2010s

The 2010s is a period of 10 years that begins on,  and later ends on , inclusive. Informally, it could also include a few years at the end of the or the beginning of the.

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. Although the majority of English-speakers say "two thousand (and) X" for any specific year post–, 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 and  were commonly pronounced as "eighteen oh" or "nineteen oh" five, the year  should naturally have been pronounced as "twenty oh-five". Many experts agree that majority usage of "two thousand (and) X" is a result of influences from the hype, as well as the way "" was pronounced in the influential  film, .

Some and  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 is suggested by many  while  and  are popular as well. The latest timeframes for change are usually placed at or.

According to a recent press release,, author of the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, has predicted that the change of pronunciation to "twenty X" will occur in , as "twenty eleven", explaining that the way people pronounce years depends on , rather than. 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". Alternatively, Ian Brookes, editor-in-chief of Chambers Dictionary, suggests the change will occur in. And finally, has suggested  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”.

In addition, the, taking place in 2010, are being officially referred to by Vancouver 2010 as "the twenty-ten Olympics". The has restricted the commercial use of the terms "Two Thousand and Twelve" and "Twenty Twelve", to protect the. , which operates the official Chicago bid for the, 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."

In the population

 * The generation (which "officially" includes babies born after the end of  in  until around ) begins to reach the age of  in  and .  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,  and  may be under strain. This expected surge in the distribution of retirement benefits has been dubbed the .
 * 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 in the United States). The  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, s from will have survived and only a very few from . Equally, it is quite possible that the last people born in the  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.

In science

 * Both the and  may be completed during the latter half of the decade.
 * is likely to continue, with global temperatures steadily rising. It is not predicted, however, that temperatures will increase by more than 1 degree before 2020. Although no serious disruption is predicted, some effects of warmer global temperatures will be noticeable. In 2012, the  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 of global  production predicts widespread disruptions to conventional  supplies of oil and .  Some academic and business  into  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,  and . 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, 's  prediction that U.S. oil production would peak in  proved to be accurate, so it is possible that the prediction of the same methodology applied to  oil production might well be equally accurate.  See also.


 * In the year 2012, conventional CPUs are expected to reach their maximum computing potential, according to . 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. It is hoped that this could open up the door for true 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 with  and high oil consumption.

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Widely known fictional references

 * The novel ' and its  ' are set in 2010.
 * The events of 's ' series that give a date of take place during this decade. These games are ' through ' and the spinoffs (such as ').   is the first game to shift from  to  (thus it takes place circa ) and the other games span until roughly the year ).
 * The film  takes place in 2013.
 * The series  takes place in 2015 and 2016.
 * The game,, takes place around 2016.
 * The game, , takes place in 2018.
 * The TV series  takes place in 2019.
 * The film  takes place in 2019.
 * The video game Tom Clancy's  is set in the early/mid 2010s.
 * The takes place in the 2010s.
 * , 4:29 PM — Date and time when  and  arrive from,  via a  time machine, in the 1989  .  This film depicted the advent of s, self-fitting clothes and the.
 * The video game  takes place in 2015.
 * mentions the death of God in passing in his 1970 novel . — "God is dead," Nick said. "They found his carcass in 2019. Floating out in space near Alpha."