What could a future sustainable world look like? One of the key concerns is climate change and moving to a zero-carbon world but the basic thing we must realize is that our buildings, neighborhoods, transport networks and cities will all have to change.

In my moment of peace I let go of reality and took hold of imagination, creativity and felt the energy of the world. I was free of the pressure of today captured by the promise of tomorrow. In my mind I traveled through time and I arrived at what looked like a three-storey town house, part of a group of houses, which collectively made up the Green Homes Neighborhood in solar Town in Biomass Country. They were grouped around a pleasant green space with some play and keep-fit equipment in the Centre. There was lots of greenery, some of it acting as sustainable urban-drainage systems and the rest as shade from the midday sun. There was a network of local pathways, which are well lit and well used close by are local shops, a primary school and a community Centre. The community Centre notice board is testimony to the amount of local activities occurring there. Just outside the Centre is the express tramway stop and behind is a small car park with some of the community electric car-share vehicles and communal bicycles. The house displays its zero-carbon energy certificate in the hallway but the high levels of insulation in the building fabric are invisible to most visitors. Next to the certificate is the smart meter. This shows the remarkably low levels of electricity usage within the house, thanks to the energy efficiency measures and the solar water heating system on the roof. But the meter also shows when electricity is being generated by the household through the photo-voltaic cells incorporated into the roof-tiles, window shutters and other flat surfaces the house is built to deal with the extreme weather predicted for the region. High ceilings, solar shading and efficient air conditioning powered by solar panels for the more frequent heat waves. Raised ground floor and flood channels in the surrounding area to deal with floods, especially urban flash floods. Deep foundations prevent damage to the house from soil shrinkage the house is as water efficient as it is energy efficient. Outside you can see the pipework for the rainwater-harvesting system, collecting water into a special tank for feeding through into the house?s plumbing system. Water separation is a feature of the house?s plumbing but the household hardly notice this or the water saving features in the toilets, showers and sinks. There is no garage or off-street parking for the house. Instead there is a secure cycle store, next to the composting unit. The rest of the household?s waste goes into a vacuum waste removal system that also automatically sorts waste for collection and recycling at the community Centre.

Awestruck! By this house, I got more what else is there to see and I decided to step outside the house, lo and behold I saw the greatest cities ever, transformed across the world. Mixed-use developments are situated around vibrant public spaces. These spaces create a strong sense of distinctive place for new developments. The old is integrated into the new, with high quality urban design. Pedestrians are given priority over the car in the planning of cities. There are dedicated routes for trams, guided buses and cycles linking the different land-uses, a mix of micro-generation technologies provides energy for building users. Combined heat and power and district heating schemes are routine for new mixed-use developments, some using renewable fuels. Many of these schemes draw the existing buildings into their scope as well. OMG! Greenery abounds on the ground but also on roofs, providing multi-functional spaces for amenity, leisure, natural habitats and water drainage. Sustainable urban-drainage systems are standard, transforming the look of urban areas. Cities are as green and attractive as the countryside, nearby rivers are managed for their landscape, leisure, and nature conservation value. But they also form part of urban transport networks, with riverside cycle paths and walkways. Most importantly, the riverbanks and surrounding land absorb rainfall run-off and prevent flooding of built-up areas and I saw these cities encourage people to use their urban areas and to be active within them. Safe, pleasant and green, here I understood and experienced that cities therefore contribute to the physical and mental health of their residents all over the world.

I am now excited and want to see it all so I look for transport and wow! local travel is now routinely made with public transport which includes underground trains, trains, buses, trams, and boats. Wait a minute, this not wow! I had seen this before many times in my reality travels so I got off the tram at the next stop and I saw something wow! The majority of private cars and taxis are electric. A significant proportion of goods are moved by rail and then efficient electric vans and lorries. Separate cycle lanes and clear, well-lit pedestrians walkways are provided in all urban areas continental travel has been revolutionized as air traffic has been replaced with  (magnetically levitating) trains travelling at 900 km/h (about 600 mph) using renewable sources of electricity. These rail networks extend between major cities throughout the world and fast connections allow you to travel between continents. The first coast to coast train verses plane race in the USA was won by the train as the walk-on walk-off train service removed any lengthy delays which occurred at the airports. Intercontinental travel still uses traditional airplanes but these super-sized commercial jets carry over 1000 passengers each and are the most efficient ever made. Flights have become very expensive due to the global carbon tax on aviation fuel and thus are always operating at full capacity. They are towed to and from the runway saving a significant amount of fuel and of course money by the end of the 21st century resources to fuel the new low-carbon global economy are running low. This is due to both the huge demand as the world rapidly develops and strict new global environmental protection laws. Space exploitation thus becomes cost effective in the early 22nd century. Carbon tax breaks on international space launches enables private companies and countries to set up orbiting space stations and the mining of the Moon begins. JACKPOT! I mean if we are now capable of mining the moon am sure that?s plenty of resources coming in and we?ll need an office to administrate all this so I decided to see future offices, proud of their new headquarters. Approaching it from any of a number of nearby bus-stops, tram-stops or the train station, visitors are often surprised by its attractive design incorporating greenery at the ground floor, on numerous balconies and right up to the green roof. The blades of the wind turbines catch the light, giving a clue to how some of the electricity demands of the occupiers are met, less obvious is the system of district heating pipes that connect the office building with other local uses – shops, restaurants, the cinema, local health Centre and the college. The mix of users means that the heat demand is more or less balanced over the day and the week. All these users are connected in to the area?s combined heat and power unit however, future offices have found the energy demands of their new building are much lower than those of its older buildings. The building?s fabric is highly energy efficient but equally as important is the design that maximizes natural daylight while providing shading during the middle of the day, even when the sun is at its hottest. This and the natural internal ventilation system have removed the need for air conditioning except during extreme heat waves and made for a much healthier internal environment. Future Offices have made the health of its workers a key aspect of the building. The stairs are visible features linking floors, with cafes on mezzanine levels. These are heavily used the lifts don?t stop at every floor so it is often more convenient to use the stairs. In any case, they are tucked away rather than being the focal point of the lobbies. Water efficiency measures have also reduced the water bill hugely.  This is despite a dedicated cycle-and-shower unit on the ground floor, with secure cycle storage and changing room facilities most of the office functions are not at ground floor level, however, and neither are the core services. The building is not far from the river and flooding has become more common recently, so the ground floor is flood-proofed to ensure that the next flood will not disrupt business. Hmmmmmm, sleek plan- NICE! I bet the economy must be thriving. To answer that I found out that Carbon Auditors Ltd have just opened their new headquarters in London using all 143 floors of the first zero-carbon skyscraper.

This attests to the huge market created in carbon trading since the momentous post-2015 international agreement were renewable and alternative energy companies flourish, replacing the old oil giants as one of the main profit-generating industries in the world. They have been made so profitable by global carbon trading, which is driven by the gradually shrinking global cap on carbon dioxide and other GHG emissions. Technological solutions to both emission reductions and adaptation to climate change have occurred at a faster and faster rate through the 21st century, producing a global developed society unrecognizable from a hundred years before. Everything from how plants grow to how we produce electricity has been improved, contrary to the doom merchants, the global economy in the middle of the 21st century is growing at nearly 5% per year, twice the yearly average in the early 21st century. This is due to the increasing flow of money and expertise to the developing world through the post-2015 agreement and global carbon trading. The increased spending power of the developing world has stimulated the global economy, benefiting everyone with increased standards of living. The threat of global warming thus ultimately led to a more equal distribution of wealth across the world, and a stronger, faster-growing global economy.

With a huge smile on my face I started planning my permanent stay, there is no way I am going to let all this blessing slip through my fingers and in an instant a worm hole opened beneath me and sucked me in. I fell into space towards a tiny flash of light, as it touched me I opened my eyes and reality welcomed me back and I began to tale my vision of a better world and how much hope there is that we?ll get there someday soon. I, on the other hand have my motivation to make it happen