• If present trends continue, human demand on the Earth's ecosystem is projected to exceed nature's capacity to regenerate by about 75% by 2020, and by 100% (meaning that we would need two Earth planets to meet human demands) by 2030.
• Humanity currently uses resources at a rate 50% faster than they can be regenerated by nature. The pressures of population growth, climate change and environmental degradation, expanding influence of the East and South are placing increasing stress on finite, non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels and minerals.
  | Related Megatrends: Demography; Consumerism; Geopower
• Global demand for materials has increased ten-fold since the beginning of the 20th century and is set to double again by 2030, compared to 2010.
• The competition for some raw materials will increase in the future as key countries such as China and USA, together with the EU, are all highly reliant on imports for the same materials (e.g. niobium, chromite ore, platinum, palladium, rhodium, tantalum, etc.). 
  | Related Megatrends: Inequality; Consumerism; Security
• By 2035, the demand for phosphorus might outpace the supply, causing problems of a global dimension, if replacement is not found.
• The SDG Index and Dashboards Report 2017 shows that OECD countries face major challenges in meeting several SDGs, mostly on sustainable consumption and production (SDG12), climate change (SDG13), clean energy (SDG7), and ecosystem conservation (SDGs14 and 15); data on each spillover indicator show that high-income countries tend to generate negative SDG spillover effects for poorer developing countries (countries with larger spillover: Switzerland, Singapore, Luxemburg, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, USA, Belgium, UK.)
  | Related Megatrends: Inequality; Consumerism; Security; Climate and environment
• Cognitive procurement systems (based on cognitive systems and AI) can increase the efficiency of the global supply chains, by improving procurement processes at all phases -- from supply assessment to risk mitigation and contract management.  
  | Related Megatrends: Technology; Work

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The majority of resources used today are non-renewable and are set to become increasingly scarce given rising demand and unsustainable consumption patterns.

• Global material extraction has increased 14 times from 1900 to 2015 (from 6 billion tonnes in 1990 to about 84 billion tonnes in 2015) and is projected to further increase by 119 % by 2050 (reaching an estimated value of 184 billion tonnes in 2050).  Since 1980, globally, material extraction has risen more than 200%, due largely to a surge in mining of non-metallic minerals.
• The competition for some raw materials will increase in the future as key countries such as China and USA, together with the EU, are all highly reliant on imports for the same materials (e.g. niobium, chromite ore, platinum, palladium, rhodium, tantalum, etc.). 
• China accounts for 85% of the global rare earth elements production.
  | Related Megatrends: Inequality; Consumerism; Security; Geopower
• China and the US extract the most non-energy raw materials followed by India and Brazil (mostly biomass), and South Africa and Canada (mostly metals).
  | Related Megatrends: Geopower
• The Netherlands, the UK and Japan score highest in material productivity.
• The global transition to a low-carbon economy, e.g. through a large deployment of wind turbines, photovoltaic panels and electric vehicles will require the global production of some metals to increase at least 12-fold by 2050 compared to today's output. For example, the demand for neodymium, terbium, indium, dysprosium, praseodymium, lithium, cobalt and graphite stand out. 
• Between 45 and 60 billion tons of resources (metals, rare earth elements and minerals) for e-products are extracted globally every year. It is estimated that this figure could increase to 140 billion tons by 2050.
• Rare earth elements demand from clean technologies will reach 51.9 thousand metric tons (kt) rare earth oxides in 2030.
• The extractable ores of the world's geologically scarcest mineral resources (e.g. antimony, molybdenum and zinc) may be exhausted within several decades to a century, if their extraction continues to increase.
  | Related Megatrends: Geopower; Security; Technology
• E-waste discarded in 2014 reached some 42 million tonnes, which is estimated of containing some 16,500 kilotons of iron, 1,900 kilotons of copper, and 300 tonnes of gold as well as significant amounts of silver, aluminum, palladium, and other potentially reusable resources, with a combined estimated value of US$52 billion. | Related Megatrends: Geopower; Climate and environment

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• By 2040, more than 1 billion households and 11 billion smart appliances could be part of the interconnected electricity systems. The digitalization of the energy system can considerably increase energy efficiency, reduce CO2 emissions as well as reduce costs both for the consummers and producers.
• Smart grids that regulate energy use through intelligent demand-based adjustment are expected to expand rapidly.
  | Related Megatrends: Security; Consumerism; Geopower
• Estimates for increasing energy demand by 2040 vary between 35% (BP), 29% (Shell) to 0% (IEA “sustainable development scenario”) compared to 2016. While IEA estimates energy demad to grow by more than 25% by 2040, its scenarios show that if all economically viable avenues to improve efficiency are pursued, the overall demand for energy in 2040 could be at today’s level.
• Global electricity demand is expected to increase 57% by 2050, mostly driven by increasing demands in China and India.
• Much of the world increase in energy demand occurs among the developing non-OECD nations, where strong economic growth and expanding populations lead the increase in world energy use.
  | Related Megatrends: Geopower; Consumerism; Inequality; Security; Demography     
• IoT, cryptocurrencies, cloud computing, supercomputers and all other electronics-related technologies are highly increasing energy consumption (e.g. the Bitcoin network electricity consumption is estimated to increase from the current at least 2.55 gigawatts to potentially 7.67 gigawatts -- comparable to that of countries such as Ireland (3.1 gigawatts) and Austria (8.2 gigawatts)). In Iceland, which has become one of the world's prime locations for energy-hungry cryptocurrency servers, the industry’s electricity demands exceed Icelanders’ private energy consumption. | Related Megatrends: Consumerism; Climate and environment; Technology
• New technologies -- such as a new electrocatalyst that can efficiently convert CO2 to carbon monoxide (CO), a highly energetic molecule -- can address both, electricity production and reducing atmospheric CO2 concentration.

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• The share of renewables in the power mix could rise from 25% today to 40% or even 66% in 2040.
• In 2017, only 12.1% of global power came from clean sources (1.1% more than in 2016). Nevertheless, global investment in renewable energy reached almost $280 billion in 2017, with China accounting for 45% of the global total ($126.6 billion), followed by the United States ($40.5 billion). Out of the 157 GW of renewable energy commissioned in 2017 (up from 143 GW in 2016), 98 GW (over 60%) was from solar deployment (53 GW in China).
• Over 80% of world total primary energy supply (TPES) continues to be met by non-renewables - fossil energy sources such as oil (32%), coal (28%) and natural gas (21.6%), although renewables continue to grow faster.  
  | Related Megatrends: Consumerism; Technology
• About 90% of green technologies originate in OECD countries, especially Japan, the United States, Germany, Korea and France.  | Related Megatrends: Climate and environment
• In the OECD countries, the share of renewables in TPES in 2016 versus 2015 increased in Europe - from 14% to 14.2% - and in the Americas - from 8.2 to 8.5%, while in Asia it decreased from 5% to 4.8%.
• Renewable energy sources have grown at a global annual average rate of 2% in the period 1990-2015, slightly higher than the 1.8% annual growth rate of the TPES, mainly run by solar PV at 45.5%, wind at 24%, biogases at 12.8%, solar thermal at 11.4%, and liquid biofuel at 10.1%. Renwable municipal waste, liquid biofuels, biogases, and solar, wind and tide have been growing the fastest over the past decade.  | Related Megatrends: Technology 
• Of the world's "new" renewables, in 2015, OECD countries accounted for 64%, China for 20%, non-OECD Americas for 9.4%, Asia (excluding China) for 5%, while Africa for only 0.4%.  | Related Megatrends: Technology; Consumerism; Inequality

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• Growing population, urbanization, increasing demand for agricultural and industrial production, economic growth, and climate change are putting water resources under ever-increasing strain (pdf). | Related Megatrend: Climate and environment; Migration; Security; Inequalities
• There is a paradigm shift of wastewater being considered a problem needing a solution -- ‘treatment and disposal’ -- to becoming a solution to many problems, including water scarcity and energy by ‘reuse, recycle and resource recovery’, in the context of a circular economy. However, currently, over 80% of global wastewater is discharged without treatment; high-income countries treat about 70% of the municipal and industrial wastewater they generate; upper-middle-income countries treat about 38%, lower-middle-income countries up to 28%, while in low-income countries, only 8% of the wastewater undergoes some kind of treatment. | Related Megatrend: Climate and environment; Security; Inequalities
• In 2015, 663 million people - 1 in 10 - lacked access to safe water; some one billion people do not have access to safe sources of drinking water and 2.4 billion people live without improved sanitation.  
• By 2025, 50% of the world's population might be living in water-stressed areas.
• Global water demand might increase 55% by 2050, compared to 2015. Meantime, it is estimated that in 2030, global demand will exceed current sustainable supplies by 40%, with the largest increases coming from manufacturing, electricity and domestic use.
  | Related Megatrend: Inequalities; Demography
• Over 70% of the global water withdrawals go to agriculture; Over the past 50 years, irrigated area has more than doubled, total livestock has more than tripled and inland aquaculture has grown more than twentyfold.  | Related Megatrend: Climate and environment; Consumerism; Geopower
• Eutrophication - pollution due to over-enrichment of water by nutrients such as nitrogen phosphorus - is increasing, becoming one of the leading causes of water quality impairment, loss of subaquatic vegetation, change in species composition, coral reef damage, low dissolved oxygen, and the formation of dead zones (oxygen-depleted waters) that can lead to ecosystem collapse. | Related Megatrend: Climate and environment; Migration; Consumerism
• Fragile states in Africa and the Middle East are most at risk of experiencing food and water shortages, but China and India are also vulnerable.

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• Desalination only provides 1% of the world's drinking water via 18,000 desalination plants using either thermal evaporation or membrane separation. New technologies create lower cost, less energy-intensive and more efficient desalination possibilities.
  | Related Megatrend: Technology
• About 500 million people live in areas where water consumption is double of the locally renewable water resources. Many countries in arid and semi-arid regions (e.g., central and west Asia, north Africa) are already close to or below the threshold for water scarcity of an annual 1,000 cubic metres per person. | Related Megatrend: Climate and environment; Migration; Urbanisation; Security

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• Despite the international efforts, the world hunger has been on the rise for the past three years. The absolute number of undernourished people (those facing chronic food deprivation), has increased to nearly 821 million in 2017, from around 804 million in 2016. The rates of other forms of malnutrition such as nutrient deficiency and obesity are also alarmingly high (some 2 billion peoaple suffer micronutrient deficiencies.) 
  | Related Megatrends: Inequalities; Consumerism; Health
• Malnutrition will affect over 50% of the global population by 2030, unless urgent action is taken to improve access to high-quality food. | Related Megatrends: Inequalities; Health
• In 2017, some 124 million people across 51 countries and territories faced “crisis” levels of acute food insecurity or worse -- an increase compared to 80 and 108 million people in 2015 and 2016, respectively. 
  | Related Megatrends: Health; Natural resources; Climate and environment
• Every year some 8 million people die of hunger – over 20,000 a day. The growing population and the increasing scarcity of water and agricultural land make feeding the world one of the biggest challenges of the future. Yet, agricultural protectionism prevents the introduction of a truly sustainable global food supply system. 
  | Related Megatrends: Inequalities; Consumerism; Health; Demography; Climate and environment
• Demand for food and water will grow substantially over the next decades. FAO estimates that by 2050, the need for food could increase by 50% compared to 2013 and that for water by some 40%, given the increase in the global population to over 9 billion.
• By 2050, consumption of meat and dairy is expected to rise by 76% and 65% respectively, compared with 40% for cereal.
• Globally, 76% of the population derives most of their daily protein from plants. If CO2 levels continue to rise as projected, researchers estimate that roughly an additional 150 million people may be placed at risk of protein deficiency because of elevated levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. | Related Megatrends: Climate and environment; Health
• More than 80% of growth in global demand for field crops, fibre and beverage crops, meat and forest products by 2030 will occur in the developing world. | Related Megatrends:  Geopower; Consumerism
• An estimated 88 million tonnes of food is wasted in the EU per year  – some 173 kilograms per person. Households and processing account for 72 % of it. | Related Megatrends: Inequalities; Climate and environment; Consumerism

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• Globally, the absolute number of undernourished people has been on the rise since 2014, reaching an estimated 821 million people (some 11% of the population) in 2017.
• In 2017, some 124 million people across 51 countries and territories faced “crisis” levels of acute food insecurity or worse, an increase compared to 80 and 108 million people in 2015 and 2016, respectively. 
  | Related Megatrends: Health; Natural resources; Climate and environment; Migration; Security
• Malnutrition will affect over 50% of the global population by 2030 (pdf), unless urgent action is taken to improve access to high-quality food. | Related Megatrends: Inequalities; Health

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• In 1950 there were 5,600m2 of arable land per person, if present trends continue, by 2050, this might be reduced to only 1,500m2, due to population growth, urbanisation and reliance on soil-depleting agricultural methods. | Related Megatrends: Consumerism; Demography; Geopower; Urbanisation
• Approximately 20% of the Earth’s vegetated surface shows persistent declining trends in productivity, mainly as a result of land/water use and management practices. | Related Megatrends: Consumerism; Demography; Geopower; 
  Urbanisation; Climate and environment
• Globally, built-up areas grow faster than populations. Over the period 1990-2014, in the BRICS, population growth was 30%, while built up area grew at 67%; across the OECD, the ratios were half: 18% for population and 32% for built-up area growth respectively. | Related Megatrends: Consumerism; Demography; Geopower; 
  Urbanisation; Climate and environment
• Agriculture uses 11% of the world's land surface for crop production and 70% of all water withdrawn from aquifers, streams and lakes. [Climate and environment]
• Over the last 50 years, the world's cultivated area has grown by 12%, the global irrigated area has doubled (accounting for most of the net increase in cultivated land).| Related Megatrends: Consumerism; Geopower; Climate and environment 
• Property prices for both agricultural and attractive residential land are skyrocketing. | Related Megatrends: Geopower; Inequalities

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• Increasing rate of desertification reduces the amount of farming land.| Related Megatrends: Climate and environment
• In China, soil erosion is of about 5 billion tonnes annually affecting 360 Mha, including 75 Mha of the Yangtze and Yellow river basins.
  | Related Megatrends: Consumerism; Geopower; Security
• 'Land grabbing' is expanding as richer countries and corporations are acquiring fertile land in developing countries to meet their own needs. Between 2000 and 2010, a total of 500 million acres of land in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean was acquired or negotiated under deals brokered on behalf of foreign governments or transnational corporations. | Related Megatrends: Geopower; Security; Climate and environment; Migration; Inequalities

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