2209

It is hard to imagine what DC will look like in 200 years because it is difficult to fathom any other lifestyle besides the one that we all lead right now. Never the less, considering the change that has occurred in the last 200 years, I can guess that 2209 will look very different from 2009, especially if we continue on the same destructive path that we are on right now.

First and foremost, there will definitely be more people living in DC---and every other part of the world. People will have to find new ways to cope with crowded living situations, transportation mechanisms and resource distributions. One resource that I expect to be monitored very closely is oil. In fact, it does not seem unreasonable to suggest that oil will be rationed amongst the population. As a result, people will be forced to find more efficient ways to live. They might expand public transportation and find ways to become more self sufficient within their own local living area. If there is not a lot of oil, people will travel less and food will have to come from more local sources (so selection would decrease). Ultimately, though, the failure to plan for environmental degradation and resource depletion will lead to a society that will be constrained by its lack of oil and subsequent inability to travel.

Ideally, society will not reach a point where it has depleted natural resources so severely that basic travel and food selection become intensely limited. It would be better if generations prior to that of 2209 (hint, hint), began to take measures to conserve resources, reduce waste and develop alternative forms of energy. If this happens, 2209 in DC might use a diverse range of energy sources to power itself including renewable fuels, solar and wind energy and moderate amounts of national oil. DC could be a city that consumes less, wastes less and ultimately creates less of an ecological mess on the planet. Travel would be possible and food systems could be regional--but probably shouldn't be global. People would not be constrained by oil rations because oil will have become only a single part of the city's sources of energy.

On a related note, this particular discussion question suggested that we consider water systems for the future of DC. When I thought about this, I realized that I have no idea where DC's water comes from. This struck me as unusual because in Colorado, water rights are such contentious issues that people are pretty aware of where their water comes from. It is something important that I wish I knew more about and this discussion question has prompted me to look into.