World History (AD 2060 – 2202)

In the year 2060, the United Nations broke down and was replaced by the Global League. The League established mining and research colonies in the solar system. Gradually, the League gained more influence over world affairs, to the extent that most of the world’s nations were practically states under a single confederation.

This confederation was known, from 2130, as the Federal Earth States.

There were different types of colonies. Colonies were built on Earth’s moon (the lunar colonies), on Mars (the Martian colonies), and as ring-shaped stations orbiting Earth (the Lagrange colonies). The first of the Lagrange colonies – L1 – was called Leonis.

The colonies became vital stopover points for freighters and trading ships travelling to the outer planets in the solar system. As humans migrated into space, the colonies grew into cities with unique cultures and customs. By 2145, 15% of humanity was no longer living on Earth.

In 2180, the Federal Earth States, prompted by powerful agricultural lobbies on Earth (who argued that crops were vulnerable to unstable mutations when grown in space), introduced Resolution #451, which only allowed genetically-modified crops to be grown on Earth, and nowhere else. Resolution #451 also restricted the use of hydroponics and aeroponics. The resolution crippled the colonies’ food supply, causing them to rely on Earth for food.

Subsequently, Resolution #463 was also passed. This restricted the output of nuclear fusion reactors “for safety reasons”.