Trends Identified
Growing importance of health in the economy
Health presents a challenge for all nations; in a study by the Pew Research Center, a median of 85% of respondents believe it was a problem in their country. Effective public health systems are essential for providing care for the sick, and for instituting measures that promote wellness and prevent disease. Tobacco, for instance, is one of the greatest scourges we face. In working to combat diseases such as lung cancer and heart disease, we have to fight the causes; there’s a clear need for educational campaigns and other mechanisms to discourage people from smoking in the first place. If the plan to improve health
in a nation is to simply build a few more hospitals, that won’t solve the problem.
2014
Outlook on the global agenda 2015
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Health reimagined
Health care — which already accounts for 10% of global GDP — is embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime transformation. Health systems and players are under increasing cost pressure — driving them to seek more sustainable approaches, including incentives that emphasize value. These cost pressures are exacerbated by changing demographics, rising incomes in rapid-growth markets and an imminent chronic-disease epidemic. An explosion in big data and mobile health technologies is enabling real-time information creation and analysis. Companies beyond health care as traditionally defined are entering the fray, providing new sources of competition and partnering. These trends are starting to drive a fundamentally different approach — moving beyond the delivery of health care (by traditional health care companies in traditional ways, i.e., “sick care”) to the management of health (by diverse sets of players, with more focus on healthy behaviors, prevention and real-time care). Success, in other words, demands that we reimagine our approach to health.
2015
Megatrends 2015 -Making sense of a world in motion
EY
Malthusian World for the Very Poorest
Half or more of the world’s population lives in areas of water scarcity. Climate change is undermining water and food security. The biggest impact will be in sub-Saharan Africa, which suffers overpopulation, poor governance, and low agricultural productivity. There is an increasing risk of endless poverty cycle for the poorest.
2016
Global risks 2035- the search for a new normal
Atlantic Council
Products and services to guarantee quality of life
Growth in the market for products and services to guarantee quality of life will be linked to the emergence of specialist portals (both for various professional groups and for the population at large), as well as the development of continuous monitoring systems for important human physiological parameters based on mobile solutions. In terms of bioinformation technologies, the most in demand will be the results of innovative development at the juncture of micro-, nano- and biotechnologies, including algorithms and software to reveal the base mechanisms at work in the brain and memory and integrated systems to prevent health risks.
2016
Russia 2030: science and technology foresight
Russia, Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation
Sustainability to shape the face of business
Growing public consciousness of sustainability issues and political leadership gaps will increasingly open the way for business to step up to the challenge of sustainability leadership, and either lead, adapt or fail.
2018
8 sustainability trends that will define 2018
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
Industrial processes become more environmental
Growing pressure on renewable and non-renewable resources, as well as public concern about the safety of new nano and biomaterials, will put greater emphasis on building “closed-loop systems.” In these systems, waste from one industry becomes the feedstock for another. Products may be designed to be safe and fully recyclable. Synthetic biology will enable industrial processes to mimic nature (e.g., enzymes can accelerate the decomposition of industrial waste into safe by-products and have commercial value), and nanotechnology will produce new goods with new properties at a smaller scale that may use far less resources. (For example, soon, a smart phone will contain 20 or 30 tiny nanosensors that collect biometric data.)
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Changing Patterns of Behaviour
Growing material prosperity is likely to result in behavioural changes with associated effects, such as changes in consumption, diet and health. The proportion of the world population considered to be middle-income has increased rapidly over the last 30 years and, out to 2040, may increase by a further 80 million per annum if rapid economic development continues in countries such as India, China and Brazil. Consumption of food, water, energy and minerals will remain positively correlated with increasing prosperity despite efforts towards conservation, recycling and environmentalism.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
Human versus machine
Growing levels of automation will not only begin to transform the future of business but also the future of work
2018
8 sustainability trends that will define 2018
Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
Ideas and Identities are driving a wave of exclusion
Growing global connectivity amid weak growth will increase tensions within and between societies. Populism will increase on the right and the left, threatening liberalism. Some leaders will use nationalism to shore up control. Religious influence will be increasingly consequential and more authoritative than many governments. Nearly all countries will see economic forces boost women’s status and leadership roles, but backlash also will occur.
2017
Global Trends: The Paradox of Progress
USA, US National Intelligence Council
Growing output of primary inputs
Growing demand among more nations for oil and natural gas, grains and proteins, fresh water and extracted ores, such as copper, aluminum and rare earth metals, will create price volatility and transient shortages of a few of these commodities over the coming decade. Investment in conservation measures, alternative supplies and technologies will increase in some areas, though new fossil fuel sources will reduce economic incentives to invest in alternative energy. Estimated contribution to global GDP by 2020: $3 trillion.
2011
The great eight: Trillion-dollar growth trends to 2020
Bain and Company