Why the Decade of the 2020s May Just Be the Most Important Decade in Human History

This January 1st we will start not just a new year, but a new decade. Most people will accept the claim that this will be an important decade. Let’s consider the possibility that this could, in fact, be the most important decade in human history. Such a bold claim may be met with some skepticism, but it’s an interesting and useful mental model to play around with to explore and understand some of the changes and challenges coming our way, and the preferred paths to take through them . So let’s run with this idea (and while we’re at it, let’s ignore the debate about whether the new decade really starts in 2020 or 2021).

Why is the 2020 decade so important?

The first half of the 21st century will be the most important in the history of the human race because of all the challenges we face from an amazing leap in technology and the resulting significant environmental and social disruption. Many institutions and social norms will be disrupted. The writer Yuval Harari points out that for the first time in human history, we have no idea what the world will be like in 30 years.

The coming decade, the 2020s, is the decade right in the middle of this half century. It may well be one of the most consequential decades of both this period, if not human history.

There is likely be more technological change this coming decade than in any previous decade. The impacts of climate change, artificial intelligence, and bio-engineering are about to hit us big time this coming decade — and they will hit us at a time of apparently increasing political instability. Will our respond to these challenges as a society determine the future of humankind for a long time to come? “Yes” is a very plausible answer.

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