Briefing: How are megatrends shaping the future?

Several environmental challenges have reached the point of becoming megatrends, most notably climate change. Similarly, biodiversity loss, ecological degradation, pollution, natural resource depletion, and the spread of zoonotic diseases have all been included on lists of megatrends.

Systems of consumption and production that have been in place since the industrial revolution have now caused outcomes which are extreme enough to influence widespread trends on a global scale.

• Read the briefing to find out how environmental challenges are shaping the future of the environmental sciences.
• Find out more about the global community’s ability to respond to them in our analysis piece: Can global cooperation fight back against megatrends?

Urbanisation as a process has been taking place to different degrees for hundreds of years.

In many developing countries, the process of rapid urbanisation is significantly shaping what communities and economic conditions will look like in the future, whereas many developed countries already have high degrees of urbanisation, which may be linked to environmental challenges and complex social, environmental, and economic systems.

• Read the briefing to find out how urbanisation is shaping the future of the environmental sciences.
• Find out more about rapid urbanisation, its consequences, and how science can respond in our panel discussion: The impact of rapid urbanisation on air, land and water.

The global economy is changing, not only in response to the changing political and social landscape, but also as part of the transition to a greener and net zero economy. Awareness of the need for global economic transition has heightened, with the private sector now recognising the substantial economic costs associated with not transitioning, and the financial and reputational risks linked to inaction.

As certainty of the investment opportunity of the green transition increases, a net zero economic future becomes more likely, as long as climate science and sustainability continue to guide global action.

• Read the briefing to find out how economic, social, and political trends may influence the future of the environmental sciences.
• Find out more about the future of the global economic transition and its relationship with climate change and environmental degradation in our webinar: The economics of a clean transition.

Technology is evolving at increasingly rapid rates, shaping every element of modern society and the economy. Developments such as social media, AI and machine learning, and biotechnology have all seen significant progress in recent years and that trajectory is likely to continue into the future, significantly influencing the future of the environment and the environmental sciences.

Read the briefing to find out what role technology may play in the future of the environmental sciences.

There are many other megatrends which are likely to influence the future of the environmental sciences, which are inherently interlinked with many of the other trends shaping the future. As demographics shift and some populations grow older, the future of the global workforce is likely to change, influencing the need for skills development and the means by which environmental scientists gain those skills. 

Read the briefing to find out more about other trends, such as trust in science, and how they may influence the future of the environmental sciences.