The Economist’s Shocking 2022 Prophecies

What will happen in 2022?

What are the following threats that could cause global economic and social chaos?

Are some more tangible than others?

In 2020, the world transformed, and the old normal disappeared to make way for a completely different reality.

2021 looks to have been a year of transition, and global vaccination marked a monumental breakthrough in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

People will rethink their personal, work, health, money, and life goals.

A time of enormous changes in habits and thinking is coming.

Let's relearn, adapt and reinvent ourselves!

Who is The Economist?

The Economist is a weekly English-language publication based in London that addresses current affairs in international relations and economics from a global perspective.

Its first issue got published on September 2, 1843, under the editorship of James Wilson.

Although for historical reasons, it is described to be a newspaper.

Its current format resembles that of a magazine.

The publication got owned by The Economist Group, a publishing company 50% controlled by the Rothschild and Agnelli families.

The other 50% of the shares got owned by private investors, including the magazine's employees.

The staff consists of more than 75 journalists from five continents.

An editorial board is in charge of choosing the editor-in-chief, who cannot get dismissed without their consent.

Here are ten trends that will set the global agenda in 2022

Let's start!

1. Further deterioration of US-China relations forces a total decoupling in the world economy.

China and the United States are competing for global influence.

The Chinese economy continues to gain weight despite being far from belonging to the group of liberal democracies that had dominated the economy and the geopolitical chessboard.

U.S. President Joe Biden is trying to convince countries that uphold similar values to exert joint pressure on China.

These pressures include restrictions on trade, technology, finance, investment, and economic sanctions, forcing some markets (and companies) to choose sides.

While this scenario is more likely in the technology arena, there is a risk that this strategy could involve industrial or consumer sectors.

That could lead to all countries adopting a clear stance,

Since staying on the sidelines could have serious economic consequences.

The world got divided between economies that support China and those that support the United States.

A complete global economic bifurcation would force companies to operate two supply chains with different technological standards.

Could postponedDeployment of five G telecom networks in some countries, and China's sanctions would increase global trade and investment uncertainty.

2. Going from pandemic to endemic

Improved antibody treatments, new antivirus pills, and more vaccines are coming.

Immunized people in the developed world will no longer see the virus as a deadly threat.

But it will remain a deadly danger in the developing world.

Unless vaccines can get scaled up, covid-19 will become one of the many diseases that affect the poor.

3. Concerns about inflation

Supply chain disruptions and rising demand for energy have pushed up prices.

However, central bankers say it is temporary.

Britain is particularly at risk of stagflation due to labor shortages after Brexit and dependence on expensive natural gas.

4. The future of work

There is a broad consensus that the future is "hybrid" and that more people will spend more days working from home.

But there are plenty of room for disagreement about the details — how many days and which ones, and will it be fair?

Surveys show that women are less eager to return to the office, so they may be at risk of being passed over for promotions.

Debates also loom over tax rules and the tracking of remote workers.

5. The new techlash

Regulators in Europe and the U.S. have been trying to rein in tech giants for years but have yet to dent their growth or profits.

China has taken the lead, targeting its tech companies in a brutal crackdown.

President Xi Jinping wants them to focus on "deep tech" that provides a geostrategic advantage, not frivolities like gaming and shopping.

But will this boost Chinese innovation or stifle industry dynamism?

6. Crypto is growing

Like all disruptive technologies, cryptocurrencies become tamed as regulators tighten the rules.

Central banks are also looking to launch their centralized digital currencies.

The result is a three-way fight for the future of finance between the crypto-blockchain-DeFi crowd, more traditional tech companies, and central banks that will intensify in 2022.

7. Climate crisis

Despite forest fires, heatwaves, and floods increasing in frequency, a surprising lack of urgency prevails; among policymakers when there is a need to address climate change.

Moreover, decarbonization requires the West and China to cooperate as their geopolitical rivalry deepens.

Attention should be paid to a solar engineering experiment to be conducted by Harvard researchers in 2022, releasing dust from a balloon at a high altitude-a technique that, at this rate, may be necessary to buy the world more time to decarbonize.

8. Travel problems

Activity is picking up as economies reopen.

But countries that followed a zero covid "suppression" strategy, such as Australia and New Zealand, face the difficult task of managing the transition to a world where the virus is endemic.

Meanwhile, nearly half of all business travel is gone for good.

That's good for the planet but bad for tourists whose trips got subsidized by big-spending business travelers.

9. Space careers

2022 will be the first year more people go into space as paying passengers than government employees, transported by rival space tourism firms.

China will complete its new space station.

Filmmakers are racing to make movies in microgravity.

And NASA will crash a space probe into an asteroid in a real-life mission that sounds like a Hollywood movie.

10. Political footballs

The Winter Olympics in Beijing and the Soccer World Cup in Qatar will be reminders of how sport can unite the world;

But also how major sporting events often end up as political footballs.

Protests directed at both host countries got expected, although boycotts of national teams seem unlikely.

Sources:

https://www.infobae.com

https://noticierouniversal.com

https://www.businessinsider.es

https://www.hosteltur.com

https://www.economist.com

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