The World In 2021
Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation
Welcome to The World in 2021, our guide to the coming year. We look ahead to America’s presidential inauguration, Germany’s new leader and, of course, the world’s response, in business, politics, economics and medicine, to the coronavirus pandemic. “The World in” is part of our collection of future-gazing coverage, which also includes “The World Ahead”, a monthly podcast, and “The World if”, our annual scenarios supplement. If you are not already a subscriber you can unlock some of our content by registering here.
Leaders and their challenges
The World in 2021
Germany faces life after Angela Merkel
Who will be Germany’s next chancellor?
The World in 2021
Vladimir Putin v Alexei Navalny
The battle for Russia’s future will intensify
The World in 2021
Japan’s new leader faces electoral and economic problems
But Suga Yoshihide will do his best to stick around
The World in 2021
Viktor Orban will hold on to powers seized fighting coronavirus
Hungary’s Viktator is in it for the long haul
Climate change and the environment
The World in 2021
Large-scale electrification would create lots of jobs
Solar power is a big part of the answer
The World in 2021
The battle within the electric-vehicle industry will intensify
The new kids v the old hands
The World in 2021
The world could turn a corner on climate change
But countries need to commit to more cuts on emissions
The World in 2021
Paris illuminates the way ahead for the world’s cities
Trust your citizens and build more bike lanes
The World in 2021
Edible insects and lab-grown meat are on the menu
Coming soon to a table near you
The World in 2021
Tech must help combat climate change, says Sundar Pichai
Google’s boss says AI and machine learning will help
The post-coronavirus economy
The World in 2021
Covid-19 leaves a legacy of increased inequality
The phasing-out of income support and cuts to public services will hurt
The World in 2021
Covid-19 is up-ending capitalism
A new type of creative destruction
The World in 2021
Fall-out from covid-19 will swell the ranks of the global poor
An extra 130m people do not have enough to eat
The World in 2021
Sir Keir Starmer on the global lessons of the pandemic
The failures of leadership
The World in 2021
Governments must judge if the economic recovery needs more help
No one knows how much lasting damage has been done
Editor’s letter
The World in 2021
Ten trends to watch in the coming year
A letter from Tom Standage, editor of “The World in 2021”