Who wants to live forever?

The prospect of dramatically increasing the human lifespan presents great challenges

The possibility of living forever has entertained the minds of philosophers and poets for centuries. Now scientists are saying that vastly extended human lifespans – although not actual immortality – are within our reach. As The National explored in a series of articles this week in the lead-up to a debate at New York University Abu Dhabi last night, at least some scientists believe humans can live to 1,000. Many more experts agree that an average lifespan of 150 is achievable. For some, this prospect is tantalising; for others, it’s a cause for great concern.

The benefits of a long life are obvious – more time with family and friends, more time for leisure activities, more time to pursue interests that might otherwise be put to one side. But this would only be possible if a longer life were accompanied by a better and longer-sustained quality of life. There is no point in getting older if it simply means that you are ill and infirm for a longer time.

Serious moral and ethical considerations have to be addressed, along with some very practical concerns. Extending lives will mean a population boom – babies will be born and grow up while their great- and great-great-grandparents are still alive – and it will necessitate greater investment in housing and other infrastructure, and health care. We will all have to work longer to be able to sustain ourselves into old age, meaning that governments will have to revisit laws concerning retirement ages and pension provisions. Companies will have to be more flexible in their employment policies.

And then, crucially, there will be the effect this has on the planet. More people will be using more resources for longer. The search for renewable and sustainable energy technologies will have to be stepped up; pressure will be put on water supplies; farms will have to deliver far greater yields; and the growth of human population centres will threaten wilderness areas, dislocating animal and plant species and upsetting the balance of ecosystems.

Given medical advances and associated demographic trends, these challenges are not hypothetical. They will have to be addressed in our lifetime – however long that may be.