Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
Fortress World Barbarism Via Climate Change
Climate change may lead to a "fortress world" in which the wealthy have acquired the rights to places where it is still reasonably livable, while the rest of us will just have to fend for ourselves. This according to the vice-president of a UK intergovernmental panel on climate change.
In one example, Bangladesh is expected to lose up to 17% of its land to the rising seas predicted by climate change experts.
"Climate change is, or could be, the additional factor which will exacerbate the existing problems of poverty, environmental degradation, social polarization and terrorism and it could lead to a very chaotic situation," said Mohan Munasinghe at Cambridge University. "If you see what is going on in some of the gated communities in some countries you do find that rich people live in those kind of protected environments. If you see the restrictions on international travel you see the beginnings of the fortress world syndrome even in entering and leaving countries."
(Star Trek Cloud Minders Stratos City)
Depending on your reading and viewing habits, this scenario is one that science fiction fans have seen before. In the 1969 Star Trek episode The Cloud Minders, airy, elite people live in a fortress in the clouds, literally above the polluted world of the workers who make it possible.
A similar theme of separation between those who work and those who enjoy is found in HG Wells' The Time Machine. Readers?
Via Expert warns climate change will lead to 'barbarisation' and Moira.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 5/27/2008)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 8 )
Related News Stories - (" Culture ")
'Seabreeze' Apple And UCLA Project To Beat Depression
'It's illegal to hold back information during a psyche test,' the machine said peevishly.' - Philip K. Dick, 1953.
John Lennon Would Have Loved Auto-Tune - Paul McCartney
'It is the perfect voice.' Bernard Brown, 1931.
Reading Ancient Records Of Humanity, With AI's Help
'You could never consult Archival Records in a straightforward manner.' - Frank Herbert, 1984.
Amazen ZenBooth Dispenses Serenity At Amazon
'That's what I get for dialing zen, Joe said to himself.' - Philip K. Dick, 1969.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Swedes Get 'Chipped' With Vaccine Passports
'Employees above a certain level were implanted with advanced microprocessors...'
Gentle Monster Robot Head
'The robot knelt before the head, lifted it slowly, and with... its strong hands placed it on its shoulders...'
SpinLaunch SubOrbital Accelerator
'But it had slid, not rolled, down upon these angry fly-wheels, and in an instant, with all our friends, it had been hurled into the sky!'
Augmented Reality Palm Keyboard
'Three rows of four colored dots appeared on the heel of my left hand.'
Omni Hoverboard Envy Of Green Goblin
'I brought it back to the ship, charged it up, reprogrammed the inertia chips and voila!'
Jetson ONE Speeds Through The Forest
'Over there! Two more of them!'
Facebook's Algorithmic News Feed Knows Better Than You Do
'Their playmates were not “real,” but they were a lot realer than, say, a Betsy-Wetsy doll.'
Tselina Spacecraft Platform Destroyed In Russian Anti-Satellite Test
'pirate three-vee satellites sanded out of orbit...'
Burro Robot Follows You And Gets Smarter
'Oh, there you are! the balloon piped at the amorphous mass of living tissue...'
Tiangong Space Station! Exercise Like It's 1953
'He couldn't imitate actual gravity, of course...'
Facebook Unexpectedly Turns Away From Sfnal Face Recognition
'... the imprint of her image on the telephoto cell.'
Taihang Solar Farm Accurately Pictured In 1911
'The entire expanse, twenty kilometers square, was covered ... the photo-electric elements which transformed the solar heat direct into electric energy.'
Galaxy Z Fold 3 Perfect For William Gibson's 'Control-Face'
'Chia recognized the square as the control-face of the computer she'd seen in his room.'
Amazon Automatic Packaging Catches Up With Gernsback's 1911 Book
'The automatic packing machine could pack anything from a small package a few inches square up to a box two feet high by three feet long.'
Your Car Will Be Watching You!
'Mr. Garden, you are in no condition to drive...'
Orbital Reef: Bezos' High Orbit Archipelago
'Tessier-Ashpool ascended to high orbit's archipelago to find the ecliptic sparsely marked with military stations and the first automated factories of the cartels.'
