Climate Vision 2050

Electric vehicles have revolutionized the automotive industry and created a sustainable circular economy. Today in 2050, the internal combustion engine is a relic of the past. At the Paulista Grand Prix in São Paulo, race car driver Bela Tanaka goes neck and neck with Rahul Gonzalez for a chance at the top 5.

This week, we’re presenting an episode of Climate Rising from our friends at Harvard Business School. In this first episode of a new series on climate change and AI, Hamid Maher and Charlotte Degot, Managing Directors and Partners at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), explain how BCG has developed and uses AI tools to help their clients manage climate risks and address mitigation and adaptation challenges. They describe how they pitch these solutions to potential clients, and share their advice for those interested in careers in business and climate.

Clothing recycling along with second-hand and rental markets have significantly decreased waste in the fashion industry. Today in 2050, every garment tells a story. This transparency about an item’s provenance empowers consumers to make responsible choices. At Tokyo Fashion Week, model Emiko Ikeda must decide if they should take a stand against unethical clothing manufacturing.

In 2050, mangrove forests are thriving across Southeast Asia’s shorelines, protecting coastal communities from flooding and erosion. The region is a world leader in nature-based solutions to climate challenges. Environmental scientist Danilo Manolo travels through a protected mangrove forest in a national park in Malaysia to halt an illegal logging operation.

Controlled-environment agriculture allows farmers to grow fruits and vegetables indoors all over the world and even on Mars. Vertical farms are interwoven into the fabric of our cities, and produce is grown in greenhouses in less densely populated areas. Farmer Louisette Thibault must contain a pest outbreak at indoor farming facilities in and around Montreal, Canada.

Captain Karen Sharma, of India, will provide a behind- the-scenes look into how maritime freight transport operates in 2050. We'll explore how harnessing the power of the wind with kites, rotors, and sails--combined with new sustainable fuels (such as methanol) and optimization of supply chains through green corridors and other means--has transformed this industry to advance climate and sustainability goals.

The path to decarbonize aviation seemed insurmountable. Through new aircraft design, alternative fuels, and infrastructure improvements, flying is greener than ever. In a rush to get to the delivery room of his new baby, electric supercharging technician Paul Harper travels home on a supersonic jet run on sustainable aviation fuel.

Urban planner Bailey Muthoni is our guide to life in Nairobi, Kenya, a city that has made massive strides toward addressing the climate crisis. Bailey shows us how Nairobi has benefited from sustainable housing, transportation, and agricultural initiatives—while also reducing poverty and tapping into the power of the sun and other renewable energy resources.

In 2050, our societies are powered by energy islands, each with hundreds of offshore wind turbines. In this episode, we travel alongside offshore technician Sofia Rojas to the North Sea, home to one of the oldest energy islands—where Sofia must investigate and fix an anomaly detected through the turbines’ AI interface.