Three billion people in the world will live in conditions similar to the Sahara Desert. The average temperature will rise by 3 degrees by 2070. Artificial intelligence will have eliminated 40% of entry-level jobs. These are the "visions" that emerge when we try to imagine the world that Z generation will inherit as an old woman. Not apocalyptic predictions, but scientific projections published in journals such as PNAS and confirmed by World Economic ForumFrom climate breakdown to technological unemployment, from extreme inequality to possible adaptation scenarios: the future seems already written.
The challenges facing Generation Z: the burning planet...
By the time Gen Z kids are 70, the planet may have surpassed 3 degrees of global warming compared to the pre-industrial era. A study by Wageningen University and Nanjing University, Published on Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, estimates that by 2070, approximately 3,5 billion people will find themselves living in places as hot as the Sahara Desert today. The average temperature perceived by humans would rise by about 7,5 degrees Celsius in some areas, making regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, parts of the Middle East, India, Australia, and South America almost unlivable.
While today only 0,8% of the Earth's surface averages temperatures above 29 degrees Celsius, in just 50 years this percentage could rise to 19%. The relationship is clear: even respecting the Paris Agreement would not prevent a 3-degree increase. The Earth is warming faster than the oceans, and the carbon feedback mechanism further amplifies the phenomenon.
…the work that disappears…
But the climate isn't the only problem. Artificial intelligence is already stealing jobs from young people. According to a research by Signalfire, in 2024, tech companies hired 25% fewer new graduates than in 2023. Future of Jobs 2025 of the World Economic Forum Confirmation: 40% of employers plan to reduce their workforce in sectors where AI can automate tasks.
Entry-level jobs are the first to go. Simple coding, debugging, back-office tasks, customer support: everything that once allowed young people to learn the ropes is now done by an algorithm. Companies like Goldman Sachs e Morgan Stanley They've already considered reducing junior hiring by up to two-thirds. The paradox is well known: companies seek experienced people, but don't allow young people to gain experience.
Secondo LinkedInGeneration Z is more pessimistic about its future than any other age group. Young people know that what was enough to enter the workforce just a few years ago is now superfluous. The only way forward seems to be acquiring AI skills, turning the threat into an opportunity.
to wealth that is concentrated
And then there are the inequalities. In 2024 Billionaires' wealth has grown by $2 trillion, equivalent to approximately 5,7 billion a day, at a rate three times faster than inflation. The richest 1% of the world's population owns more than 45% of global wealth. In Italy, over 2,2 million families live in absolute poverty, while the super-rich continue to amass fortunes at a breakneck pace.
Generation Z will inherit a world where public debt is unsustainable, social services are cut to the bone, and social mobility is virtually nonexistent. The middle class is shrinking, precarious jobs are on the rise, and the social ladder has long since broken down. Over a third of billionaires' fortunes come from inheritance, crystallizing the disparities in opportunity as they pass from one generation to the next.
There are those who still believe in it
Yet, not everyone sees only black (especially among the ranks of my generation, the X). Some argue that technology will create more jobs than it destroys. World Economic Forum He predicts that up to 78 million new jobs could be created within a few decades. Others point out that three out of four AI projects fail to achieve the promised return on investment, and that many companies are already backtracking, rehiring human workers after overdoing automation.
On the climate front, some are betting everything on carbon removal technologies, renewable energy, and social adaptation. The hope is that Generation Z itself, raised aware of the climate crisis, can lead a radical change of direction. After all, they are the ones who filled the streets with protests. Fridays For Future, they who ask governments for concrete actions.
According to the demographer Mark McCrindle, the generation that will follow the current one which is the Alpha (I'm talking about the Beta Generation, born from 2025) will represent 16% of the world's population by 2035. Many of them will live into the 22nd century. If Gen Z faces the worst of the climate transition, perhaps future generations can reap the benefits of today’s efforts.
And after Generation Z?
What kind of world will Generation Z inherit? Probably one much hotter, much more unequal, and much more automated than the one they grew up in. But perhaps also one where they will have learned to coexist with artificial intelligence rather than endure it, where renewable energy will have replaced fossil fuels, where new forms of social organization will have reduced inequality.
Or maybe not. Maybe in 2070 we'll look back and wonder how we wasted our last chance. Until someone asks the right question: what about the next generation? What will they inherit from us?
