Institute For The Future

Artifact from the Future: Keep Calm & Capture Carbon

Thanks to air-scrubbing trees and other carbon capture tech, Planet Earth is on track to hit 2050 targets for 1970 levels of carbon emissions. Are environmentalists happy? No! Targets don’t tell the whole story, and eco-terrorists are blanketing the artificial forests with calls for their sabotage.

This Artifact from the Future is a snapshot of what might emerge if forecasts about the future materialize. It was developed as part of our 2012 Map of the Decade which offers an overview of the major forces that are shaping this century—and creating turbulence in the coming decade. It is an at-a-glance tool for exploring the fundamental question: What is possible?

Like all IFTF’s Artifacts from the Future, this image offers insights into future everyday lives and is intended to give you an immersive look at a possible future change.