“2001: A Space Odyssey may come true” – without climate action

That’s according to Sci-Fi author Cixin Liu who spoke recently at the UN base

30“2001: A Space Odyssey may come true. In the midst of plenty, they were slowly starving to death.”

That’s the opinion of Cixin Liu, one of the world’s renowned science-fiction authors – who shared his view on the future of Earth with the UN based on current climate action.

“There is no doubting the importance of the current foundations for the sustainability, from environmental protection to the fight against climate change and green lifestyles. In the foreseeable future, upholding all these principles will be fundamental if humanity is to thrive,” he said.

He explained that sci-fi authors have long thought that people would move to the moon or another planet to live but the true focus should be here on Earth.

“In the past 30 years, information technology has leapt forward far faster than other technologies and has penetrated all aspects of human society to revolutionise people’s life.

“Nevertheless, this conceals the slow progress of other scientific and technological fields, creating an illusion of rapid technological progress in an all-round way. If the technological progress brought by scientific development is regarded as a big tree, then the most accessible fruits on the tree have been picked up today.”

Liu claims a “longer-term development plan” is needed from the world to ensure sustainability remains front-of-mind and that A Space Odyssey doesn’t become the future.

On his hopes for changes in the coming years, he concluded: “A conventional disaster occurs locally and other parts of the world can offer help; but a doomsday crisis puts the entire world on the brink of destruction and no one will come to rescue us.

“But once the entire global society faces the doomsday crisis in science fiction, I think human beings will still come together to respond to the crisis. Collectively, we have the ability to self-regulate, in the way that we interact with nature.”

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