With the start of 2025, the world welcomed a new generation called “Gen Beta”. They are expected to see the light of day in an environment that is different from the one in which their parents and grandparents lived. From technological and social transformations to climate change, this era will be full of challenges and opportunities that the new generation will have to deal with in ways that may not have been seen before.
A generation is the natural succession from parents to children, and is traditionally defined as the average period of time between the birth of parents and their children. The duration of a generation ranges from 20 to 30 years, and each generation is characterized by a set of characteristics that have affected the movement of history in different ways. Therefore, sociologists began, since the beginning of the twentieth century, to adopt a system of naming generations sequentially.
Each generation has a name that reflects its unique stereotypical characteristics, which were formed as a result of the environmental and social conditions prevailing during the period in which its awareness and thinking were formed. In our current world, there are 8 successive generations: Greatest Generation, Silent Generation, Baby boomers, Generation X, Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha and Gen Beta
Gen Beta
Generation Beta will be living in the 22nd century, with children born in 2025 reaching 76 years of age by 2101. It may be too early to tell what the new generation or the society around them will be like, but they are expected to inherit a planet burdened by the harmful effects of human activity, and very different from the world their ancestors lived in.
This generation faces significant environmental challenges, including climate change, rapid urbanization, and the consumption of natural resources, which will make sustainability a major concern. What will the planet look like when these young people reach adulthood in 2050 and begin their journey through life? What is the climate legacy left to them by those who came before them?
Climate scenario in 2050
The IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report sets out several scenarios for the future of the planet under climate change. Based on the intermediate scenario, "between best and worst," it is assumed that carbon emissions will continue at current levels, without increasing, until the middle of this century, and thus temperatures will remain as they are now.
Considering that during the period from February 2023 to January 2024, humanity has exceeded the global commitment to not increase warming by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, with the average temperature increase worldwide reaching 1.52 degrees Celsius, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Based on this scenario, extreme weather events are expected to represent one of the biggest risks facing the world and its people, including Generation Beta. Specifically, there are 3 climate disasters that will represent the greatest threat to humanity during the middle of this century, according to the latest report issued by the international organization "The World Economic Forum".
Floods and heavy rains
Floods cause the greatest human toll, with an estimated 8.5 million people worldwide expected to die by 2050. In addition to deaths and injuries, exposure to a flood disaster significantly impacts people’s mental health as they deal with the loss of loved ones, homes and livelihoods.
Damage to infrastructure and crops also leads to food insecurity and malnutrition, and stagnant water after heavy rains creates an ideal environment for the spread of waterborne diseases.
As sea temperatures rise, the amount of water evaporating is expected to increase and polar ice melting is expected to accelerate, leading to increased rainfall and higher groundwater levels
Global projections show that tropical regions of South America, Central Africa and coastal areas of Southeast Asia could be most affected by rising flood levels by 2050.
Drought waves
Droughts are the second most severe climate hazard, and are expected to kill up to 3.2 million people by 2050.
Areas most at risk of drought over the coming decades include the Mediterranean, southwest Africa, the western United States and southwest South America, due to declining rainfall and falling groundwater levels, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Heat waves
Longer heat waves are becoming more common around the world, which can cause a number of health problems, including heat stress, heart attacks or strokes.
By 2050, heat waves are expected to kill nearly 1.6 million people, most of them in the most vulnerable regions, including the United States, Central America, South and West Africa, the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia and northern Australia.
Social and economic paths
The planet will not be affected only by carbon emissions, but also social and economic factors will play an important role in the coming decades, including population growth, urban expansion and land use. For example, population growth is expected to lead to increased consumption of natural resources.
Attempts to increase agricultural yields may result in more deforestation or carbon pumps, which will change the world we know today, but perhaps not the world Generation Beta knows.
Impact on human health and lifestyle
The climate crisis is expected to affect all major aspects of life, most importantly global health, and may cost lives.
14.5 million people by 2050, and extreme weather events and warming waves will exacerbate infectious diseases, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory problems and other health problems.
Climate change-related health issues disproportionately affect vulnerable communities and groups, including women, older people, low-income groups and youth, particularly within developing countries in Africa and South Asia.
From an economic perspective, the material losses resulting from the climate issue will reach $12.5 trillion by 2050, while heat waves significantly affect occupational health and productivity, especially among workers and farmers.
Finally, the climate issue is expected to be the biggest crisis that Generation Beta is experiencing, so we at Green in Arabic are trying to remind the world that these young people have the right to enjoy equality and justice, even in environmental rights, and to leave them a fair climate legacy in which life opportunities are equal to those who came before them, by reaching the first and most optimistic scenario among the scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), where carbon dioxide emissions reach zero by 2050.
The optimistic scenario envisions a society transitioning to sustainable practices, prioritizing well-being over economic growth, increasing investments in education and health, and decreasing inequality, contributing to a reduction in warming to just 1.4°C by the end of the century.
