2040s

Notable predictions and known events

2040

• France plans to ban the sale of all new diesel and petrol cars by this year.
• Japan will have shut down the last of its nuclear power plants.
• Projected completion date for the Trans-European Transport Networks rail corridor running from Germany to southern Italy.
• Amsterdam aims to be fossil fuel-free by this year, powering its electric cars, trucks, boats, and buildings with energy generated by wind, solar, and biomass.
• Completion of the, running from Boston to Washington, D.C.
• NASA predicts that by this year it will cost only tens of US dollars per pound to launch humans or cargo into space.

  2041

• The Antarctic treaty will come under review.
• Scheduled completion of the proposed project to create a railroad connecting Moscow to New York.
• The joint venture partnership between Volkswagen Group China and SAIC Motor is scheduled to end.

  2042

• April 30 - A Nickelodeon time capsule, sealed in April 1992, will be opened.
• September 17 - A common computing representation of date and time on IBM mainframe systems will overflow with potential results similar to the year 2000 problem.
• The Trident D5 submarine-launched nuclear missile will be phased out.
• According to the United States Census Bureau, U.S. residents who identify themselves as being Hispanic or Latino, African American, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American will collectively outnumber those who identify as being white of non-Hispanic origin.

  2044

• May - A METI message Cosmic Call 2 sent from the 70-metre Evpatoria Planetary Radar arrives at its destination, 55 Cancri star.
• September - Another METI message Cosmic Call 2 sent from the 70-metre Evpatoria Planetary Radar arrives at its destination, HD 10307 star.

  2045

• Futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts a technological singularity for this year, i.e. a runaway cycle of self-improvement by intelligent machines, resulting in explosive technological development.
• Based on Ray Kurzweil's ideas, Time magazine predicts humans will be immortal by this year.
• Reunification of the Korean peninsula; proposed by South Korean president Moon Jae-in.
• Demographic projections "foresee the population of Egypt overtaking that of Russia by 2045," according to Niall Ferguson.
• Two of Japan's largest cities - Tokyo and Osaka - will be connected by a direct high-speed maglev route.
• According to a 2003 NASA study, a manned mission and subsequent colonization of Jupiter's moon Callisto may become possible around this year.
• The 2045 Initiative ends.

  2047

• July - A METI message called Teen Age Message sent from the 70-meter Eupatoria Planetary Radar will arrive at its destination, 47 UMa star.
• July 1 - The present "one country, two systems" in Hong Kong may end, as it was guaranteed for 50 years starting from July 1, 1997, provided under the Hong Kong Basic Law. The agreement was raised by Deng Xiaoping to deal with Hong Kong's reunification with the People's Republic of China in 1997, and stipulated in the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984. What will be done is not stated in any document.
• December 31 - After this date, works published between January 1, 1978, and December 31, 2002, have the possibility of entering the public domain in the United States. The existing copyright law specifically prohibits any work created during that period from automatically entering the public domain before this date.

  2048

• January 14 - The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty will come up for review.
• February 29 - There will be a rare full moon on a leap day, this event happens roughly once every century.

  2049

• December 20 - The present "One country, two systems" with Macau, guaranteed for 50 years starting from December 20, 1999, provided under the Basic Law, will expire.
• Stated completion of the Belt and Road Initiative, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
• Full time job hours may be shorter than at start of 21st century. People may work full time only 2 days of the week.

  Predicted astronomical events

2040

• September 8 - Planetary alignment of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and the crescent Moon.
• The Great Red Spot on Jupiter's atmosphere will become circular according to calculations based on its reduction rate at present.

  2044

• October 1 - Occultation of Regulus by Venus. The last was on July 7, 1959 and the next will occur on October 21, 3187, although some sources claim it will occur on October 6, 2271.

  Speculations

2040

• Most meat will not come from slaughtered animals, but instead will be cultured meat or plant-based.
• Space-based solar power will be commercially viable.
• Global energy consumption will have increased by 56% from 2010, from 524 quadrillion British thermal units to 820 quadrillion Btu.
• Pollen counts will be more than double today's level, due to climate change.

  Fictional references

• 21st century in fiction