Globalization Trends 2040: Demography, Environment, Technology

Where is globalization headed in the next twenty years? Reading large data sets through his theoretical framework of globalization, Professor Manfred Steger examines global trends related to three social dimensions: demographic change, ecological interdependencies, and technological networks. During the coming two decades, the world will face more intense global challenges ranging from climate change to disruptions from new technologies and profound demographic shifts in the form of mass migrations from the global South and aging populations in the global North. Increasing fragmentation, disjuncture, and contestation will co-exist with adaptation and new opportunities for human development. The pace and reach of digital technology will transform people’s experiences while accelerating climate change will exacerbate risks to all life forms on our planet. The talk ends with the short discussion of two possible future scenarios: (1) post-catastrophic transformation; and (2) the digitization of lifeworlds.