The year is 2077. Paris, once the city of lights, now shimmers under a perpetual twilight, the sun obscured by a persistent haze of atmospheric pollutants. Ironically, the Eiffel Tower, a symbol of human ingenuity, stands silhouetted against a sky choked by the very consequences of that ingenuity. This dystopian landscape is not merely a product of unchecked industrialization; it is a surreal tapestry woven from the threads of technological advancement, economic anxieties, and global inaction. The automated factories humming in the outskirts, once promised as utopias of efficiency, now stand as monuments to mass unemployment. Millions are displaced, their livelihoods rendered obsolete by the relentless march of robotic labor. The streets, once bustling with the human energy of artisans and entrepreneurs, are now eerily quiet, populated by the melancholic rhythm of robotic delivery drones. The Paris Agreement, signed with such fervent hope decades earlier, now serves as a chilling reminder of broken promises. While scientific reports detailed the impending crisis with chilling precision, the necessary global cooperation never materialized. National interests, economic pressures, and a pervasive sense of apathy combined to hinder the implementation of effective climate mitigation strategies. Amidst this backdrop of societal upheaval, a new artistic movement has emerged, ironically mirroring the spirit of Surrealism. These "Neo-Surrealists" explore the unsettling juxtaposition of advanced technology and societal decay. Their art is characterized by the incongruous: robotic limbs sprouting from decaying trees, melted clocks suspended amidst the ruins of abandoned factories, and portraits of hollow-eyed individuals staring at screens displaying idyllic landscapes long lost to climate change. Their work is not simply an aesthetic expression; it is a desperate cry, a poignant reflection of the existential anxieties of a generation grappling with a future built on fractured hopes and unfulfilled promises. This confluence of technological unemployment, environmental devastation, and a haunting artistic response reveals the complex interconnectedness of seemingly disparate global challenges. The failure to anticipate the socio-economic consequences of automation, coupled with the procrastination on climate action, has resulted in a world far removed from the utopian visions of the past, a world that, in its strangeness, strangely echoes the unsettling beauty of a Dalí painting.
1. According to the passage, what is the primary cause of the dystopian landscape in 2077 Paris?
2. The Neo-Surrealist art movement, as described in the passage, primarily serves to:
3. What can be inferred from the passage about the relationship between technological advancement and climate change?
4. The author uses the comparison to Dalí paintings to emphasize: