Imagine the Future Competition 2017/2018

Imagine the Future: How we live, work, and play in 2050

Reliance on energy is deeply incorporated into modern life. From the lights we turn on the moment we wake up, to the transportation that takes us to the places that we need to get to – energy is present everywhere. With energy playing such an intrinsic role in our daily lives, this brings us to the question about what life could be like in the next few decades and the role energy would play in it. While one cannot fully predict the future, but current trends could give an indication as to what it would be like.

To help envision what our future holds, Shell invited university students in Egypt, Thailand, and Singapore to take part in the second edition of the Imagine the Future Scenarios Competition. The result was a series of contrasting scenarios of future Asian cities in 2050 based on the theme, “More and cleaner energy in urban Asian and Middle Eastern homes in 2050: How we live, work, and play”.

Receiving more than 12 entries from Singapore, Egypt, and Thailand, the national finals were held in the respective countries and the winning national teams competed in the regional finals in Singapore on March 5, 2018. With rich references to history and comprehensive exploration of how technology, politics, society, and individual choices play a role in shaping the future, the Singapore team came out top, with the Egypt and Thailand teams securing 2^nd and 3^rd place respectively.

Here’s an excerpt of the scenarios plotted by this year’s national teams:

A Binary World vs A Dispersed Planet by Yale-NUS College, Singapore

Looking at two variables, the degree of centralization and access to private data, the Singapore team from Yale-NUS College formulated two scenarios: (1) The Binary World and (2) A Dispersed Planet. The first scenario depicted a highly centralised world, with governments and big firms having access to private data, making it easy for them to provide convenient and fuss-free services. A veritable utopia, the increased centralisation in this scenario also comes with greater risks and responsibilities to ensure that the system does not collapse. The second scenario showed empowered individuals with the autonomy to make their own choices – and even generate their own energy – free to exercise innovation and creativity and carve niches in society.