World Futures Fall 2021

1. Increased automation and embedded financial services simplify daily activities 2. Cross-industry partnerships flourish allowing customers' financial and non-financial services needs to be addressed simultaneously 3. Customers will not think about financial services

More than 80 percent of Gen Z and Millenials are using a money transfer app - compared to 50 percent of baby boomers More than 80 percent of respondents have not used a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) and nearly 75 percent avoid credit card debt generally or entirely MX, Finn AI, Q2 and Rival Technologies' white paper explores the use of financial products and services by baby boomers, millennials, and Gen Z

Yes, don't forget the Retail Trading boom with the increase in investment app usage. The 0% commissions a trade started by RobinHood disrupted major Brokers to compete. Think Or Swim and China's Webull are also big ones.

Companies are using Solar Power for Steel Production which in turn is being used for Oil Drilling. Author Tina Casey says, "Oh the irony, it burns! Solar power is supposed to open the door on a new era in which humans and their ecosystems exist in harmony, but for now the record is still stuck on fossil energy." "It is the largest on-site solar facility in the US dedicated to a single customer, with more than 750,000 solar panels providing nearly all the plant's annual electricity demand," bp enthused in a press release earlier this week. "This will enable the mill to produce some of the world's greenest steel and steel products."

Would you eat meat grown in a lab to save the world? The $10 million award will enable the creation of the first-ever U.S. government-funded cultivated protein research center of excellence and represents U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s first investment in cultivated meat to date. USDA awarded the grant as a part of a $146 million investment in sustainable agricultural research projects announced by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack on October 6.

A fun set of four short videos with differing scenarios titled 'Future of Buildings - 2040'

Very interesting 'Circular Future," I like how they view structures and buildings as: 'Material Banks.' I also like how they framed this with terms like "new revenue streams" and "economic growth."

This report outlines the true cost of food, which includes the impacts on our health, the environment, biodiversity, livelihoods, and much more. With this new analysis, governments, advocates, corporations, and individuals are better equipped to catalyze the change needed to develop a truly nourishing, equitable, and sustainable food system in the United States.

"The way Americans eat and produce food costs nearly $2 trillion in health and environmental expenditures alone-and that cost disproportionately burdens communities of color." the statistics they provide are very alarming !

A very interesting but lengthy read. The report describes a system for using foresight to develop EU R&I policy, which includes: - a set of future scenarios for different World Regions, - a mechanism for signposting relevant trends and - a process for assessing policy options combining standard policy assessment mechanisms with future scenarios. The regional scenarios include: ● China ● Japan, South Korea & Taiwan ● ASEAN ● India & its Neighbours ● Australia & New Zealand ● Russia & Central Asia ● The Middle East & North Africa ● Sub-Saharan Africa ● Central & South America ● United States, Canada & Mexico

The 2021 Strategic Foresight Report focuses on key global megatrends that will continue to affect the EU in the coming decades: from climate change, technological acceleration and digitalization, to major economic, geopolitical and demographic shifts.

A good pair to my previous post - a nice summary of what needs to happen for electric propulsion in aviation. Four concepts are discussed: air taxis, 20-passenger commuter aircrafts, 50-passenger regional jets and 150-passenger, single-aisle 737 class aircraft.

To me this is how leadership leads - The current UN plans want at least 10% of fuel used in global aviation to be sustainable by 2030. The head of Rolls Royce, manufacturer of aircraft engines, feels the industry needs to move quicker. He has committed to making sure their Trent engine can run purely on sustainable fuel by 2023. And Shell has committed to increasing their production tenfold by 2025.

Talks about rising sea levels, specific east coast and the effect it will have on life as we know it today

Have a look at the tags on this one..."Climate Change" should be one tag...

More on the impact of climate change and sea ports and the cascading effect on the economy. Nature of ports makes them more susceptible to environment changes as a result of climate change--increased intense events and rising sea levels. Author calls for change now .

The article addresses some of the problems the supply chain infrastructure is facing today. It brings up some interesting points: US ports lag far behind ports around the world in their efficiency of loading and unloading cargo. The labor unions that control the ports are extremely reluctant to automation that might improve efficiencies and speed up processes.

In short, this is a global challenge because it's not just about food and feeding people, but also about practically all aspects of an economy and society.

he Global Autonomous Truck Market size is projected to reach USD 1,550 million by 2030

Autonomous trucks are simply one component series of an all-new, integrated transportation technologies that will transform global logistics

Autonomous technology won't just transform your business. It will utterly revolutionize modern truck designs as well.

The future of this new technology is so full of promise. It's a future where vehicles increasingly help drivers avoid crashes.

The U.S. DOT sees AV 3.0 as the beginning of a national discussion about the future of our on-road surface transportation system.

NHTSA demonstrates its dedication to saving lives on our nation's roads and highways through its proactive and inclusive approach to the safe development, testing, and deployment of new and advanced vehicle technologies that have enormous potential for improving safety and mobility for all Americans, NHTSA demonstrates its dedication to saving lives on our nation's roads and highways.