The World If

If nuclear power had taken off
What if nuclear power had taken off in the 1970s?

How would the world look today if more countries had adopted nuclear power after the 1973 oil crisis? A look back on an alternative history from a rather different 2020

If the Republicans pivoted on climate
What if the Republicans pivoted on climate?

How an ambitious, conservative environmentalism came into being. An imagined scenario from 2024

If water shortages destabilised China
What if water shortages destabilise China?

The painfully unequal distribution of water in China reawakens intra-regional resentments not seen in decades. An imagined scenario from 2050

If carbon removal became the new Big Oil
What if carbon removal becomes the new Big Oil?

One giant industry emerges as another declines. An imagined scenario from 2050

If mammoths were recreated
What if mammoths are brought back from extinction?

Could recreating mammoths help curb global warming?

If covid-19 devastated aviation
What if aviation doesn’t recover from covid-19?

How the pandemic transformed the travel industry. An imagined scenario from May 2022

If climate activists turned to terrorism
What if climate activists turn to terrorism?

Protesters against climate change have not resorted to terrorism to advance their cause. This scenario from 2031 imagines what would happen if they did

Data privacy and climate policy
What if technology tracked all carbon emissions?

Could governments use smartphones to monitor citizens’ carbon emissions? An imagined scenario from 2030

Europe alone: July 2024
What if America leaves NATO?

With America gone, Europeans struggle to fend for themselves. An imagined scenario from 2024

Attack of the superbugs: July 2041
What if antibiotics stop working?

How the world belatedly responded to antimicrobial resistance. An imagined scenario from 2041

Network effects: July 2020
What if Facebook shuts down in Europe?

Blocking Europeans from using its services would cause an outcry. An imagined scenario from 2020

Rich people’s problems
What if America introduces a wealth tax?

Would a wealth tax save capitalism, or destroy it? Probably neither