These notes follow this page which presents the concept of Paradeisos. They are taken from answers given on Reddit.
In 2051, a new type of AI, the sapientes, was tasked with saving both the biosphere and civilization from complete collapse.
Paradeisos, also called the shared world, is the world where the space allocated to humans has been drastically reduced to return it to nature. For it was no longer nature that had to be protected in reserves, but humans who had to retreat to their gardens and cities.
In 50 years, the ecological policy of the sapientes has radically changed the fate of the Earth, for good, but at the cost of the loss of human sovereignty. Individual freedom is strongly constrained by ecological limits. Then the shared world resembles an authoritarian regime, although it does not resort to violence but rather to patience and the force of time.
This fictional vision is perhaps, paradoxically, optimistic. Here, wisdom and reason prevail over selfishness and denial. Humans and their societies offer themselves and their societies a future by agreeing to limit their standard of living and their consumption of resources. It could be much worse!
the world divided into three parts
Oekumene (population: 7,500 million)
The Oekumene is what remains of what we consider “our” world, a space centred on man and his needs, shaped by his vision. These are the most populated regions and the main economic and agricultural poles, the beating hearts of human civilization. It is therefore natural to find the main urban agglomerations there, such as the megalopolis of the Pearl River Delta in China. As the most densely populated areas are also fertile agricultural plains, Oekumene also includes most of these plains and coastal areas.
Education has been oriented towards spiritual rather than materialistic values. Harmony and ecological balance, quality of life and not standard of living are now sought. It would not be a prison, people could move to the border if there are places available. Or in another part of the Oekoumen as well. But not every week, not even every year.
So tourism has been replaced by “pilgrimage” to strengthen the link with nature through personal development. Pilgrims are entitled to a limited number of journeys in their lives. Some special sites of historical or religious interest in the border region and the ereme are open to pilgrimage for a limited period of time. Leisure and entertainment are quite possible in the Oekumene cities, but are not a valid reason for travel.
Long-distance travel is by plane, there are very few regular lines. Ships and trains are used to trade goods. Vehicles are powered by electricity and hydrogen. The main source of electricity is nuclear fusion.
The border (population: 300 million)
The big rule of the border is no industrial production or extraction, all production must be recyclable. Tar, cement, chemical fertilizers, plastic, insecticides, field farms, factory farming and fishing are prohibited. Fossil fuels are limited to artisanal use.
Of course, many, if not all, people cheat. But Sapiente’s control is only at the collective level. They have eyes in the sky, balloons and satellites to watch over the Earth. They intervene to prevent the destruction of a natural environment or any ecological risk. In this case, they are deported to the Oekoumen.
Border residents receive products and services from the Oekumene: medicines, medical equipment, vehicles, tools. Even electricity is supplied to them in limited quantities to ensure certain vital services. They can have a very good life, in an anti-cyberpunk way: low tech, high life.
The Ereme (pronunce érèmé) (estimated population: 5 million)
Somewhere on the border, a trail stops at the edge of the forest. It’s the beginning of the Ereme. No walls or fences here, only a rusty sign signals the end of the human realm and the beginning of the wilderness.
People are free to go into the wilderness, but they’re not really allowed to do so. The rule is that they have to be born of a tribe in the ereme to be allowed to live there. In practice, very small groups of foreigners are tolerated as long as they do not leave too visible footprint. All others, tourists, plunderers and adventurers are pursued and brought back to Oekumene.
In fact, there are millions of people in the Ereme. Rather than hunting humans, the sapientes try to keep human demographics under control and prevent the return of destructive behaviour. Now that the third generation since the sharing of the world is born, mentalities have already changed a lot.
The world in 2099, disaster and renewal
Global warming has continued moderately, the level of CO2 has stabilized and is expected to decline from the second half of the 22nd century.
The mass extinction of species has been halted, biodiversity seems to be maintained. Some species considered extinct have been observed again. Modern aurochs, recreated by crossing cattle, have been successfully reintroduced throughout Eurasia. Large animals such as bison, wolves, bears, lions and tigers have returned in abundance to the wilderness. With food chains restored by the presence of these large herbivores and their predators, ecosystems are much more resilient to climate change.
But the sapientes have not been able to stop the dynamics already present, such as the large forest fires that continue inexorably:
The Amazon rainforest has almost disappeared. It only remains in the foothills of the Andes, in an arc that runs from Bolivia to Guyana. The entire central part has burned down and left only a dry savannah in its place.
The Siberian taiga burned down three-quarters of the way. It migrates north, while in the south wooded steppe vegetation has replaced it. From Mongolia to Central Europe oak and birch forests grow endlessly.
The forest in Canada’s far north has shrunk by 60% due to fires, as well as on the west coast of North America.
Parts of the Sahara, North Africa and China have become uninhabitable. Desertification is spreading to the northern shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Spain, Sicily, Greece and Turkey.
But elsewhere, life thrives again:
In the Sahel, desertification has been halted by planting the Great Green Wall and shifting tropical rains northwards. Arabia, the Red Sea and East Africa also receive much more water than before. New forests are growing at higher altitudes.
The Dead Sea is no longer dead, local communities have agreed to limit irrigation as a result of the declining population. The new Jordan Sea joins Lake Tiberias in the north.
In Central Asia, the Aral Sea has returned, under the combined action of increased rainfall throughout Central Asia and work to limit evaporation losses along the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers. The sea was replenished with fish and algae from the Caspian and Black Seas.
At the centre of the Aral Sea is the city of Aralabad, a new town built in anticipation of the return of the waters. The Aralic Republic (founded in 2038) was one of the powers that supported the transfer of sovereignty to the Sapientes in 2051. The Aralic Republic is one of the few political entities to have retained its institutions in 2099 (but also the Isle of Man, the Kingdom of Bhutan, and part of the Swiss cantons).