This chapter sketches a potential architecture of global federal government, framing it as the end-goal of a century-long, incremental process of reforms and innovations in governance. Humankind, in this scenario, will be strongly motivated to undertake these innovations because of escalating dangers and crises that can only be handled effectively through stronger forms of global cooperation and coordination. The key challenges here are: revamping the UN Security Council so it more accurately reflects the realities of global economic and military power; replacing the Security Council veto system with a new principle of weighted voting in all UN institutions, so that key policies can be implemented effectively; creating a world constitution to lay out the basic rules and principles through which the system will operate, as well as a world court to adjudicate disputes among the players; and establishing a UN Office for Emerging Technologies, a more dynamic WHO, and a dedicated UN Office for Climate Change Mitigation.

This chapter describes a “second wave” of modifications to the UN system that would further strengthen its capabilities during the latter half of the twenty-first century. It focuses on two major challenges that the UN will be facing during the coming decades: the international regulation of biotechnology, and the global effort to remove excess carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere. New, CRISPR-based technologies for editing genomes have allowed scientists to make path-breaking innovations, bringing the concept of “designer babies” far closer to realization than ever before. At the same time, the climate crisis has prompted some scientists to propose radical new forms of “solar radiation management” such as artificial clouds or even a space shield to prevent runaway global warming. Effective regulation of such extreme new technologies will require new international instruments over the coming decades, such as a democratically elected World Parliament, a more representative Security Council, and a standing UN army equipped to respond swiftly to emerging crises.