Will 2022 bring better news? Covid, coups, climate – 2021 was grim for many. As the science of forecasting gets more accurate, what can we predict for the months ahead?
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Seven trends to watch in the coming year
Will 2022 bring better news? Covid, coups, climate - 2021 was grim for many. As the science of forecasting gets more accurate, what can we predict for the months ahead?
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Christmas is coming, the curtain is closing on another tumultuous year and pundits are busy with their prophecies for 2022. The future is a strange and uncharted land, but here are some of the best guesses at what next year may have in store:
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Will 2022 bring better news?
Nothing's changing except the date, say prophets of doom. We're fighting fires on every front - Covid-19, climate change, authoritarianism - and in every case it's one steps forward, two steps back. The best way to forecast the future is to look at the present, they say - and the present is stormy and overcast.
This is the time of hope and resolution, optimists respond. The world has weathered the worst of an unprecedented pandemic; now we must set to work rebuilding a better world, they say, armed with promising medicines and technologies and a newfound sense of togetherness and purpose.
Keywords
Variants - Viruses mutate very fast, meaning that new varieties can evolve in a short space of time. The more infectious omicron variant of Covid-19 is currently causing fears of a resurgence of the disease.
Inflation - An increase in the price of goods in an economy.
Congress - The legislative branch of the American government, where elected representatives vote on which laws should be passed. Congress is made up of two chambers: the Senate, which contains two members from each of the 50 states, and the House of Representatives, which has representatives from 435 smaller districts.
Taiwan - An island country in east Asia. China still claims to be the legitimate owner of Taiwan, while the Taiwanese government until recently claimed to be the legitimate government of the whole of China.
Cop26 - Cop stands for Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Internet of things - The 5G system is expected to transform the internet, allowing multiple devices to connect with each other. For example, a driverless car will be able to pick up traffic reports and change its route for a faster one.
Seven trends to watch in the coming year
Glossary
Variants - Viruses mutate very fast, meaning that new varieties can evolve in a short space of time. The more infectious omicron variant of Covid-19 is currently causing fears of a resurgence of the disease.
Inflation - An increase in the price of goods in an economy.
Congress - The legislative branch of the American government, where elected representatives vote on which laws should be passed. Congress is made up of two chambers: the Senate, which contains two members from each of the 50 states, and the House of Representatives, which has representatives from 435 smaller districts.
Taiwan - An island country in east Asia. China still claims to be the legitimate owner of Taiwan, while the Taiwanese government until recently claimed to be the legitimate government of the whole of China.
Cop26 - Cop stands for Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Internet of things - The 5G system is expected to transform the internet, allowing multiple devices to connect with each other. For example, a driverless car will be able to pick up traffic reports and change its route for a faster one.