Institute For The Future

Artifact from the Future: The Cost Of Water

What if we just can’t break our water habit in California? What if climate change cuts down the Sierra snowpack by end of century? This year’s drought is the worst California has seen since records began 100 years ago, but what if we eventually look back on 2014 as a halcyon year for water supplies in the state.

A few years ago, we printed these ‘guerrilla futures’ price tags and shopdropped them into store shelves here in Palo Alto. With a simple desktop printer, you too can sticker shock people into longer-term perspectives, and spark discussion about water futures in your community.
 
While a decades-long drought is one possibility for California, there are many other possible futures. Check out California Dreaming, IFTF’s forecast map for the next decade of health, education, food, work, water, governance, and migration in the state. The project also introduces four alternative scenarios for California in 2020.

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.