Five trends to watch in the coming year
The number 21 is connected with luck, risk, taking chances and rolling the dice, all of which seem strangely appropriate for a year of unusual uncertainty. As 2021 approaches, here are some trends to watch in the year ahead.
⒈ Fights over vaccines
As the first vaccines become available in quantity, the focus will shit from the heroic effort of developing them to the equally difficult task of distributing them. Vaccine negotiations will accompany fights within and between countries over who should get them and when.
⒉ A mixed economic recovery
As economies bounce back from the pandemic, the recovery will be inconsistent, as local outbreaks and restrictions come and go — and governments turn from keeping companies on life-support to helping workers who have lost their jobs.
⒊ A less footloose world
Tourism will shrink and change shape, with more emphasis on domestic travel. Airlines, hotel chains and aircraft producers will struggle, as will universities that rely heavily on foreign students.
⒋ An opportunity on climate change
One positive side to the crisis is the chance to take action on climate change, as governments invest in green recovery plans to create jobs and cut emissions. How ambitious will countries' reduction promises be at the UN climate conference, delayed from 2020?
⒌ The year of déjà vu
That is just one example of how the coming year may feel, in many respects, like a second take on 2020, as events including the Olympics, the Dubai Expo and many other political, sporting and commercial gatherings do their best to open a year later than planned.
