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Dubai: Sustainability, health, innovation to be key job trends in 50 years, says report

Highlighting key developments in future sectors to help decision-makers in both public and private sectors

The Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) launched the 'Future Opportunities Report: The Global 50', which aims to highlight the most promising opportunities in various vital and future sectors during the next 50 years.

Through highlighting key developments and trends in future sectors, the report aims to help decision makers in both public and private sectors, thought leaders, innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs and the people in the UAE and around the world in developing strategies and plans that serve humanity and build a better future.

The report outlines 50 global opportunities classified within five main pillars including nature and sustainability, enabling societies, health, human relation with technology, and future innovations.

It will determine the impact of ever-evolving trends on the future of humanity, and propose future visualizations to address the most important global challenges and identify positive transformations in different fields.

Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Managing Director of Dubai Future Foundation said, "The next 50 years will witness more changes in human scientific, economic and social achievement than ever before. These transformations will be transcontinental in nature and will affect people and societies everywhere, impacting all aspects of our lives, from our work to our relationships. Intentional thinking will help us adapt and prepare for these changes. The future is not ours to await; it's ours to create. Likewise, those who understand and plan for future transformations are best placed to design and control the path ahead of us all."

He added, "History teaches us that humanity's unbridled imagination has no limits, and that our innovation and creativity can help us achieve unexpected leaps in our development. Alongside governments and businesses, scientists and creative leaders will have a participatory and integrative role in turning future opportunities into reality."

Five main pillars

The nature and sustainability pillar include seven opportunities that focus on employing the development of technology and biomaterials to reduce the volume of plastic waste, storing harmful gases in depleted onshore and offshore oil and gas fields, modifying types of materials, trees and plants to contribute to achieving zero carbon emissions, and greening deserts. Aiming to increase habitable areas, protecting the oceans and their ecosystems and fisheries, and relying on renewable and sustainable energy sources that are safe, cheap and low in emissions.

Enabling societies

The second pillar include 11 global opportunities that consists of the government role in developing legislations, achieving individual needs, ensure the safety and privacy of personal data, launch a global charter for genetic engineering and genomics applications, set a framework defining the rights of robots in complementarity with human rights, provide electric power to all societies and reduce its costs, and assist countries in facing the effects of the climate change. In addition to employing modern technology in the development of the educational system, enhancing levels of happiness and enable talents to innovate.

Health opportunities

This third pillar consists of seven main global opportunities represented in employing technologies to identify mental and psychological health problems, use non-surgical monitoring techniques to produce medicines on demand, personalize treatments, and enhance data exchange mechanisms to increase the efficiency of health care and research efficiency rare diseases and epidemics globally.

Human relation with technology

This pillar includes 13 main opportunities, focusing on providing access to the virtual world without the need for devices, moving to the concept of comprehensive and rapid manufacturing, accelerate international shipping, and employ smart machines and technologies to enhance governance and decision-making mechanisms. Human relation with technology will also focus on the integration of software solutions to increase the efficiency of work from anywhere in the world, and cloning memory and knowledge from the human brain and storing it to serve individuals and society.

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Future innovations

This pillar includes many global opportunities associated with innovation in the use of new technologies, reliance on biological materials instead of products and chemicals, providing sustainable water resources, and developing global standards for the full cost and real value of all economic activities and their social and environmental impacts. In addition to the adoption of the concept of carbon credits, the transition of commercial and social activities to virtual reality, and the availability of data for all to benefit from in developing vital sectors.

The report identifies 10 major trends, including the development in sciences of biological and synthetic materials, the decrease in the cost of data and the focus on the quality of analyzing it, the increase in the security vulnerabilities in systems and infrastructure, the development of technologies for generation and storage of electric energy, the increase in investment in ecosystems management, the need to develop legislation and mechanisms for international disputes, the growth of virtual and digital world applications, the spread of autonomous robots, the need to redefine humanitarian goals in light of the spread of artificial intelligence and advanced technology, and the development of innovative health and agricultural technologies.

The full report is available at https://www.dubaifuture.ae/the-global-50/

reporters@khaleejtimes.com