Week 2: The Last Tree and the First City
The World of 2050: Civilization Under Glass
By 2050, the sky is no longer blue. Technology has advanced at a breakneck pace, and greenery has been continuously developed, compressed, and replaced. Clear skies have turned murky, the ozone layer is damaged, and the surface of the Earth is no longer suitable for natural life. Humans have not perished—in fact, they are living “better” than ever. Massive circular glass dome cities, known as Climate Domes, cover the land. Inside these domes, people can experience wind when needed and rain when needed, while artificial sunlight and air create a perfectly controlled environment. Adjustable seasonal cycles simulate spring, summer, autumn, and winter, while typhoons, earthquakes, and floods are almost entirely eliminated. The functions that forests once provided, including oxygen production, climate regulation, and air purification, have been replaced by mechanical systems. Nature has been “upgraded,” no longer wild, but engineered for safety and predictability.
Figure 1: Illustration of future urban ecological protection. Multiple massive transparent domes (climate-controlled domes) cover cities and green ecosystems, while outside the domes lie barren land and industrial wastelands.
The Last Natural Forest
In a forgotten corner of the world, one natural forest still exists, untouched by glass or technology. Towering ancient trees form a natural barrier against polluted air, and dense canopies filter toxins and harsh sunlight. Inside, a self-sustaining ecosystem thrives, complete with a full food chain, wild animals, diverse microbial communities, natural lakes, and underground water cycles. The soil is real, not synthetic, and the forest remains a living sanctuary left by our ancestors. The air here is not manufactured, and the rain is not programmatically calculated. This is living nature, alive and autonomous, and I am its guardian.
Threats It Faces
The forest faces multiple threats. Climate anomalies are increasingly severe; snow falls in tropical regions, global temperatures rise, rainfall patterns are disrupted, and ecological anomalies emerge within the forest. Extreme weather gradually erodes the ecosystem. Human apathy poses another threat, as most people believe that mechanical systems can already replace forests. Many no longer understand the value of nature, seeing the forest only as a relic of the past. Greed and collectible obsession are also dangers. Although artificial wood can be perfectly synthesized, pure natural wood has become a luxury coveted by the wealthy. The last forest is often treated as a hunting ground, with poachers, timber collectors, and corporate interests eager to turn the “last real thing” into private property.The Guardian System: Project ReGenesis
When the world chose to replace nature with machines, as the last forest’s guardian, I chose to let nature evolve. The protection system I created is called Project ReGenesis. It does not replace the forest with technology but uses technology to help nature survive. To help the forest endure extreme climates, I initiated a biotechnological enhancement program called the Bio-Adaptation Core. Plants were upgraded to boost photosynthesis efficiency, allowing them to survive under low light and high radiation, while also developing stronger air filtration to break down toxic particles. Genes controlling cold and heat resistance were enhanced to cope with “tropical snow” and severe temperature swings, and root systems were strengthened to improve water purification. Animals adapted through modified metabolism to withstand abnormal temperatures, with increased tolerance to pollution, while preserving wild behaviors to maintain the ecological balance. Microbial communities were cultivated to break down heavy metals and industrial waste, restore soil vitality, and promote carbon absorption to mitigate the greenhouse effect. This approach does not artificially replace nature, but strengthens its ability to self-heal.The Expansion Shield Dome serves as a semi-open life-extension system that protects the forest without isolating it. Unlike human glass domes, it forms a protective layer that shields the forest from the most severe pollution and radiation while maintaining natural ecological cycles inside. As the plants adapt, they gradually extend beyond the dome, allowing the forest to slowly reclaim land. The Aerial Guardian Network consists of solar-powered drones patrolling the forest canopy. These drones monitor air toxicity, track illegal hunters and resource exploiters, deploy seed capsules to polluted areas, and scan the forest boundaries in real time. When they detect poachers or corporate damage, the drones issue warnings, record evidence, upload data to a global ecological database, and activate sound-wave dispersal systems. They do not attack—they defend. They guard without dominating.
Through the Regeneration Wave, the forest is no longer simply protected but becomes a source of purification. Enhanced plants and microbes continuously break down harmful substances in the air, absorb excess carbon dioxide, purify polluted water, and stabilize the local climate. As the forest expands, it forms a green climate buffer, gradually alleviating global climate imbalances. Perhaps one day, tropical regions will stop snowing, polar temperatures will stabilize, and average global temperatures may begin to decrease.
Figure 3: The Guardian System – Project ReGenesis protecting the last natural forest
Reflection
What do we lose when nature becomes a museum piece?Artificial forests can simulate the seasons, but they do not truly “grow.” They do not make mistakes, nor can they miraculously recover.
Nature teaches us that systems can balance without central control that diversity is more important than efficiency and that the value of life is not equivalent to function. Technology pursues controllability, but nature teaches us to accept the uncontrollable.
Intelligent systems (biomimetics), natural algorithms and optimization (bio-inspired), and plant growth sequences (Fibonacci series) (Wikipedia, 2026; CSDN, 2021) all demonstrate how the principles of nature can inspire the design and optimization of digital systems.When the world is protected under glass domes, perhaps it is not the forests that are truly fragile, but the relationship between humans and nature. Scientists have even attempted to create 3D-printed spray heads using the proboscises of dead mosquitoes (The Paper, 2023), illustrating human innovation inspired by natural structures—but this cannot replace the wisdom and vitality inherent in nature itself.
Appendix
ArchDaily. (2025, February 14). 世界最大穹顶玻璃温室明年始建，可以装进53个亚马逊总部热带丛林. ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.cn/cn/891436/shi-jie-zui-da-qiong-ding-bo-li-wen-shi-ming-nian-shi-jian-ke-yi-zhuang-jin-53ge-ya-ma-xun-zong-bu-re-dai-cong-lin
CSDN. (2021, August 17). DeepLearning-Models生物启发算法：自然优化的终极指南. CSDN博客. https://blog.csdn.net/gitblog_01238/article/details/143047172
The Paper. (2023, March 15). 他们要来10000只死蚊子，把它们的嘴做成了3D打印喷头. 澎湃新闻. https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_32150651
Wikipedia. (2026, February 14). 斐波那契数. 维基百科. https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-my/%E6%96%90%E6%B3%A2%E9%82%A3%E5%A5%91%E6%95%B0
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