The noughties bid adieu to smoking in pubs, the king of pop and hopes of World Cup glory. What will be confined to the annals of history by the end of this decade, writes BRIAN O'CONNELL
ANIMAL RESCUE
In the next decade, conservationists are warning that the dodo may have company, as several species face an uncertain future.
Among those most at risk are the black rhino, Sumatran orangutan, wild Bactrian camel, a type of wombat, gazelle, and a Chinese alligator. The northern white rhino is also under severe pressure, with experts estimating that as few as 12 will remain worldwide.
One of those species most at risk though is the Iberian lynx, with as little as 120 of them left in Spain’s Andalusia region. Should the species not survive to 2020, it could become the first feral cat to become extinct in 2,000 years.
CHEQUE MATE
Longevity alone, it seems, won’t be able to save the written cheque, which has been around for almost 300 years. Already their use has been ended in several EU countries including Sweden and Norway.
In the UK, a target date of October 2018 has been set to wind up the use of cheques, and now just 1 per cent of all business transactions are done through cheques in most European countries.
There is a slim chance Ireland may lag behind other countries and the cheque may hang on past the decade, with 25 per cent of all transactions still carried out through cheque in this country.
WRITE OFF
The rise of e-mail communications, coupled with social networking sites, has meant a steady decline in letter-writing as a means of keeping in touch with friends or family.
Last year, Ireland’s overall mail volume was down about 10 per cent on 2008, according to An Post, although 3.5 million individual pieces of mail are still sent on a daily basis (rising to about eight million during the Christmas period).
Internationally, several postal services are under increasing financial pressure, including the US Postal Service, which blames the rise of e-mail for its financial woes. The end of the decade, then, could signal the lost art of letter-writing, as schools prioritise teaching other forms of communication.
VHS and VCR PLAYERS
The last decade signalled beginnings of the decline of both VHS and VCR players in spectacular fashion.
The last major film released on tape format was 2006’s History of Violence, while most video shops have ejected VHS tapes from their stock. Although the VCR remains in many homes, the last one produced was in 2008.
VHS will not survive the next decade; Blu-Ray and DVD are now the most common alternatives and the home camcorder market already shifting to digital formats.
MOVIE RENTAL SHOPS
It’s hard to see how video and DVD rental shops will survive the next decade. In recent years shops have broadened their services to include everything from tanning beds to PlayStation games. Yet the rise of online piracy, coupled with availability of movies online and through mail order, as well as dedicated film channels, has dented the film rental market significantly.
In Ireland, the majority of independent small video shops have been forced to close, while other large chains have changed hands or had to scale back their operations.
NO MORE HONEY?
Billions of honey bees have disappeared in the last few years and some are now sounding the death knell of honey as we know it if current trends continue. The bee is being affected by changes in landscape but also a disease known as colony collapse disorder (CCD).
The causes of CCD are not yet certain, although various factors have been blamed, including starvation, viruses, mites, nicotine-based pesticide exposure, GMO crops and climate change. The decline of the bee could lead to ecological disaster, as pollination is affected. While CCD has yet to have a serious effect in Ireland, up to 30 per cent of Ireland’s bee population is already in danger from environmental factors.
FUEL GUZZLERS
As oil stocks recede and minimising carbon emissions becomes increasingly important in car manufacturing, the next decade could herald a shift in emphasis away from petrol cars to hydrogen- or electric-run motors.
At present up to 40 plug-in electric vehicles are being developed around the world, with this type of vehicle expected to become dominant in the next two decades.
PRIVACY
Post 9/11, governments have used digital technologies to enquire into our personal lives, utilising everything from CCTV images to credit-card purchasing patterns. The definition of private information could continue to be stretched as the next decade progresses, while the digital trail we leave will make it easier for governments and organisations to peer into our private lives.
Civil liberties will struggle to compete with the war on crime and terror governments are engaged in on their citizens’ behalf.
While at the same time, our consumer privacy may be undone by increasingly sophisticated marketing techniques, such as loyalty cards and targeted online promotions.
THE ARCTIC
The Arctic ice cover, which has been part of the world’s landscape for 100,000 years, may have largely disappeared by 2020. Some scientists predict up to 80 per cent of the ice covering the North Pole will vanish in the next decade. In particular, scientists say the summer ice cap will disappear completely during the summer months by 2015 and accelerate thereafter.
Failure to agree reach a deal at the Global Climate change summit in Copenhagen recently has added to concerns over Arctic ice caps. Their disappearance by 2020 would have significant knock-on effects for the world’s climate.
