What Earth in 2125 could look like - Iseult Gillespie

Scientific Concepts, Discoveries, and Nature Phenomena Presented

Solar and Renewable Energy

• Use of solar infrastructure in a year-round-sunlight climate (Los Angeles).
• On-site solar power generation for buildings and major facilities (São Paulo).

Electric and Clean Transportation

• A shift from car dependency to electric bikes, buses, and trains (Los Angeles).

Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Closed-Loop Water/Nutrients

• High-rise, water-efficient farming to compensate for limited land and water.
• Nutrient misting of crops (students/scientists mist plants with nutrients).
• Portable “stacked” farms: multi-layer plant/fertilizer systems in temperature-controlled shipping containers.

Wetland Restoration for Flood Control (“Natural Sponge” Effect)

• Restoration of coastal wetlands in Lagos to counter severe shoreline erosion and reduce catastrophic flooding risk.
• Wetlands act as water absorbers that mitigate storm and flood impacts.

Hydropower / Water-Energy Capture

• An “intricate array” of pipes with turbines captures energy from flowing water and converts it into electricity (Lagos).

Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity via Mangroves

• Mangroves as carbon sinks and as pollutant filters/cleaners.
• Support for biodiversity along the coastline.
• Use of mangrove-derived tannins in fabric dyeing (biobased material use).

Biotechnology and Ecological Services

• Research into mangrove pharmaceutical potential.
• Use of mangroves as a natural pesticide.
• Sustainable fishing and reuse of fish processing waste to power ships and support aquaculture-like systems.

Aquatic Circular Economy / Waste-to-Energy

• Repurposed fish processing waste used to generate power for:
  • Floating farms
  • Public housing

Rainwater Harvesting and Sustainable Building Materials

• Buildings made from repurposed auto-industry materials (São Paulo).
• Capture and reuse rainwater in residential and civic infrastructure.

Mycoremediation / Soil Detoxification

• Citizen scientists use mushrooms to break down persistent chemical bonds in toxic soils left after decades of burning oil, gas, and household garbage.
• Formation of new spores that help the ecosystem recover by attracting insects and birds.

Urban Ecology and Nature-in-the-City

• Native plant cultivation supported by a solar facility that doubles as a growing space (solar stadium as a plant incubator).
• Urban beekeeping in public/cultural venues (Prague).

Community-Led Net-Zero / Low-Carbon Living

• Indigenous First Nations building affordable, net-zero housing with green spaces and cycling infrastructure (Vancouver).

Urban Agriculture in Unconventional Spaces

• Skyscraper rooftop/upper-space farming and farms in repurposed prison shells (Singapore).

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Methodologies / Approach Outlined (As Presented)

• Food Production Strategy for Water-Limited Cities

  • Maintain water-efficient high-rise farms
  • Use nutrient misting for crops
  • Deploy portable container farms to extend food access beyond central city land

• Coastal Resilience Strategy

  • Restore wetlands
  • Allow wetlands to absorb water (flood mitigation)
  • Steward mangroves to support carbon storage, pollution cleanup, and biodiversity
  • Combine ecosystem recovery with energy capture from water flow (turbine pipes)

• Soil Remediation Strategy

  • Use mushrooms to degrade long-lasting soil contaminants
  • Rely on spore production to re-initiate ecological recovery (insects/birds)

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Researchers or Sources Featured

• No specific researchers or named institutions are mentioned.
• Video credits reference students and scientists (generic) and citizen scientists (generic), with no individual names provided.