Trends Identified
Invisible to visible
Standard practices can render the insights, perspectives, and opinions of individual citizens and residents invisible to those in government who are responsible for making decisions that affect them. Likewise, governments can face challenges in perceiving different scenarios and envisioning the various paths to positive future outcomes. Only once visible can these insights, perspectives and opinions become tangible and meaningfully engaged with. Governments are now taking innovative steps to make these invisible factors visible. By leveraging these newly visible elements, they are better equipped to make better decisions that affect their people, and to nudge citizens and residents to make better decisions as well.
2019
EMBRACING INNOVATION IN GOVERNMENT-Global Trends 2019
OECD
Global power shifts
State borders and geopolitical relationships resulted from centuries of voyages of discovery, from colonisation, decolonisation, wars and the Cold War. Much of the political unrest in the world is caused by the globalisation of the economy [Knox and Marston, 2011]. In addition, a global power shift is taking place. Asia is becoming more powerful. During the past ten years Asian countries have accounted for half of the global growth of the Gross National Product (GNP). All indications are that within the next ten years Asia will dominate Europe and the US. The fast rise of India and China will lead to a multi-polar world in which the US is no longer supreme.
2014
Horizon scan 2050
Netherlands, The Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends (STT)
War without Rules
State-on-state cyberattacks escalate unpredictably owing to a lack of agreed protocols
2018
The Global Risks Report 2018
World Economic Forum (WEF)
On how cities with losing Amazon HQ2 bids may still profit
Steve Case, CEO, revolution (and cofounder of AOL).On how cities with losing Amazon HQ2 bids may still profit: It would have been great if Amazon chose an unexpected location between the coasts, but I believe the bid for HQ2 has the potential to deliver significant benefits starting in 2019 for the cities that participated, but didn’t take home the prize. The search for Amazon’s second headquarters drove collaboration between universities, economic development groups, civic leaders, and startup ecosystem builders. Those efforts could likely prove catalytic for these cities, helping to build the next thriving startup community that might–just might–launch the next Amazon. Next year, look for cities to repurpose what they built to lure Amazon to help their own cities rise.
2019
The biggest tech trends of 2019, according to top experts
Fast Company
Ethical choices
Sustainability and ethics are growing and, arguably, necessary trends. Insects far outnumber livestock (in 2013, the UN suggested crickets could help stabilize the world food supply6) and don’t produce methane (unlike cows). Soylent’s meal-replacing drinks are vegan, and the precision of 3D-printed food reduces waste.
2017
How we eat now: five disruptive food trends
EY
The “perfect storm”
Sustainability is inherently about the long term. It requires the reconciliation of environmental, social and economic demands necessary for the sustained survival of humankind and other organisms on our planet. Above all, living sustainably means grappling with the “perfect storm” associated with the inseparability of water, food, energy and climate.
2013
Now for the long term - The Report of the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations
Oxford Martin School
Eco-friendly natural pesticide
Sustainable crop production became almost next to impossible due to pollution and health problems caused by chemical pesticide. Natural pesticide that has similar efficiency as chemical pesticide needs to be developed for each blight and insect type, by extracting or refining natural materials of which crop disease and vermin control effect was proven (plant extracts and other natural substance), and by combining those several types technically. As natural pesticide is biodegraded in nature, there is no side-effect on human beings, animals, and environment. Consumers can take in safe agricultural products that have no residual chemical substance and as a result, it will greatly contribute to the improvement of human health.
2012
KISTEP 10 Emerging Technologies 2012
South Korea, Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP)
More robust, genetically modified crops
Synthetic biology can also be used to develop new crops with desirable traits such as salt-tolerance, drought-tolerance, and pest-resistance. This technology may help address issues raised by climate change or relieve pressure on arable land, particularly that used to grow feed for animals and some food crops (e.g., sugar, corn for fuel).
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is a new field of research in biotechnology that draws on engineering principles to manipulate DNA in organisms. It allows for the design and construction of new biological parts and the re-design of natural biological systems for useful purposes. It is expected to have a wide range of applications in health, agriculture, industry and energy, but it also raises major legal and ethical issues.
2016
OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Outlook 2016
OECD
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology may be the least known and most “disruptive” of the technologies in this study. In essence, it is the application of engineering principles to biology. It draws on a number of existing technologies to design and construct new biological systems that produce useful products or serve useful purposes. Current so ware helps bio-engineers use a growing online library of “biobricks” to design new genetic functions. Biobricks can be assembled by robots, or digital DNA les can be sent to a DNA printer; in either case, the new DNA is inserted into a living cell. The technology is proving to be very efficient.
For example, when genetic engineering (which modifies only a few genes at a time) was used to develop
a yeast to produce precursors to the an malarial drug, artemisinin, it took 150 person-years of work and $25 million. Using biobricks, however, a lab of 12 people produced 12 biological systems of comparable complexity in 3 months. Working in this field is becoming easier for researchers at all levels.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada