The New Normal Heading to 2030 and Beyond

America is being forced to change rapidly and embrace a ‘New Normal’ way of life in America - driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, racial and gender bias, coupled with a wide range of new technologies.

We all find ourselves caught in the midst of a global pandemic that is impacting everyone on Earth. Millions have caught COVID-19 and hundreds of thousands are dying from it. For much of the year we have been self-isolating at home and millions of people have joined the ranks of the unemployed. Unfortunately, other major crises are coming down the road.

However, many of today’s knowledge workers who use computers in their jobs have been able to continue working out of their homes using telecommunications capabilities. Many student were sent home and are now attending classes online. For many, shopping online has replaced driving to stores to buy food and other needed items. The number of cars on the roads dropped significantly, resulting in extremely low demand for gasoline resulting in less pollution and fewer automobile fatalities.

Again, like it or not, we are being forced to change rapidly and embrace a ‘New Normal’ way of life in America - driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, racial and gender bias, coupled with a wide range of new technologies.

Examples of Technological Advances Over the Coming Decades There will be another 1,000-fold increase in computer power, storage, data transmission rates, and software apps over the coming decade. High speed Broadband, Satellite, and 5G Wireless Networks will be fully deployed and used across all parts of the globe. Trillions of 'Internet of Things (IoT)' sensors and Smart Home Appliances will be deployed and interconnected. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality, Big Data, and Data Analytics will play a dominant role in every business and in our everyday lives. Wearable, Implantable and Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technologies will begin to be deployed and used in healthcare, military, business, and many other domains. Robots will become a much more common feature in homes and businesses around the world. Widespread deployment of a range of renewable energy technologies will steadily replace fossil fuels, e.g. wind, solar, hydrogen fuel cells, small scale nuclear. Electric Vehicles (EV) and Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles (UAV) will largely dominate the transportation industry by 2030, e.g. car, trucks, trains, airplanes, ships. Regenerative Medicine, Genetic Engineering, Stem Cell Research, 3D-Printed Human Organs, and 'Human Augmentation' technologies will dramatically alter people's life spans and capabilities.

The ‘New Normal’ way of life in America is not yet clear. It is still being defined. However, the following are examples of the ‘New Normal’ Life Styles and Behavior Changes taking place, often enabled by the wide range of new technologies all around us.

• Work – More and more workers that don’t need to be at a desk in a corporate office building need to be allowed to work from home. Essential workers that must show up for work in grocery stores, factories, hospitals and in many other jobs need to be paid a better wage and guaranteed safety and healthcare coverage.
• Retail Shopping - Protective masks need to be worn in stores and social distancing practices followed, until such time as vaccines are available and the current COVID-19 pandemic is eradicated. One of the ‘New Normals’ is that more and more shopping will be done online and many stores will be downsizing or will be going out of business.
• Education – More students need to be offered the alternative of going to school online, if the technology and telecommunications networks are in place. Teachers and students who must show up in schools need to be given protective masks, ensure social distancing, other protective measures are taken. Healthcare coverage needs to be made available to those who must travel on buses and go to physical school buildings because they have no alternative. Much of the world’s workers, researchers and students will have free and ‘open access’ to the growing repository of the world’s knowledge.
• Healthcare – The COVID-19 pandemic is helping to refocus and speed up the transition towards the use of Telehealth systems, Electronic Health Records (EHR), Personal Health Records (PHR), Health Information Exchange (HIE) Networks and the commitment to Open Access, Open Science, Preventive Medicine, Regenerative Medicine, Public Health, and data driven solutions. There will be some significant impacts on our current configuration of hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices, and the way we practice medicine across the country.
• Entertainment – Packed gatherings in huge stadiums to watch sports events, rock concerts, or political rallies may have run their course. Smaller face-to-face events are probably going to be replaced by televised events and eventually by spectators viewing these events using virtual reality technology. Attendance at movie theaters will continue to decline and visits to museums and other cultural exhibitions will continue to transition to online viewing – see Open Culture web site. However, expect many people to return to bars, nightclubs, and restaurants once the current pandemic passes. It’s just going to happen.
• Religion & Churches – Churches, religious organizations, and their faithful followers have been steadily embracing new technologies and online solutions. The next generation of young believers and church leaders have embraced and adjusted to the use of the Internet, Social Media, and Mobile Technology to create online communities, extend their global outreach, spread their faith, teach, learn… See Summerton ‘Open’ Religious Technology & Tools.
• Transportation Systems – The COVID-19 pandemic has people rethinking travel on crowded airplanes and cruise ships. Growing concerns over global climate change are boosting production and sales of Electronic Vehicles (EV). Other changes to transportation systems include industry investments in Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Vehicles and Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles (UAV), High Speed Rail, and other solutions. Telecommuting is also leading to significantly less traffic on the roads. Also, Uber has provided an alternative to car ownership for many people living in cities that will bear watching closely.
• Energy & Environment – Both climate change and the current pandemic are speeding up the declining use of fossil fuels, while investments in alternative solar, wind, and hydro energy solutions are rapidly climbing. Hydrogen fuel cell technology and small modular nuclear reactors are also going to be coming online later this decade, further driving nails into the coffin of the dying fossil fuel industry. Climate change, pollution, rising sea levels and many other related issues depend on us now moving from ‘talk’ to ‘action’.We are well on our way transitioning from a Type 0 to a Type 1 Civilization to a more advanced Type 1 Civilization. Read about the Kardashev Scale
• Government & Society – America is in the midst of debating and pursuing many needed societal and government reforms. Racial justice and gender bias remain hot topics. Gun control, corporate tax reforms, voting suppression issues, universal healthcare, Rebuilding trust, setting Congressional term limits, addressing immigration, and many other topics will challenge us all for many decades to come. Expect a lot of hard fought battles on the streets and in the political arena. It’s the American way – and it all eventually works out. Read about Top Issues Facing America in 2020

US Demographics by 2050 By 2050, the population of the US will climb to approximately 400 million people and Blacks, Asians, Hispanics and other racial minorities will make up a majority of the US population. By 2050, the female population will climb to over 200 million people and there will be 7.5 million more women than men in the US. Nearly nine-in-ten (87%) predict that a woman will be elected US President by 2050, and the number of women in Congress and state legislatures will finally equal the number of elected male officials.

These are just a few of the many changes that will be taking place as a ‘New Normal’ way of life emerges heading towards 2030 and beyond. For those who think there is no such thing as a ‘New Normal’, think again!

Other Selected Articles Top Issues and Challenges Facing American in 2020 What Do Women See Happening Over The Coming Decades? What Do Today’s Youth See Happening Over the Coming Decades? Overpopulation: Efforts to Reduce the World’s Population Next Generation Education 4.0 Systems Health 4.0 by 2040 Specific Technology Predictions for 2030 Transitioning from a Type 0 to a Type 1 Civilization

Top Issues and Challenges Facing American in 2020

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure Domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Several hundred years have passed since the Constitution of the United States was written and adopted. The issues of creating a more perfect Union, establishing Justice, Domestic Tranquility, our common Defense, promoting the general Welfare, and securing the Blessings of Liberty are still cherished by most Americans.

This article summarizes the top issues or concerns of the American people in 2020 based on a series of recent polls, studies, and position papers. The following links are provided to them so you can read the detailed content for yourselves.

• America's Biggest Issues | The Heritage Foundation

• Solutions to America's 7 Biggest Problems by "We, The People Movement"

• Most Important Problems | Gallup Historical Trends - Gallup Poll

• Views of the Major Problems Facing the Country – Pew Research Center

• State of the Union 2019: How Americans see Major Issues – Pew Research Center

• Worries and Priorities about America's future | Pew Research Center

• Top 10 Issues to Watch in 2019 – National Conference of State Legislatures

• Statista: The Most Important Issues Facing The U.S. Today

Findings: Issues & Problems

The following is a list of the many major issues or problems that are facing the US in 2020 based on the series of recent polls, studies, and position papers identified above:

Economy Jobs & Unemployment Low Wages & Wealth Disparity Corporate Corruption Corporate Welfare & Taxes General Welfare Programs Education Public Schools Higher Education Online Education Charter Schools Student Debt Environment Pollution Climate Change Energy Policies Clean Energy Healthcare Healthcare Costs Health Insurance Medicare/Medicaid Prescription Drug Costs Drug Abuse & Opiod Crisis Domestic Issues Abortion & Adoption Marriage & Divorce Hunger & Poverty Homelessness Racism & Civil Rights Womens Rights LGBTQ Rights Immigration Reform Religious Freedoms Media & Press Freedoms

Crime Human Trafficking Illegal Drug Trafficking Marijuana Reforms School Shootings & Gun Control Domestic Hate Crimes & Extremism Government Taxes National Debt Election Reforms Justice System Reforms Poor Political Leadership Political Partisanship Excessive Regulation Social Security Voter Suppression Foreign Relations Foreign Policy Global Trade International Treaties Tariffs & Trade Wars National Infrastructure Information Technology Telecommunication Networks Transportation Systems Privacy & Security National Defense Wars Terrorism Homeland Security US Space Force Foreign Cyber Attacks Foreign Election Interference

It turns out the challenge of creating a more perfect Union, establishing Justice, Domestic Tranquility, our common Defense, promoting the general Welfare, and securing the Blessings of Liberty as we head deeper into the 21^st Century are not that simple anymore. The only way this is all going to work out well is if we all learn to better pull together. Remember, we’re all in the same boat. You would think we could address and solve a number of these problems.

Other Selected Links The Heritage Foundation Gallup Pew Research Center National Conference of State Legislatures

Overpopulation: Efforts to Reduce the World’s Population

The issues of human overpopulation and related issues of climate change, global hunger, and mass migrations have now caught the attention of the world. The following is a brief overview of the human overpopulation and some of the efforts and activities that are now being taken to contain and reduce the world’s population to a more sustainable level.

Human Overpopulation

Overpopulation can be viewed as existing when a population cannot be maintained given the rapid depletion of non-renewable resources or the degradation of the capacity of the environment to give support to the population. More specifically, the term ‘human overpopulation’ refers to the relationship between the entire human population and the planet Earth - or to smaller geographical areas such as particular nation-states.

Global population is projected to hit 8 billion around the year 2023 and 9 billion by 2050. Unfortunately, the planet can only realistically sustain a global population of 3 billion over the long term. So… You Do The Math! You might want to go to Population Connection web site.

Human Population Planning

So what do we do? Human reproduction planning is the practice of intentionally controlling the rate of growth of the human population. Historically, human population planning has been focused on increasing the rate of human population growth. However, in the period from the 1950s to the 1980s, emerging concerns about global population growth and its effects on poverty, environmental degradation and political stability led to increased organized efforts to reduce human population growth rates. There are now a growing number of deliberate and organized efforts to reduce the human population. These include some of the following actions:

Abortion Sterilization Initiating Wars Family Planning Contraception Sexual Abstinence Environmental Disasters Deadly Contagious Diseases Infanticide

Taxation of Parents One-child & Two-child Policies Migration from Rural to Urban Areas Immigration & Emigration Policies Education & Training Marketing & Public Relations Changing the Status of Women Ethnic ‘Cleansing’ and/or Eugenics. New Technology: Robotics, Killer Drones, Artificial Intelligence...

Organizations dealing with Overpopulation

If the topic of overpopulation interests you, the following is a listing of numerous organizations dealing with overpopulation and related issues:

• Center for Biological Diversity
• Global Footprint Network
• Negative Population Growth
• The Overpopulation Project

• Population Matters

• Population and Sustainability Network
• Population Action International
• Scientists & Environmentalists for Population Stabilization

Like it or not, the topic of human overpopulation concerns us all. This brief blog/article is meant to serve as a good starting point to help you become more informed and learn about some of the many activities already underway. It’s time to get more involved.

What Do Women See Happening Over The Coming Decades?

What do women expect to see happen over the coming decades? What do they want to see happen? This blog is based on a review of numerous articles and studies published over the past two years and presents the following major findings. This important subject is something we should all take the time to examine a bit more closely. Lets start with some high level US and Global demographics.
 
Global Demographics

• According to a UN press release, the world’s population is set to grow by 2.2 billion between now and 2050, and more than half of that growth - 1.3 billion - is likely to be in sub-Saharan Africa, where women’s rights are hampered by limited access to education, healthcare and contraception.
• The UN has noted that women represent 60% of the poorest in the world, less than 16% of parliament members, two-thirds of the illiterate and are subject to systematic violence, both in armed conflicts and in the privacy of their own homes.

• Anti-Slavery International reports that 71% of overall victims of modern slavery – nearly 30 million – are estimated to be women and girls. Forced sexual exploitation or forced marriages account for as many as 99% of victims, some as young as five years old.

• The World Economic Forum notes that a UN study says countries need about $264 billion - the equivalent cost of 110 military aircraft - to end maternal deaths, gender based violence, child marriage, and provide family planning to all women by 2030.
• According to the World Economic Forum, global gender equality will not be achieved until the year 2221. That timeline needs to change dramatically.

* Read Equality 2050 | The Remarkable Woman and the UN Report on “The Future Women Want”

US Demographics

• By 2050, the population of the US will climb to approximately 400 million people.
• According to the Census Bureau, Blacks, Asians, Hispanics and other racial minorities will make up a majority of the US population by the year 2050.
• By 2050, the female population will climb to over 200 million people.
• In 2050, there will be 7.5 million more women than men in the US.
• Women’s inflation-adjusted earnings have increased nearly 14 percent since 1979, whereas men’s have declined by about 7 percent.
• By 2050, fewer than 2 out of 5 people will be likely to get married in the US.
• Women in the US continue to report they intend to have more than two children on average, but data indicates that women are delaying having children until later in life.

* Read Views of America's future in 2050 | Pew Research Center

Definition of Women's Rights: The rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide, and which formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movement during the 20th century. Issues commonly associated with notions of women's rights include the right to bodily integrity and autonomy; to be free from sexual violence; to vote; to hold public office; to enter into legal contracts; to have equal rights in family law; to work; to fair wages or equal pay; to have reproductive rights; to own property; to education.

Global Expectations

The following are selected excerpts from the UN Statement on Women and Gender Equality in the World and Women Leading the World to 2030 – UN Foundation Report on Business & Sustainable Development

• The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is a comprehensive global blueprint for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Unequal representation in politics, economy and other areas is one of the leading problems of gender inequality identified by all countries. No country has yet fully achieved gender equality.
• Power relations between men and women must change profoundly for progress to be made this century. Heads of State, CEOs, religious and cultural leaders, and parents must all be partners in the pursuit of gender equality across the globe.
• Women must participate equally in all areas including conflict prevention and resolution, climate change negotiations, in community planning, in family decisions, in collective action.
• By 2050, it is expected that all men and women have equal rights and access to economic resources and financial services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, new technology and more.

• By 2050, we need to ensure equal access for all women and men across the globe to affordable and quality technical, vocational. college and tertiary education. We need to ensure that all youth and adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.
• By 2050, we need to ensure that all women across the globe have access to health services and contraception. Lack of access to contraception in developing nations is a key issue that ought to be resolved as soon as possible.
• The world must eliminate the “global epidemic” of violence against women and girls, forced marriage, and other ongoing dehumanizing violations of human rights for women.
• The world must understand and confront the growing conservative and extremist resistance to gender equality. We see this in ongoing attacks on girls’ education, women’s public participation and women’s control over their bodies.

* Read the UN reports on Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality Index: Not one single country set to achieve gender equality by 2030

US Expectations

The following are selected excerpts from multiple articles and reports on women’s future expectations through 2050.

• Nearly nine-in-ten (87%) predict that a woman will be elected US President by 2050.
• By 2050, the number of women in Congress and state legislatures should equal the number of elected male officials. See Center for American Women & Politics
• By 2050, women will be much better represented in both the public and private sector. They will be paid the same as men, will be better supported in their home and work life, and the glass ceiling will be a steadily fading memory.
• By 2050, women will continue to dominate in higher education and outnumber men on college campuses over the coming decades.

• Additional legislation will be passed and enforced to ensure equal pay and guarantees of gender equality across the US related to terms and conditions of employment, sexual harassment, parental leave, childcare, representation in corporate boardrooms and more.
• By 2050, women should no longer be penalized for choosing between a career or focusing on family as they move through life.
• By 2050, we will have done away with the outdated concept that someone needs to be in their office from 9 to 5 to work effectively and productively. When that happens, prejudice against working mothers will disappear and it will be accepted that both men and women want and need more flexibility in their work life.

* Read excerpts from What the Workplace for Women will look like in 2030

Additional Perspectives on the Future of Women in the Workforce by 2050

• Many of the needs and practical tools for the future of women in business are outlined in The Women’s Manifesto.
• A study from the Family Wealth Advisors Council estimates that more women are coming into inheritances because of longevity and demographic patterns. An estimated two-thirds of all US. wealth will be in the hands of women by 2030.
• More married women are joining single-parent women in becoming the financial heads of their households in the US.
• The number of women-owned businesses will continue to more than double over the next 20 years. The percentage of female senior executives, business owners, and entrepreneurs who are accumulating substantial wealth is rising steadily. There are also more women in the global workforce than ever before, at all ages and income levels
• Research from the Boston Consulting Group estimates that as women continue to become more educated, they’ll earn higher incomes. By 2050, it’s expected that in the US the average woman will earn more than the average man.

• Women stand to gain in job quantity from future growth in female-dominated occupations in care. However, concerns remain about job quality and poor wages.
• As the US population ages, labor economists predict a sharp rise in the number of care-based jobs in the years ahead. Roles like home health aid, medical assistants, and child care workers are projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to grow substantially by 2030.

• Employers will need to provide family-friendly solutions for working people who need flexibility for child care and elder care. These solutions may include part-time employment, telecommuting, flexible business hours and more.

* Read the 2019 Report on Equal Measures 2030 and The Future of Women at Work: Transitions in the Age of Automation

Selected Links List of Women's Organizations - Wikipedia Association for Women's Rights in Development Center for American Women & Politics International Center for Research on Women LeanIn.Org National Organization for Women (NOW) National Women’s Law Center UN Women.Org WomanKind.Org