Learning from Movies Inspired by Future Shocks 

“To survive, to avert what we have termed future shock, the individual must become infinitely more adaptable and capable than ever before. We must search out totally new ways to anchor ourselves, for all the old roots – religion, nation, community, family, or profession – are now shaking under the hurricane impact of the accelerative thrust. It is no longer resources that limit decisions, it is the decision that makes the resources,” American writer, futurist and businessman, Alvin Toffler’s quote succinctly foreshadowed the impending cautionary tales of the 21^st century’s scant economy.

In 2018, the World Economic Forum (WEF) published a Global Risk Report 2018 that outlined 10 future shocks the world population needs to look out for. In brief, these 10 shocks explore possible future crises that might prompt dramatic breakdowns and threaten our world. Following this, the Global Risk Report 2019 focused on potential rapid and dramatic changes in the systems we currently rely on.

In doing our bit to call more attention to the concerns, myForesight® has selected 10 films based on the 10 future shocks as food for thought and action related to society. Each of the 10 films selected here presents a cinematic “what-if” scenario of the shocks, but they are not predictions.

One movie in highlight was Soylent Green released in 1973. The movie a food supply disruption that emerged as a tool as geo-economic tensions intensify. Laid against a 2022 background, Charlton Heston played an NYPD detective in a world ravaged by the greenhouse effect and overpopulation. With little food to go around, most of the world eat a mass-produced product called Soylent Green. While he’s investigating a murder, he discovers something disturbing.

Every one serves as a reminder of the need for us to think creatively about the risks we face and their solutions. To say the least, expect the unexpected. Surely, films are a great way to convey gripping messages of plausible future scenarios, and perhaps, all the questions that these movies have thrown at us need to be addressed with urgency.

Water, food and other critical resources will be scarce commodities in the future. In all sectors of the economy, governments, businesses and the global society are always looking for effective turnarounds from sustainable consumerism practices and solutions. So much so, governments and businesses constantly have to rely upon new technologies as the centres of consumerism and innovation.

For entrepreneurs, there are many pockets of growth across every line of consumerism. Case in point, Americans waste about 141 trillion calories worth of food every day. That adds up to about $165 billion per year—4 times the amount of food Africa imports each year.

Therefore, by cultivating new solutions from sustainable practices to reduce wasteful consumption, local entrepreneurs have a lot to catch up in terms of utilising our resources more responsibly. Last but not least, to learn more about the topic, you can read the original article here.