An Alternative History of the Future XI

2058

Plastodome Crystal completed

The Plastodome Crystal, a complex built entirely from plastic fibre, was completed in Singapore. The brainchild of Manuel Figo, a Portuguese architect, the building was lauded as an engineering feat, as well as a fine example of Plastorealistic art. It suffered little damage in the earthquake of 2065, when the rest of the city was destroyed.

The second Global Census

The second Global Census,[13] which was completed in 2058, reported a world population of 12.4 billion.

Country or Region	Population in Billions	Country or Region	Population in Billions
Asia*	2.4	Europe***	0.6
Africa	2.2	USA	0.5
India	2.1	Russia	0.5
China	1.7	Indonesia	0.4
Latin America**	1.6	Remaining countries and regions	0.4
GLOBAL POPULATION 12.4 BILLION

* Asia excludes India, Russia, China and Indonesia, which are noted separately.

** Latin America includes South and Central America.

*** Europe excludes Russia, which is noted separately.

Space junk at critical levels

The UN’s Rodriguez Report, authored by respected environmental scientist Camille Rodriguez, proposed plans for the reduction of space junk[14] that had accumulated in Earth’s orbit. The Report recommended spaceship hulls be fitted with laser incinerators, to destroy harmful junk in their way. By 2071, a brigade of robotically controlled sweeper planes continuously orbited the Earth, retrieving space junk for recycling.

Space aviation

Three thousand space flights per year, were leaving or entering Earth’s orbit by 2058. This number increased to twenty thousand by 2070.

Gettysburg space city opens

Gettysburg, the first North American space city and the largest at that time, was declared fully functional. Gettysburg housed 100,000 people.

2059

South Africa’s last gold mine closed

The last of South Africa’s gold mines shut down, as the nation’s gold reserves were finally exhausted.

Whale Havens established

The UN’s Environmental Earth Foundation (EEF), created ecological havens for whales and other ocean life, providing protection against increasing marine toxicity. Giant filters were used to cleanse several artificial and natural bays.

Moroccan revolution sparks Algerian invasion

The death of King Hassan Ahmed, resulted in a Moroccan revolution. Algeria seized the opportunity to invade Morocco, officially annexing the country in 2060. Algerian President Sayeez Mohammed described the new nation as “the first step toward a Maghreb Republic spanning the Sahara.” Troops loyal to the Moroccan royal family, continued to battle the Algerian invaders from bases in Tunisia and Polisaria,[15] with limited American support. However, China provided weapons to Algeria, enabling the Algerians to conquer Tunisia and Polisaria in 2067 and Libya in 2068.

2060

The Sino-Russian War

A border skirmish between Russia[16] and China, over political and economic influence in Mongolia, left five hundred dead. Chinese forces launched a full-scale infantry attack, driving the Russians deep into the Siberian heartland. The Russians then employed tactical nuclear weapons, destroying large segments of the advancing Chinese army; the Chinese responded in kind. The Sino-Russian War continued for three months, ending in a stalemate, however, the first use of nuclear weaponry since World War II, undermined decades of international support for global disarmament.

Though the USA officially maintained its neutrality throughout the Sino-Russian War, it was later revealed that American intelligence agencies had encouraged hostilities, by clandestinely providing both combatants with weaponry to prolong the conflict. Ironically, historians have postulated that the outrage engendered by this discovery, created a shared perspective between the Russians and Chinese, which ultimately led to their joining forces in the Third World War.

Scottish independence

Scotland formally gained independence from the United Kingdom.[17] The Scottish Republic continued its economic union with England and Wales, while independently pursuing foreign politics from its seat of government in Edinburgh.

2061

American economy improves

In 2061, the USA experienced an economic boom, equal to that of the mid-twentieth century. In accordance with the first Treaty of Friendship,[18] the Americans excelled in telecommunications and computer services. Global Link, formed by the merger of ATT Electrical, Motorola and Intel in 2057, became the world’s largest supplier of electronic information and in turn, one of the most powerful organizations on Earth.

Flyer-2

The Airstar International[19] space plane, Flyer-2[20], was successfully test-piloted. Powered by porginine gamma fuel and robot controlled, Flyer-2 reached a velocity of three per cent of light speed. Tatse-Yakamoto, the giant Japanese airline manufacturer, introduced the Samurai, its own high-speed space plane in 2062.

2062

Birth of Populare politics

Populare Philosophy resurrected elements of Marxism-Leninism. Claiming that the failure of Developing World countries arose from the attempted imposition of European ideology, Popularists advocated a blending of Marxist-Leninist principles, with local cultural and religious practices.

Populare governments were elected in Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela in 2062 and Columbia in 2064, splitting the continent along ideological lines. In 2065, a war ensued between the Populare Nations (Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela and Columbia) and the Anti-Populare Front, including Brazil, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay. The five-year conflict, left the Populare Nations semi-victorious, but eight and a half million people dead. Populare Philosophy also inspired revolutions in Africa and Asia at this time.

In 2070, the Populare Nations withdrew from the AFTN, to form the Populare Trade Bloc (PTB), seeking trade partnerships with other Populare governments, rather than geographic neighbours.

2063

Porginine discovered in Brazil

Large deposits of porginine discovered in southern Brazil, caused several American corporations to move chemical operations into the region, in turn creating a Brazilian economic boom.

2064

The American Land Reclamation Act

The American Land Reclamation Act became law in the USA. Designed to ease urban tensions, tax incentives promoted the rehabilitation of industrial wastelands into residential areas. Similar legislation was passed in Belgium, France and Germany.

2065

American president assassinated

President Willard Jenkins of the USA, whose Regitonic[21] policies underpinned the Grand American Economic Recovery of the 2060s, was assassinated in Portland, Oregon. The American Tradition, a radical organization opposed to Regitonic philosophy, claimed responsibility.

The Wind Energy Project

An energy production program, the Wind Energy Project was established along the American west coast. The project employed eight hundred thousand wind-driven blades, linked to generator units via a complex power grid. The grid was centrally controlled at a computer terminus in San Jose, California. Costing one trillion dollars to build and employing 1.4 million people, the Wind Energy Project supplied the region with eighty percent of its energy needs. Other wind energy projects were undertaken in Angola, Italy and the Philippines during the next decade.

Chile attacks Cape Horn drug traffickers

Drug trafficking, especially in chemically synthesized protomones, reached its peak during the 2060s. In 2065, the Chilean Armed Forces crushed an international drug cartel headquartered on Tierra del Fuego. Despite this rare success, the inability of the world’s police forces to control the drug trade, encouraged the legalization of many narcotics during the 2070s.