes at an accelerating pace and the later people recognise the essence of the changes and their
consequences (either the effects of robotisation
increasing unemployment or the informatics revolution or even climate change and its consequences) the greater the trouble will be. Maybe
connectivity refrains major powers from armed
conflicts but regional conflicts often result in
armed fighting already today and new threats
occurred in the twenty-first century. This is indicated by among others, the risk assessment of
World Economic Forum (Tables 7.1 and 7.2).
Between 2011 and 2016 the order of the probability of the first five global risk factors was
variable. It is worth noting that almost half of the
risk factors were associated with natural hazards
(climate change, extreme weather) and the degradation of nature (biodiversity decrease, water
supply crisis). Regarding the severity of risk factors, social-economic processes dominate, especially the collapse of financial system and
financial crisis. A few years after the financial
crisis of 2008 this is not surprising, however, the
fact that climate change and related water supply
crisis among natural processes are second placed
in the order of risk severity gives food for thought.
Considering global social problems risks related
to informatics systems like cyber-attacks and collapse of crucial informatics structure are relatively new features. All of the above are threat
sources that could hinder sustainable
development.
It has to be emphasised that despite the threat
sources mentioned here and analysed in detail in
this book knowledge is already at hand today to
7 Conclusions: Towards an Environmental Friendly Humane Society