Since the last lunar landing in 1972, people have been dreaming of creating colonies on other planets. Even though this started as a dream that was still deemed to be impossible, the recent technological boom has paved the path to making these dreams come true.
As the prospects of creating colonies on other planets are increasing every day, different sectors are thriving to evolve their business in such a way that they can carry it to the other colonies as well.
This is where space logistics 2050 comes in. This is a project of DHL, and they have answered some crucial questions through their plans, which include simplifying the space transport management system. They also defined five different scenarios that we might face in the future. Let’s take a deeper look at this.
1. Scenario One: Collapse of Economy:
The present world isn’t sustainable in any way, and the first scenario that DHL talks about is what might happen if the current state of the society remains unchanged till the time humans finally set out to make colonies on other planets.
In the current society, materialism is what leads the people, and mass consumption is expected to be the doom of the economy. If this keeps on, then the economy is sure to collapse once we settle in different colonies across the solar system.
Unlike that of today, the logistics system won’t anywhere near as efficient. This is why mass consumption will eventually lead to a huge shortage, and that’ll lead to the collapse of the economy.
So, unless the current mentality of the large corporations and the consumers isn’t changed, then there’s no transport management system that can stop the world from reaching this scenario.
However, as the shortage will increase, so will the need for a logistics system that can cope up with the increasing demand. The opportunity is huge for any logistics system provider. However, the environmental and natural factors will play a great role in this case, and it’ll be quite tough for any logistics system provider to cope up with the growing shortage.
2. Scenario Two: Logistics for Megacities:
The concept of “Megacities” has become widely popular in recent days. Megacities are essentially cities that house a huge population. However, due to the increasing trend of going green, megacities are being forced to implement certain things that will make the cities pollution-free too.
One of the main things that these logistics systems can do is help the cities reduce congestion, pollution, and increase overall efficiency. Robotics and AI are two of the most promising sectors, and they’re sure to improve by a great deal in the future. These technologies can be leveraged to provide better service.
Then again, the change in consumer habits is already seen across the globe. While people used to buy CDs at some point, they started renting those afterward, and now they’re doing that digitally through different streaming websites.
Due to their renting mentality, the necessity of a good logistics system will only increase, as more objects will need to be delivered.
Plus, the logistics system might also be charged with leading the transport system of the city, helping in carrying different belongings in the airport, creating advanced transport and warehouse management systems, and so on.
So, the development of megacities will create a huge opportunity for logistics service providers.
3. Scenario Three: Reverse Globalization:
This scenario says that due to excessive nationalism, excessive hardship, and protectionism, the world will face what the experts are calling anti-globalization. In such a world, the nations and the people will tend to isolate themselves from other nations and races. While it’s highly unlikely, still the chances that we might see such a society are there.
The chances that we might experience this scenario are the highest in colonies that we might see on other planets. On those planets, we will see an excessive shortage of every item, be that luxury item or basic necessity. Luxury items might not even be available to the general folk like it is today.
This is why the nations will isolate themselves rather than open up to others for the sake of saving their resources to a great degree. To prevent such a disaster, there must be logistics service providers that can provide the supplies on-demand, and this is another sector that DHL is targeting.
4. Scenario Four: Customized Lifestyle:
It’s seen that a lot of manufacturers are encouraging consumers to create content on their own. A major gateway to this is 3D printers. With these tools, we can create almost anything, unless it’s too tough.
If this trend is preached in the future, there’s a chance that everyone will grow a tendency of becoming self-sufficient. While it’s impossible to create advanced technological products in the home, people can create all sorts of everyday products with the help of advanced printers. This will decrease the necessity of logistics service providers to a great extent.
5. Scenario Five: Global Resilience:
The final scenario that DHL predicts we might experience is global resilience. In this scenario, there will be no shortage in production. Automated production funnels will be able to create more than what humans need.
However, there will be major problems in logistics due to rapid climate change and global catastrophes. In this scenario, the consumption rate will be higher than ever, as the production rate will be high as well. However, there will still be shortages in the markets due to major supply failures.
Due to this scenario, the companies will no longer be interested in sending their products to a long distance. Thus, society will be forced to adapt items that are produced locally. This will certainly reduce the variety in our lives, but it’ll reduce losses too.
