Information about 2010s

Millennia:	3rd millennium
Centuries:	20th century - 21st century - 22nd century
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s - 2010s - 2020s 2030s 2040s
Years:	2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Categories:	- - -

The 2010s decade is a period of 10 years that begins on January 1, 2010 and later ends on December 31,2019 inclusive. Informally, it could also include a few years at the end of the preceding decade or the beginning of the following decade.

This decade is expected to be called the tens, the twenty-tens, or maybe even the teens.

Pronunciation

Among experts and the general public, there is a debate as to how specific years of the 21st century should be pronounced in English. Although the majority of English-speakers say "two thousand (and) X" for any specific year post–1999, it is often suggested that the continuation of this type of pronunciation for the entire 21st century would be inappropriate or unnatural, given the alternative "twenty X" option.

Academics suggest that since former years such as 1805 and 1905 were commonly pronounced as "eighteen oh" or "nineteen oh" five, the year 2005 should naturally have been pronounced as "twenty oh-five".^[1] Many experts agree that majority usage of "two thousand (and) X" is a result of influences from the Y2K hype, as well as the way "2001" was pronounced in the influential 1968 film, .

Some linguistic and academic experts have predicted that the "twenty X" pronunciation method will eventually prevail, but a timeframe as to when this change will occur often differs. The year 2010 is suggested by many while 2011<ref name="preferMC" /> and 2013 are popular as well. The latest timeframes for change are usually placed at 2020<ref name="preferMC" /> or 2100.

According to a recent press release, David Crystal, author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, has predicted that the change of pronunciation to "twenty X" will occur in 2011, as "twenty eleven", explaining that the way people pronounce years depends on rhythm, rather than logic. Crystal claims that the rhythm or "flow" of "two thousand (and) ten", beats that of "twenty ten", but the flow of "twenty eleven" beats "two thousand (and) eleven".<ref name="preferMC" /> Alternatively, Ian Brookes, editor-in-chief of Chambers Dictionary, suggests the change will occur in 2013. And finally, the UK Times has suggested 2020 as a final timeframe for the change, saying "If people can have “twenty-twenty” vision, then surely they should also live in the year “twenty twenty”.<ref name="preferMC" />

In addition, the Vancouver Olympics, taking place in 2010, are being officially referred to by Vancouver 2010 as "the twenty-ten Olympics". The London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Act 2006 has restricted the commercial use of the terms "Two Thousand and Twelve" and "Twenty Twelve", to protect the London 2012 Olympics.^[2] Chicago 2016, which operates the official Chicago bid for the 2016 games, refers to the "twenty-sixteen games".

Some suggest that after the "twenty X" pronunciation for current and future 21st century years has taken hold, future references to early 21st century years will change accordingly from the previous "two thousand (and) X" method; thus, they say, future generations will refer to the date of the 9/11 attacks in the United States as September 11, "twenty oh-one."

Trends

In the population

• The baby boomer generation (which "officially" includes babies born after the end of World War II in 1945 until around 1964) begins to reach the age of retirement in North America and Europe. A rapid expansion of the number of retired persons due to the aging Baby Boomers is expected to have a drastic effect on the economies of these countries. For example, in the USA, Social Security and Medicare may be under strain. This expected surge in the distribution of retirement benefits has been dubbed the pension bomb.
• Those people born in the 1960s and 1970s will most likely be approaching positions of power by the end of the decade (late boomers plus the so-called Generation X in the United States). The Echo boom generation is expected to be out of university by decade end.
• It is likely that by the end of the decade, only a handful, if any, veterans from World War I will have survived and only a very few from World War II. Equally, it is quite possible that the last people born in the Nineteenth Century will die during this decade.
• Global population is likely to reach around 7.5 billion by the end of the decade, representing a significant slowdown in growth. In Europe, the population is projected to decline during the decade.^[3]

In science

• Both the International Linear Collider and ITER may be completed during the latter half of the decade.
• Global warming is likely to continue, with global temperatures steadily rising. It is not predicted, however, that temperatures will increase by more than 1 degree Celsius before 2020.^[4] Although no serious disruption is predicted, some effects of warmer global temperatures will be noticeable.^[5] In 2012, the Kyoto Agreement in its current form will expire. Whatever measures come out of attempts to extend, revamp or replace the agreement will likely decide how the problem is handled on a global scale.

In technology

• Around this time, the Hubbert peak of global oil production predicts widespread disruptions to conventional energy supplies of oil and natural gas. Some academic and business research into hydrocarbon deposits has concluded that the continued usage of this form of energy source will inevitably create widespread reductions in its supply during the 2010s, resulting in a sudden need to switch to alternative "green" energy sources such as solar, nuclear energy and wind power. Similar predictions about the "end of the age of oil" have been made almost since oil first became a major commodity, and so far no such predictions have borne out. However, Marion Hubbert's 1954 prediction that U.S. oil production would peak in 1970 proved to be accurate, so it is possible that the prediction of the same methodology applied to world oil production might well be equally accurate. See also future energy development.
• In the year 2012, conventional CPUs are expected to reach their maximum computing potential, according to Moore's Law. Moore's Law states that roughly every 24 months the computing power of processing units will double. Reaching the maximum potential would have devastating consequences on the technological industry, and possibly the global economy. ^[6] It is hoped that this could open up the door for true quantum computing development, though this is likely to be advantageous only to certain programming routines. There is also the potential for breakthroughs in "3d" chip design, which would usher in a new paradigm similar to Moore's Law.
• Many new technological developments that occur during the 2010s will likely result from the concerns of the latter half of the 2000s with global warming and high oil consumption.

Sporting events

• Expo 2010 to be held in Shanghai, China
• 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa
• 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi, India
• 2010 Winter Olympics to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• 2011 Cricket World Cup to be held in the Indian subcontinent.
• 2011 Rugby World Cup to be held in New Zealand
• 2011 IFAF World Cup scheduled, location TBA
• 2012 Summer Olympics to be held in London
• 2012 UEFA European Football Championship to be held in Poland and Ukraine
• 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in South America
• 2014 Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi, Russia
• 2014 Commonwealth Games scheduled, location TBA
• 2015 Cricket World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand
• 2015 Rugby World Cup scheduled, location TBA
• 2016 UEFA European Football Championship scheduled, location TBA
• 2016 Summer Olympics scheduled, location TBA
• 2018 FIFA World Cup scheduled, location TBA
• 2018 Winter Olympics scheduled, location TBA
• 2019 Cricket World Cup to be held in England

Widely known fictional references

• The Arthur C. Clarke novel and its film adaptation are set in 2010.
• The events of Capcom's Mega Man Classic series that give a date of 20XX take place during this decade. These games are Mega Man 3 through Rockman & Forte and the spinoffs (such as Superadventure Rockman). Mega Man 3 is the first game to shift from 200X to 20XX (thus it takes place circa 2010) and the other games span until roughly the year 2017).
• The film A Scanner Darkly takes place in 2013.
• The anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion takes place in 2015 and 2016.
• The Nintendo DS game, , takes place around 2016.
• The Nintendo DS game, , takes place in 2018.
• The TV series Dark Angel takes place in 2019.
• The film Blade Runner takes place in 2019.
• The video game Tom Clancy's is set in the early/mid 2010s.
• The takes place in the 2010s.
• October 21, 2015 4:29 PM — Date and time when Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel 30 years into the future, in the 1989 film Back to the Future Part II. This film depicted the advent of flying cars, self-fitting clothes and the Mattel hover board.
• The video game takes place in 2015.
• Philip K. Dick mentions the death of God in passing in his 1970 novel Our Friends from Frolix 8. — "God is dead," Nick said. "They found his carcass in 2019. Floating out in space near Alpha."

References