Trends Identified
Globalisation
During the next 30 years, the number of transactions, conducted irrespective of physical distance, is likely to increase. Such an expansion is likely to shape and, in general, improve everyday life for millions of people. A key feature of globalisation is likely to be the continuing internationalisation of markets for goods, capital, services and labour, which integrates geographically dispersed consumers and suppliers. This is likely to be an engine for accelerating economic growth, but also a source of risk, as local markets become increasingly exposed to destabilising fluctuations in the wider global economy.
2010
Global strategic trends - out to 2040
UK, Ministry of Defence
Multidimensional poverty
During the MDG period the world has seen significant progress in economic and human development.
2017
Global trends
UNDP
Government
Due to massive public debt governments are recognising that they can no longer afford generous pensions and the European Union Commission has said that the average retirement age across the 27 member countries needs to rise from 60 today to 70 by 2060. Governments are rapidly turning to the ‘Cloud’ to service the needs of their citizens and today EU citizens can access 82 percent of basic public services online. The working population will start shrinking from 2012 and unless a dramatic change in migration policy is forthcoming, companies will have to deal with the consequences of older workers and fewer workers in the labour pool in the EU. The EU is setting policies towards car-free cities in Europe by 2050. This could be a boom or bust strategy. On the one-hand it may lead to innovation and the rise of cleantech and on the other it may put off investment and inward migration of companies. We will see.
2012
The future
Steria
Increasing water stress
Due to a combination of problems, including rapid population growth, constrained water supplies and high levels of poverty, countries such as India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nigeria will be hit the hardest by this trend. Resource-constrained water stress will be the norm for many countries in Asia, while finance- constrained water stress will be the norm for many countries in Africa.
This is reflected in the fact that experts surveyed by the World Economic Forum expect Sub-Saharan Africa to be the most affected region, closely followed by Asia.
2014
Outlook on the global agenda 2015
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Robots for traditional and undersea resource acquisition
Drones and robots will play a growing role in prospecting and extracting in both traditional and undersea mining, particularly in situations that are remote, difficult or dangerous. The operators of these robots may live in urban locations with their families and never set foot on-site. Operators could live in different me zones around the world, enabling round-the-clock production without major disruptions to their personal and family lives.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada
Drones
Drone technology is now expanding quickly into the civil market, generating an increasing number of innovative services, new businesses and jobs. These emerging services have the potential to substantially increase productivity in a wide range of sectors (agriculture, energy, construction, etc.) and so support the competitiveness of European economy. As the drone industry is a crossroads of technologies, drone services will improve many aspects of the daily life of citizens.
2015
Preparing the Commission for future opportunities - Foresight network fiches 2030
European Strategy and Policy Analysis System (ESPAS)
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Movement
Driven by the ubiquitous adoption of the Internet and smartphones, individuals are increasingly engaging with the digital world to make purchasing decisions and perform tasks without professional assistance.
2017
Beyond the Noise- The Megatrends of Tomorrow’s World
Deloitte
Growing pressures on ecosystems
Driven by global population growth and associated demands for food and energy, as well as evolving consumption patterns, the pressure on the Earth's ecosystems is continuously increasing. Despite some positive developments, such as a recent reduction in the rates of tropical deforestation, global biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation are projected to increase.
2015
Assessment of global megatrends - an update
European Environment Agency (EEA)
Global risks: A riskier &/or Safer world
Does greater connectivity increase the risk that local difficulties will turn into global disasters? Or does it provide opportunities to diversify and thus dilute the dangers? The preliminary evidence suggests that it may actually do both.
2008
11th Annual global CEO Survey
PWC
Sequencing patient DNA may lead to personalized medicine
DNA data will help medical professionals better identify drug treatments that are effective and safe for a particular patient, and at dosages suitable for their metabolism. Personalized drug testing on stem cells cloned from the patient could reduce the need for more general animal and human drug trials and possibly identify a wider range of possible treatments. As the genetic markers of disease become increasingly known, DNA will grow more useful in diagnosis, as well as pre-diagnosis – offering risk profiles of conditions well before the onset of symptoms. Some chronic diseases may be prevented or even eradicated through prenatal interventions, early-life treatments, or possibly gene therapy.
2013
Metascan 3 emerging technologies
Canada, Policy Horizons Canada