2010s

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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.

1 Pronunciation
2 Trends
3 Sporting events
4 Widely known fictional references
5 References

[edit] 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 1808 and 1908 were commonly pronounced as "eighteen oh" or "nineteen oh" eight, the year 2008 should naturally be pronounced as "twenty oh-eight".^[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, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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^{[citation needed]} while 2011^[1] and 2013 are popular as well. The latest timeframes for change are usually placed at 2020^[1] 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".^[1] 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”.^[1]

In addition, the Vancouver Olympics, taking place in 2010, are being officially referred to by Vancouver 2010 as "the twenty-ten Olympics".^{[citation needed]} 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."

[edit] Trends

[edit] 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, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. 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 person 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]

[edit] In science

Both the International Linear Collider and ITER may be completed during the latter half of the decade.
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 of global warming is handled on a global scale.
Orion (spacecraft) is set to replace the Space Shuttle around 2014 or 2015.

[edit] 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. ^[4] 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.