The Museum of the Future installation was inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Friday, 10th February, 2017.

The opening of the installation — Climate Change Reimagined — came ahead of the fifth annual World Government Summit, to be held in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, from 12th-14th February.

Set up by Dubai Future Foundation, the museum, an incubator for the future that will accelerate innovation and design, will draw attention to three main challenges — water supply, food security and self-sufficient cities. It also underlines the importance of adapting to future implications of climate change. Speaking on the occasion, Sheikh Mohammad said: “The UAE’s strategy for building inspires people to innovate and come up with solutions for the future.

“Leaders, decision makers and experts around the world are investing time, effort and resources to find sustainable solutions for climate change challenges. These endeavours help us provide food and water, and build sustainable cities. Climate change and food security require us all to work together and propose solutions that effect positive change and benefit all economic and social sectors,” he added.

The latest edition of the Museum of the Future — an initiative of the Dubai Future Foundation — addresses the reality of climate change. It presents a future where we have not only survived the challenges of climate change in the mid-21st century, but have thrived.

Sheikh Mohammad said: “We take the opportunity today to share our vision for the future, and our proposed solutions to face climate change, while exploring all possible opportunities.

“The Museum of the Future is a global platform where leading experts can identify the most prominent scientific and technological trends of the future. It is a catalyst for future forecasting and studying efforts, and it plays a pivotal role in setting policies and strategies that allow the world’s governments to benefit from the technologies of the future and their potential.”

The installation titled Climate Change Reimagined underlines the inevitability of major environmental change and the importance of adapting proactively. It proposes three new ideas for how we can deal with the consequences of climate change, unveiling imaginative approaches to adapt to climate change and lead the future.

The world crossed a critical threshold in 2016. The concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere passed 400 parts per million (ppm), the point at which irreversible climate change is inevitable. Even if we stopped emitting pollution today, we will still experience climate change in our lifetime. This will dramatically affect our basic livelihoods.

The Museum of the Future draws attention to three main challenges that will result from climate change: water supply, food security and shelter.

Three bold concepts

The exhibit at the World Government Summit, a unique 4D experience, proposes three bold concepts to tackling climate change:

Autofarm, a fully automated robotic urban farm that fills empty parking garages and neighbourhood warehouses with food, once self-driving cars make garages obsolete;
Freshwater living jellyfish, a combination of the genes of jellyfish and mangrove roots to create giant, living fresh water factories off the coast of major cities; and
City kit, a ‘self-building building’ solution that uses biotechnology and robotics to construct 100 per cent self-sufficient cities in weeks.
The Museum of the Future is a permanent installation in Dubai, exhibiting the inventions and technologies of the future. It is a dedicated global platform to experiment with bold ideas and develop pragmatic solutions, as well as act as a real-world incubator for innovation.

By 2050, the United Nations estimates that we will need to produce 70 per cent more calories than today to feed a growing global population.

Studies show that the UAE imports 85 per cent of its food, costing the country 15 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP). The Ministry of Economy predicts the cost of importing food to quadruple to 60 per cent of GDP by 2025, unless local, sustainable food sources are provided.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the global supply of potable water is projected to fall 40 per cent short of global demand by 2030. The UAE procures 80 per cent of its drinking water through desalination, with demand for drinking water constantly increasing. Finally, rising sea levels could displace more than 250 million people by the end of the century.