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Author: Future Agenda | https://www.futureagenda.org
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https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/
New perspectives on the future are gained from multiple expert discussions around the world. Our ten year foresights offer rich, insightful views on some of the most important changes shifts – and challenges - that lie ahead.
As physical and virtual trends align with digital delivery and early prevention, there will be more change in hospitals by 2030 than has occurred in the last 30 years. Context As healthcare needs and systems around the world evolve, the role and design of hospitals are also changing to redefine the shape of the hospital as we know it. With a continually increasing and ageing patient population, tighter budgets, fewer doctors and higher patient expectations, many envisage that there could be significant challenges ahead. Equally, with more technology, better use of more data and some innovative new business models,…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/hospitals-of-the-future/
New solid-state batteries offer safer, higher performance than existing options and become viable options for use across multiple sectors. Competitive pricing and proactive policymaking accelerate global uptake. Context Battery development has become a priority area for a broadening range of companies in recent years. Significant investment is underway as a number of new technologies compete for fast-growing markets. Five years ago, we identified that energy storage was the missing piece of the renewables jigsaw: “If solved, it can enable truly distributed solar energy as well as accelerate the electrification of the transport industry.”[1] Today, as economies focus on faster decarbonisation…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/betterbatteries/
The Challenge Shifts such as technological progress, globalisation, an increasingly ageing population and climate change are revolutionising how and where we work. For some this offers unparalleled opportunity, bringing stability, opportunity and a sense of purpose where previously there was none. For others it is unsettling as new business models and external challenges disrupt established industries and profoundly affect the economy and society as a whole. On top of this Covid19 has added an extraordinary level of uncertainty around what the new “normal” could be. Such is the speed of change it is difficult for business leaders or policy makers,…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/future-of-work/
While some regions gain from better water management, much of the world’s population increasingly depend on water moved from one river basin to another. New options are explored to achieve this economically and with reduced socio-environmental damage. CONTEXT Since the Persians built the first aqueducts and the Romans then made them a mainstay of civil engineering, the task of moving water to where people choose to live has been a long-standing design challenge. As cities have become focal points and their populations have swelled, many have become increasingly water-stressed; a good number have therefore had to move water from…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/moving-water/
Increasing competition for talent forces organisations to be open and permeable: Building, maintaining and retaining corporate know-how is a pivotal challenge but so is attracting and curating flexible, independent workers. In 2015 we wrote about the scramble for talent and the need for organisations to adapt to a world in which digital nomads can pick and choose the projects they are prepared to work on, often on their terms and irrespective of geography. Five years on the need for fluidity remains. Shifts such as technological progress, globalisation, an increasingly ageing population and more evident climate change have been influencing…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/porous-organisations/
A more diverse, less influential, but still growing country tacking the challenges of more inequality and devolution but leading in several key areas Looking Ahead At a time when there is much speculation on what the next twelve months may bring, some are also looking ahead to prepare for the longer term. What will the UK be like in 2030 when the nation is post-Covid, post-Brexit and post-Johnson? Now that vaccines are being rolled out and the initial outline hard Brexit deal has been done, how will the UK fair over the decade – economically, socially and demographically? What changes are already…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/uk2030/
Soil is fundamental, fragile and finite. It impacts everything from food and health to conflict and migration. Deeper understanding of its degradation raises the significance of soil to equal that of climate change and biodiversity loss. The Problem We know that the quality of our soil is the key to the food we grow, the clothes we wear and the water we drink. It recycles nutrients, sequesters carbon, is fundamental to biodiversity, helps keep our ecosystems in balance and is an essential part of our general wellbeing. But, although soil represents the difference between survival and extinction for most terrestrial…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/peaksoil/
The growth in globally influential, yet unaccountable, organisations that are able to undertake surveillance, steer agendas and shape government policy has wider impact. Context In theory it has never been so difficult to remain below the radar. 24/7 news, constant surveillance and demands for greater accountability make it is seemingly impossible for any corporate, political or, on occasion, personal activity to go unnoticed. And yet widespread concerns about the number of increasingly influential, unaccountable, commercially driven organisations that are operating with rapidly expanding reach were often expressed during recent workshops. True, wealthy individuals and organisations have long had a…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/hidden-organisations-of-influence/
As the world faces complex future challenges, multi-party communities are themselves expanding and fragmenting. New approaches to broader decision-making gain traction. Context It is increasingly apparent that the big complex decisions for tomorrow are global, or at least multi-regional in nature. Climate change and pandemics are issues that are front of mind for many, but others of note include data ownership, food supply and the impact of AI. These are inherently cross-sector and multinational so, as well as requiring input from a diverse sector stakeholder set, they also demand wider geographic representation. But the current engagement models seem over-burdened…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/broader-decision-making/
Public concerns about health security override worries about privacy. Governments integrate immunity and health data with national identities facilitated by digital identity platforms. Insufficient regulatory control risks the possibility of pervasive and invasive surveillance. Context In recent years there has been a growing and global ambition to better manage, integrate and interrogate medical data. But, despite the technological achievements around data use in other industries, maximizing its potential for better healthcare has been slow, mainly because the vast majority remains proprietary, fragmented and scattered. There are valid reasons for this; insurers, providers, health record companies, government agencies, and researchers are…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/proof_of_immunity/
Restoring Earth Long-term commitments but short-term action fails to prevent the spiral towards catastrophic climate change and the continued collapse of biodiversity. As reality bites so does the pressure for collective action to dramatically evolve politics, business and consumption. The Emergency Supported by rigorous science (e.g. UN IPCC, IPBES), the climate and biodiversity emergencies have been declared globally (by the UN), and regionally (by the EU) as well as in many countries (e.g. Argentina, Canada) and cities (e.g. Nagano – Japan, New York). [3], [4] ,[5] These have been caused by the combustion of billions of tonnes of fossil fuels for industry,…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/restoring-earth/
As the pressure to decarbonise aviation builds, using electric planes for short and medium-haul flights gathers support. Although some technological challenges are significant, investment and regulation align to accelerate development. A growth in the use of electric planes has the potential to significantly cut aviation emissions, reduce noise and also potentially provide cheaper travel. At a time when, globally, we are flying more, there is a tangible opportunity to accelerate new technology development to electrify aviation. While some governments and cities plan for more airports to accommodate and stimulate more flying, public pushback against higher emissions builds with little interest…
Permalink: https://www.futureagenda.org/foresights/electricaviation/
