Five Events That Will Change America By 2050

2050 is getting closer. While at one point that year felt like a far off future year, we're actually getting close enough to it that we can make some pretty realistic predictions of what might happen. And because I do so much research for my videos and podcast, I've been able to create what I believe are five realistic events that will change the United States in the next two and a half decades. Nothing is guaranteed, but the trends are certainly there!

[BoycottNCSoft]

Trees aren't just carbon capture, they're flood protection and temperature remediation (shade) as well. They're a resource we need.

[empresssk]

As someone who wrote a 20 page paper researching high speed rail development, we absolutely will not have a national rail speed network by then. States suck at high speed rail planning and the federal agencies have shown little to no interest in nationalizing our transit system like they did the highway.

[ilanlattke]

I don't think that the US tree population is shrinking because of urbanization, but rather because of suburbanization. We take up so much space with our low-density suburbs that we build outward, and may have to resort going through forests.

[rebuild]

I remember one of my college professors back around 1990 predict that in 20 years we would all be a night-shift society because of the ozone hole. Well, 2010 came and went and we're still not a night-shift society. I just hope he lived to see the folly of that prediction.

[GenericUsername]

Fun fact: We're closer to 2050 than 1996

*Edit on 1 January 2024: Now we're closer to 2050 than 1997*

[mellissadalby]

Trees not only help to sequester CO2, but they also help to moderate temperatures by evaporation.
As the trees perform photosynthesis, they respirate and output water vapor, which is also a way they they moderate their own temperature. This water vapor in the air helps to moderate temperatures and ward off soil desiccation. Don't get me started on the value of trees. They are more valuable than they appear to be, especially as forests become mature with all associated undergrowth and plant material reclamation.

[alexsteven.m]

At this moment, it is crucial for individuals to prioritize investing in alternative streams of income that are not reliant on the government, particularly with the existing worldwide economic crisis. Investing in stocks, gold, silver, and digital currencies can still be profitable during this period. Therefore, it is advisable to explore these investment options to secure one's financial future.

[lucianoboccedi]

It is what it is! During this austere times, protecting one's capital is much more important than making money. Basically because if one loses one's capital, making money is much harder. ''Missing the train'' vs. ''losing your money''. There are a lot of trains, but if your money is gone, it's over.

[TheMatthewDMerrill]

As a Texan born and raised, I will be moving to West Pennsylvania next year. The heat has really gotten to me and I'm sure it will only get worse as a year's progress. I just want to be able to enjoy a lot of time outside without sweating so much or me and at the rest of dehydration.

[Nedlius]

man that bit about the trains was hella depressing. you're telling me that by 2050 all of the high-speed rail is mainly just gonna be 2 big cities in big name states being connected? we have 27 years until 2050. look at what China accomplished in less than half that time. the US is so disappointing.

[Madmun]

I live in El Paso, TX. I really wouldn't be surprised if in 30 years the population of this city is forced to shrink to half its current size. There just isn't enough water to sustain continued growth.

[randyjones]

The more I study trends analysis and predictions, the more difficult the task of predicting the future seems to be. There are just too many moving parts and unknowns for us to make any accurate predictions about much of anything. Changes in laws, public policy, technology, and cultural preferences can all have a dramatic effect in ways we cannot predict.

Just as an example, up until 2020 very few people thought that remote work would really be a major factor in the job market, but now it is a major consideration just a short 3 years later. That is a combination of technological innovation and a shift in cultural values among workers. Big tech employers like Elon Musk can lament the change in worker preferences all they want, but if the best workers demand remote work, employers will have to bend the knee to what the employment market will allow. These kinds of changes in employment have the potential to significantly reshape human living patterns and city development plans in the future.

The commercial real estate market in the USA looks like it may be about to implode over the next several years as a result of these changing employment patterns by workers and businesses. The dense commercial districts once epitomized by places like New York City may become a thing of the past. (That's why I'm not bullish on NYC over the long term.) These kinds of changes along with the rise of new technologies related to AI and robotics will have a dramatic effect on the ways cities are designed in the future. There is just no way for us to predict how all of this is going to play out over the next several decades.

[rstem]

Illinois is suppose to grow and shrink in population ? Impressive

[peterschorn]

Actually, American suburbs were *created* by mass transit. Long before cars were common, let alone affordable, developers would plat out subdivisions where land was cheap, far from city centers. To entice people who worked in those city centers (and thus had money) to move so far out, the developers would build electric trolley lines that ran from their suburbs into the city. But this was a bait-and-switch tactic: it costs far more to run and maintain a rail line than to build it, and eventually the private companies who operated these lines would go bankrupt. To keep workers from being cut off from their jobs, the cities would have to take over these lines and run them as public utilities, using a combination of higher taxes, higher fares and reduced service. As you might imagine, this pleased no one except the developers, who got away with it.

If you wonder why America is so "car-centric, " that's one reason. And we haven't even gotten to Jay Gould and the Rail Barons and the Pullman Strike and a whole folk-song album's worth of exploitation, violence and corporate welfare.

[joppyjipplesigotnipples]

A high speed rail from Cleveland to Cincinnati is too perfect… it would literally go directly through the states most populated areas in a basic line, that already exists and in I-71.

[Johnbaker-ptrn]

These blistering hot summers are going to have a lot of influence as to where one lives. I left Texas and moved to Delaware 5 years ago because of taxes and insurance costs, with insurance being the biggest factor. When I left, I was paying $6000+ for flood, Windstorm, Homeowners, and excess liability insurance.

[mohsinjaved]

Thank you for showing your views on future trends.Appreciate it. Personally, I am bit wary of putting faith in policy initiative like high speed rail and treeplanting panning out. This requires active citizen pressure and commitment from officials over a long period of time.

[brianna_lynch]

Hopefully there will be more public transit! I hate driving.

[Anon]

I know this video is over a year old but it is worth mentioning that there is a High Speed Rail that is being discussed in the New England Region. The High Speed Rail will be between Boston and NYC and bypass the slowest section of the Amtrak/Acela Line in Connecticut by going through Springfield, MA. Estimated travel time would be roughly 90 minutes between the two cities, which is a huge improvement from the current 4 hour commute on both Amtrak and Acela.

[ericpierce]

Really enjoy your videos! You clearly put a lot of time and effort into them and they're always interesting.
A small bit of constructive criticism: when you speak, unless you're posing a question, don't use High-rising Terminal (when a person's voice goes up at the end of every statement). That always makes people sound tentative and uncertain and they are taken less seriously. The stereotypical effect is Valley Girl Speak. You don't want to sound like that. When you make declarative statements, end your sentences with a downward inflection instead. That makes it more powerful and indicates you are confident in your message.