Trends Identified
Stroll through data in the augmented city
Our cities could soon be painted with secrets we cannot see with the naked eye. The streets, buildings and sometimes even the citizens themselves would teem with virtual information. With the help of augmented reality (AR) you could see the occupancy level of a hotel emblazoned on its walls and read a restaurant’s reviews as you walk past. The people you meet might even reveal their names and job titles before you say a word. AR is about to create a new layer over the cityscape by adding graphical information from apps and the internet onto objects in your field-of-view as you peer around.
2011
Seven technologies to disrupt the next decade
NewScientist
The last straw?
Our climate is changing and so is the way we’re thinking about it. Our concerns about global warming, pollution and sustainability have experienced a cultural shift. Where once it was “too big to do anything about,” now it’s personal. In 2019, it won’t be enough for companies to simply acknowledge environmental concerns; consumers will expect commitment to be proven through action. Organizations will need to redesign their systems and business models to fit the “circular economy,” where consumers are active participants, and sustainability is built into their products and services.
2019
Fjord trends 2019
Fjord
Knowledge and Democracy
Our democracies have a common life – but there is much disorder in it – the cultivation of suspicion towards foreigners, the manipulation of fear and the knowing disregard for truth. If our democracies were in healthier shape, we could face the challenge of resurgent authoritarianism with confidence, but there are few democracies, whether in the Central European region or elsewhere, that are in good shape. There is so much inequality and injustice; so much corruption and self- dealing, so many unanswered attacks on the independence of institutions, from the courts to the press.
2016
Shaping the future
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
Ecosystem at risk
Our ecosystem and its biodiversity are crucial to mankind in order to ensure food security, clean water, protection against extreme weather and provision of medicines. These benefits have been estimated to be worth between USD 21-72 trillion each year, a huge sum compared to the world GDP of USD 62 trillion in 2009.
2011
Trend compendium 2030
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants
Increasing pressure on natural resources and biodiversity
Our growing population worldwide and increasing demand for natural resources (such as energy, water and food) have unleashed a series of threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services (food provision, clean water, regulation of climate etc.).
2017
Surfing the digital tsunami
Australia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Society and Conflict in a Changing Global Environment
Our strategic environment is changing rapidly. We live in a world that is at once more connected, contested and complex. The fragile societies, instability and conflict which we meet in many parts of our neighbourhood and beyond also have consequences for our internal security and prosperity. To take account of the new global context, our approach to conflict must also change. Greater connectivity is both an asset as it drives communication, trade and mobility, but also makes us vulnerable to cross border crime, terrorism, global pandemics and cyber-attacks. The rise in human mobility compels us to rethink our approach to migration, sustainable development, security and governance.
2016
Shaping the future
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
Minerals
Out to 2040, a range of new factors influencing availability and supplies of certain critical minerals will remain vulnerable to disruption. Demand for minerals is likely to continue to increase in response to population growth, continuing industrialisation and higher material prosperity. New discoveries allied to technological advances will provide sufficient reserves, such that accessibility, rather than availability, is the primary concern.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
The Future of Deterrence
Out to 2040, discouraging conflict will be increasingly important, especially as the strategic balance of military power shifts away from the US to a more multi-polar distribution. Deterrence will remain a vital conflict prevention tool.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
Radicalisation
Out to 2040, radicalisation will continue, driven by a range of complex factors, such as the gradual shift in political beliefs, individual and group grievances,35 and economic and social inequalities.36 Although the precise links between poverty and radicalisation remain unclear, poverty is likely to encourage radicalisation due to the grievances it generates and the long-term stresses it causes.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
Novel Weapons
Out to 2040, the development and deployment of novel weapons is likely to become widespread. There is likely to be continuing demand for weapon systems to be tailored and adaptable, offering variable yields, detonation characteristics, degrees of precision coverage and reduced logistic burden. They will need the ability to defeat national strategic assets, infrastructure and forces in well-prepared defensive positions. This will often be in difficult terrain, such as the urban environment.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence