Trends Identified
Demographic patterns
A combination of widespread aging, falling fertility, and urbanization will lead to a dramatically different world in 2030. With an expected 8.3 billion people, human civilization will be both older and much more focused on city life. Our infrastructure may improve, but our level of innovation and output will slow down without younger workers. "Aging countries will face an uphill battle in maintaining their living standards," the report stated. It's entirely possible, however, that within the next several decades, humanity will generate more urban construction than it has in the rest of its history.
2017
4 mega-trends that could change the world by 2030
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Growing demand for food, water, and energy
A growing middle class and gains in empowerment will lead the demand for food to rise by 35%, water by 40%, and energy by 50%, government research suggested. Regions with extreme weather patterns — like rain-soaked Singapore or muggy Mumbai — will get more extreme due to the effects of climate change. Dry areas such as northern Africa and the US Southwest will feel the effects of diminished precipitation especially hard. We will still have enough resources to avoid energy scarcity by 2030; however, whether those resources include fracking or renewable forms like solar and wind is yet to be seen.
2017
4 mega-trends that could change the world by 2030
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Grim Reaping
Simultaneous breadbasket failures threaten sufficiency of global food supply
2018
The Global Risks Report 2018
World Economic Forum (WEF)
A Tangled Web
Artificial intelligence “weeds” proliferate, choking off the performance of the internet
2018
The Global Risks Report 2018
World Economic Forum (WEF)
The Death of Trade
Bilateral trade wars cascade and multilateral dispute resolution institutions are too weak to respond
2018
The Global Risks Report 2018
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Precision Extinction
AI-piloted drone ships wipe out a large proportion of global fish stocks
2018
The Global Risks Report 2018
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Into the Abyss
A cascading series of economic/financial crises overwhelm political and policy responses
2018
The Global Risks Report 2018
World Economic Forum (WEF)
Inequality Ingested
Bioengineering and cognition-enhancing drugs widen the gulf between haves and have-nots
2018
The Global Risks Report 2018
World Economic Forum (WEF)
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)
Identity Geopolitics
Self-determination around contested borders sparks regional conflict
2018
The Global Risks Report 2018
World Economic Forum (WEF)