The 21st century brings about other new global problems, such as climate change, peak oil or terrorism. Out of all global problems it is possible to single out three, megaproblems" which are especially perilous today. Moreover, they are reinforcing each other in their mutual interaction. These are population growth, poverty, and environmental threats. The present article analyses whether sustainable development can become a solution to these problems, provided that certain conditions are met. In addition, it seeks to look for answers to the question of what lies ahead of us between 2020-2050. The question of whether and in what way we will be able to solve these problems is still open. Our most valuable resource at the moment is the time which we have left to try turning the present situation.