Lately, leaders of all generations have been referring to the world’s shared obligations toward “future generations.” At the G-20 summit in Rome in late October, for instance, the U.K.’s Prince Charles reminded delegates of their overwhelming responsibility toward “generations yet unborn,” whose health, happiness and prosperity will be determined by the way today’s leaders respond to the climate crisis. More recently, during a Nov. 12 protest in Glasgow, 18-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg called for those attending the nearby COP26 climate summit to listen to the “voices of future generations” that are “drowning” in leaders’ “greenwash and empty words and promises.”
But who are these people of the future? Until now, most of the thinking about future generations has remained abstract. Most often, they are a faceless, silent demographic whose rights and interests are only invoked when people want others to consider the consequences of their actions.
It’s worth painting a more detailed picture of these future generations—because we do know quite a bit about them. The United Nations regularly collects data on the world’s population prospects, and its projections offer three key insights into the people who will be born between now and 2100.