Imagine the near future, that it is now 2048 and that you have decided to spend the weekend in one of the great European capitals, be it Paris, London, Berlin or Vienna. Wherever you come, silence, silence, desolation, desperate groups of citizens roam in the shadows…

Once famous buildings. Even today, popular resorts have been abandoned because the higher sea level has taken its toll.

Rural areas reveal a somewhat different picture and are lined with gleaming technologically sophisticated houses designed to protect households from the devastation of climate change and enduring pandemics.

This picture of the future life in thirty years is described in one of the four scenarios of the not so distant future, which came from researchers from 13 well-known European universities, gathered around the European Commission project "Imagine", which is an integral part of Horizon 2020.

The scenarios for 2048 published these days have resonated greatly, and British-Irish research duo Matthew Finch and Marie Meon point out that they are designed with the intention to "test our sense of what is important when the world changes." They provide a stage on which new ways of thinking can be reported when it comes to political ideas. They help us to design policies that are widely accepted and that can be adapted to local needs ", reports the Croatian" Večernji list ".

"That imagined future may never happen, but it can prevent us from stumbling and preparing for all the shocks the world will inevitably face," said Meon and Finch, convinced that the corona pandemic and our response to it had already reshaped societies. and made the conversation about inequalities even more urgent.

Some of the scenarios represent a major cultural breakdown across Europe that cannot agree on core values.

Scenario 1: 3D printer and "Fortress of Europe"

In the first scenario, advanced 3D printer and manufacturing technologies lead to high prosperity throughout Europe. Automated business produces and distributes goods locally, the economy has developed into a circular economy.

Due to increased prosperity, the EU has expanded. and includes Turkey, Ukraine and Belarus, which sometimes leads to new tensions at the external borders. After the Putin era, Russia has weakened significantly.

In that scenario, the first Muslim, a Swede of Somali origin, will be elected president of the European Commission in 2035. Although the EU has become more and more culturally diverse due to migration, it is still becoming more isolated and protectionist.

Climate refugees regularly stop at borders because a high level of automation means that countries are less dependent on low-skilled workers.

Calls for greater political freedom are getting louder. People in a Europe like this feel a strong devotion to their families in an effort to ensure that their children follow the path of prestige and prosperity in the wider European society.

Scenario 2: Rural life with climate change

The second scenario involves the devastation of large cities where mostly poor groups of citizens and immigrants stay. By 2048, urban areas are ghettoized places where workers live in cramped conditions, whose living conditions are most reminiscent of today's everyday life of migrants in Singapore or social districts in Melbourne.

Further pandemics and climate change have displaced many people from cities and coastal areas, and rural life is becoming increasingly popular.

Combating climate change is a global priority and next-generation clean production technology is expanding rapidly. Here, inequality is based on who has the means to protect themselves from climate change.

The EU must pay high "climate reparations" to countries in the global south because of historical inequalities in CO2 emissions. In 2048, there will be no more capitalism, but the focus will be on small communities and on art and culture, which is increasingly dictated from Asia.

This does not mean that life in 2048 is always dark. The world is preparing for the 39th Summer Olympic Games, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with the addition of athletes, philosophers, but also heroes nominated from all over the world for their efforts in the fight against the climate crisis.

Europeans, Americans and Australians hope to win medals, but in 2048, as in most others, the country expected to dominate is China, the world leader in the fight to survive climate change.

Scenario 3: Digital inequality and internet citizenship

In the third scenario, there is a large inequality between those who have access to advanced technology and those who are excluded from it. Citizenship has become a digital concept. It is possible to temporarily lend your rights to others, for example in terms of health care, or even exchange rights with each other.

Most economic activities take place online, telecommunications are the norm, not the exception. You are more likely to work with people from China, Mexico or the United States than with people from your own country.

Inequality is defined according to who we are allowed to work and gather in the virtual space, and who is not. Those who have and do not have in the future are not defined by a place that is called home today, but by a virtual space where they are allowed to work, play and gather.

Advanced technology allows the privileged to explore, enjoy and profit from these digital environments, while those less fortunate are locked up.

Scenario 4: Fake news and a divided Europe

In the last scenario, Europe is divided into several camps, and false news has eroded trust in science and politics.

In some countries, people vote for politicians who advocate conspiracy theories. It is difficult to agree on reliable sources. Although some regions reflect "traditional" and religious values, marriages of up to five people are celebrated in other places.

Some protect rivers and mountains, while in some regions, digital systems such as Syria's voice assistant have their personal rights, so the abuse of Syria is seen as pet harassment.

General solidarity between the areas has fallen sharply. Visitors from the USA, China or India would rate the EU in 2048 as quite backward. Some communities have an advanced notion of animal rights that respects the feelings of the inhuman creature and treats them as equals, while others have returned to traditional conservative heritage.

This fragmentation has triggered increasingly frequent and bitter cultural wars, with disputes over issues such as gender and cultural identity.

"The script we created tests our sense of what matters when the world changes. They provide a stage on which new ways of thinking can be reported when it comes to political ideas. They help us design policies that are widely accepted and that can be adapted to local needs, "say researchers who prove through the" Imagine "project that inequalities in the EU are increasing, contrary to the proclaimed policy of the European Union on creating territorial cohesion.

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@GreenOasis