| Contents Notes |
Food and Agriculture Trends -- Grain Production Falls and Prices Surge -- Soybean Demand Continues to Drive Production -- Meat Output and Consumption Grow -- Seafood Increasingly Popular and Scarce -- Irrigated Area Stays Stable -- Energy and Climate Trends -- Fossil Fuel Use Up Again -- Nuclear Power Virtually Unchanged -- Wind Power Still Soaring -- Solar Power Shining Bright -- Biofuel Flows Surge -- Carbon Emissions Continue Unrelenting Rise -- Weather-related Disasters Climb -- Ozone Layer Stabilizing But Not Recovered -- Social and Economic Trends -- Population Rise Slows But Continues -- World is Soon Half Urban -- Economy and Strain on Environment Both Grow -- Steel Production Soars -- Aluminum Production Continues Upward -- Gold Mining Output Drops Slightly -- Roundwood Production Up -- Transportation and Communications Trends -- Vehicle Production Rises Sharply -- Bicycle Production Up Slightly -- Air Travel Reaches New Heights -- Cell Phones Widely Used, Internet Growth Slows -- Conflict and Peace Trends -- Number of Violent Conflicts Steady -- Peacekeeping Expenditures Hit New Record -- Nuclear Weeapons Treaty Eroding -- Food and Agriculture Features -- Agribusinesses Consolidate Power -- Egg Production Doubles Since 1990 -- Avian Flu Spreads -- Environment Features -- Climate Change Affects Terrestrial Biodiversity -- Threats to Species Accelerate -- Invasive Species Drive Biodiversity Loss -- Ocean Pollution Worsens and Spreads -- Bottled Water Consumption Jumps -- Sustainable Communities Become More Popular -- Social and Economic Features -- Progress Toward the MDGs Is Mixed -- Literacy Improves Worldwide -- Child Labor Harms Many Young Lives -- Informal Economy Thrives in Cities -- Socially Responsible Investment Grows Rapidly -- Health Features -- HIV/AIDS Continues Worldwide Climb -- Malaria Remains a Threat -- Male Reproductive Health Declines. This report tracks and analyzes 44 trends that are shaping our future, and includes graphs and charts to provide a visual comparison over time. Categories of trends include: Food, Agricultural Resources, Energy and Climate, Global Economy, Resource Economics, Environment, Conflict and Peace, Communications and Transportation, Population and Society, and Health and Disease. |
