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Original poster

What do you think life in the UK will be like 30 years from now?

274 replies

Blancmangemouse · 18/05/2023 21:44

The year is 2053. I will hopefully be about to retire. What do you think life will be like?

I remember in my teenage years I became irrationally convinced I would die at 25. I remember reading that young people inexperienced with life can feel this way because they just can’t picture their future selves in an adult world which is unknown to them.

Now mid 30s I am getting similar feelings and it could be because the future seems so uncertain. AI, Climate Crisis, World Powers shifting- etc etc.

So what do you think 2053 will realistically look like?

OP posts:
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9
callingeveryone · 19/05/2023 12:54

Britain has a very mild climate. Our climate will have more extremes that take it closer to some countries climates abroad. But we will be fine. Some Cities, Towns and Villages may become unliveable due to flooding. So anywhere that has already experienced regular flooding may in the future have to be abandoned. But most of the UK will be fine.
It will be many other countries that will be in terrible straits. Most of Pakistan is going to become uninhabitable due to regular flooding.

SleepingStandingUp · 19/05/2023 12:54

mondaytosunday · 19/05/2023 09:03

People from 50-60 years ago thought we'd be much further ahead than we are now. I'm sure once man got to the moon everyone thought 'that's it! We will be taking holidays there in 20 years and cars will be electric and we will have robots doing housework by the turn of the century...'. I was alive then.
I'm not sure it will be that different from now in 2053. Sure there will be different jobs, just like when computers and Internet became widespread. But I'm living in a house (London) that's over 130 years old. I live in a different way than those who built it, but not that different than those from 40 years ago. My daughter may well be living in it with her own kids inn2053, and they may well go to the same school down the road that's there now. Her car may look different (in fact I bet she won't have one), and her job may not be what she envisions now, but day to day life will still be as it is in terms of routine.

I think that's the difference tho.

People in 1963 thought 1993 would be amazing, and 2023 a full on Sci fo adventure.
People in 1993 thought 2023 would be pretty cool and 2053 like Star Trek.
People in 2023 think 2053 will be all but the rich adults scrambling for food through bins as a matte of course and 2083 will be the super rick underground and the cockroaches living their post atomic best life.

Liebig · 19/05/2023 12:55

SleepingStandingUp · 19/05/2023 12:51

The latter, particularly if they've chosen not to have kids or their kids are grown up because then they get the extra benefit of being able to be superior about not subjecting today's school kids to certain death on the arid tundra of Milton Keynes as the scream to the heavens about the selfishness of procreation and their idiot parents.

Show quote history

Have you considered improving your mental health through a combination of toxic positivity, gaslighting, and delusional expectations about the future?

Liebig · 19/05/2023 12:57

callingeveryone · 19/05/2023 12:54

Britain has a very mild climate. Our climate will have more extremes that take it closer to some countries climates abroad. But we will be fine. Some Cities, Towns and Villages may become unliveable due to flooding. So anywhere that has already experienced regular flooding may in the future have to be abandoned. But most of the UK will be fine.
It will be many other countries that will be in terrible straits. Most of Pakistan is going to become uninhabitable due to regular flooding.

Good to hear that the UK is self-reliant on all things and the rest of the world can burn without consequence. For a minute, I was mildly worried we’d be harmed.

Brexit was clearly the best course of action in this light.

Liebig · 19/05/2023 12:58

TooodleOoo · 19/05/2023 12:54

I truly believe that humanity will be ok.

Humanity is fine because we destroy everything else...

Having said that the Debbie downers on this thread saying we're all fucked are bloody annoying

👌

What do you think life in the UK will be like 30 years from now?
maddiemookins16mum · 19/05/2023 13:00

We’ll look back (well not me, I’ll be long gone) and wonder why it was ever allowed to let children change their sex.

callingeveryone · 19/05/2023 13:00

@SleepingStandingUp I grew up when Thatcher policies were decimating many places in the north where I lived. I did not think the future would be amazing. We were being told many of us would never have a job at all throughout our lifetime. That was also untrue.
Everything changes. Some things get better, some things get worse, but apocalyptic suggestions for the UK will simply not happen.
People may live a bit longer, and everyone will have robot lawnmowers and hoovers and maybe even robots that can paint or wallpaper. But daily life will not change that much.

Abracadabra12345 · 19/05/2023 13:03

LuckyPeonies · 19/05/2023 02:36

According to current trends and scientific projections, we will witness the extinction of many species, pollution and plastic everywhere, fires, extreme weather events, water wars and general resource wars because of water and food shortages, unbearable droughts and heat and desertification, climate refugees, starvation, and very low quality of life for all except the rich.

I have two small nephews and I don’t understand why anyone would voluntarily sentence kids to the misery that is to come. On the bright side, perhaps Elon musk will figure out how to save us all. 🙄

See, I agree with all this because rapid climate change is driving it forward- we're already nearing tipping point and quite frankly there's nothing we can do about it. The amount of housing being thrown up everywhere and ripping up our countryside will accelerate even more and climate migration will be of biblical proportions- and not in 30 years time either.

I'm so glad I won't have grandchildren, it's bad enough for my young AC. I do dread the future

Kanaloa · 19/05/2023 13:04

I really don’t think in the next 30 years time we’ll all be microchipped and swimming to work and back through a flooded wasteland. Extremely melodramatic.

I think things will be more or less how they are now. A bit better in some ways, a bit worse in others.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 19/05/2023 13:04

l don’t think there will be that much change.

1993 seems like yesterday. The only massive change since then is the digital Revolution.

I think it might be better. More equality, more compassion. The younger generation are more open minded. And they will be running the country in 30 years.

Abracadabra12345 · 19/05/2023 13:06

CheeseTouch · 19/05/2023 07:49

Haven't read many replies because Mumsnetters are so negative and enjoy believing we're all doomed. Competitive misery.

The climate and biodiversity crisis is going to hammer us unfortunately. We knew it was coming and chose to do nothing. A privatised NHS will be the least of our worries.

I know it feels nice to put your head in the sand, especially if you have small children.

Sadly, I agree

Howpo · 19/05/2023 13:12

People in 1963 thought 1993 would be amazing, and 2023 a full on Sci fo adventure

Technology and the work we do and how we (majority) live has been transformed since 1963... just 60 years ago.

But we have not had Climate Change, & whilst the Cold war wasn't great, MAD did ensure some stability, now we have none or very little, plus a few more rogue nuclear states and even if CC isn't as bad as predicted, Russian and Chinese expansion and their economies aren't going away, with or without India.

Like i said up thread, how we deal with these challenges is the key, do we have the world leaders to get us through into 2053?

ThankmelaterOkay · 19/05/2023 13:13

Mumsnet still won’t have an edit button.

callingeveryone · 19/05/2023 13:14

@ThankmelaterOkay Grin

Onelifeonly · 19/05/2023 13:16

MrDrEvilPorkChopToYou · 19/05/2023 12:27

Well - I’d like to think that my curtains will have arrived from John Lewis by then, but I’m not confident tbh

🤣🤣🤣 Feel similar about my new kitchen.

PaperSheet · 19/05/2023 13:27

😂😂😂

PaperSheet · 19/05/2023 13:28

Was meant to quote @ThankmelaterOkay . That was a good one. 😂

Hal9001 · 19/05/2023 13:29

Howpo · 19/05/2023 10:55

@Hal9001

Given you don't think it matters nor did you read what i wrote, does suggest you have your fingers in your ears, your blinkers on and your head in the sand.

Have Great Day!

Cool.

Cool, cool, cool.

YouNeverSeeTheRealMe · 19/05/2023 13:33

I'll be long dead by then - I'm 64 now.

This country will be a shithole. Crime, immigration, healthcare, education, traffic, pollution - it will all be fucked, and I feel sorry for my grandchildren

Hal9001 · 19/05/2023 13:33

Howpo · 19/05/2023 13:12

People in 1963 thought 1993 would be amazing, and 2023 a full on Sci fo adventure

Technology and the work we do and how we (majority) live has been transformed since 1963... just 60 years ago.

But we have not had Climate Change, & whilst the Cold war wasn't great, MAD did ensure some stability, now we have none or very little, plus a few more rogue nuclear states and even if CC isn't as bad as predicted, Russian and Chinese expansion and their economies aren't going away, with or without India.

Like i said up thread, how we deal with these challenges is the key, do we have the world leaders to get us through into 2053?

Sorry @Howpo,

'And whilst the cold War wasn't great'

Also cool, cool, cool, cool.

readbooksdrinktea · 19/05/2023 13:34

existentialpain · 19/05/2023 12:28

I thank God I'll hopefully be gone and not leaving any dc.

Same.

TooodleOoo · 19/05/2023 13:37

I know it feels nice to put your head in the sand, especially if you have small children.

We're only fucked if people continue as they are. That goes for cowardly governments, greedy TNCs and the consumers that enable them.

We can make a difference but nobody can be bothered as it's too inconvenient or would mean lower returns.

SunnyEgg · 19/05/2023 13:41

I know it feels nice to put your head in the sand, especially if you have small children.

Not sure which post this is from but what is the outcome from having your head out of the sand?

Social media doom posting, or worse rl life every day doom and likely impacting your dc mh, or something else?

SunnyEgg · 19/05/2023 13:45

Hal9001 · 19/05/2023 08:04

I guess these comments either come from a position of fear or comedy.

It's not ok to say this bollockry.

I do think that MN is full of Russian and Chinese bots.

I don't know anyone in RL that has such a negative view.

Show quote history

I don’t know if they are bots, maybe not, but Covid on here was nuts.

A lot of the more extreme posters have gone. Not sure why they needed to spread fear as they did

SamW98 · 19/05/2023 13:50

If the PTB have their way and introduce the hideous Orwellian nightmare of 15 minute cities then we will be a horrible insular society imprisoned in a small space never broadening our horizons and being fined for every tiny breach of their rules.
But the rest of the world will all be the same if we don’t fight back