energy, for example, thanks to the new technology.
Finland is also taking its first steps toward smart cities, among the first being the district of Kalasatama in Helsinki, where a new residential area is being built that is testing ICT technology and data in order to provide new smart solutions, including the remote operation of electrical appliances inside homes by means of mobile phones. Residents can use mobile applications to check whether they have left the cooker or the lights on, or – this being Finland – to turn on the sauna.
The purpose of smart city projects is to make the residents more satisfied, boost business and create savings. On the other hand, what will happen to privacy when sensors make a note of our every move? Data collected on individuals may pose a threat to privacy. It is estimated that information on people living in Finland can already be found in 150 to 200 systems, a figure that is unlikely to reduce in the next few years.
There are groups in Finland, too, that are concerned about citizens’ freedom and rights in a world that is becoming more and more digitised. Government control and the use of data to promote financial interests behind the scenes are challenges to which the traditional ways of defining the relationship between the state, businesses and individuals no longer apply.However, we must remember that in addition to obvious, visible phenomena there are other phenomena that embody change but exist away from the glare of the public eye. When considering the future we must be able to identify larger entities, which is why we must bear in mind even those changes that are slow to progress.
We have compiled thirteen global phenomena in the Sitra Trends List that are important for the future. Since these phenomena are in reality subjective, complex and interdependent, differences of opinion are to be expected.
Sitra’s trend work included information gathering and compilation, interviews with experts and various types of group workshops. Numerous people have participated in this work, including experts from the national foresight network and Sitra, and members of the Sitra Board. I would like to thank all those who contributed to our trend work.
The Sitra Trends List serves as a tool and a basis for conversation when assessing changes in the operational environment in connection with strategy work, for instance. The Sitra Trends List is freely available to everyone.
This year’s Trends List is structured as follows.Industrial and agricultural fertilisers contain nitrogen and phosphorus that leak into water systems, causing eutrophication and suffocating marine life. Finns have cause for concern very close to home, as blue-green algae and thread algae have increased dramatically in the Baltic Sea over the past few decades. Combined with overfishing, eutrophication has driven marine species to extinction or near-extinction all across the world.There has been a great loss of biodiversity in areas inhabited and cultivated by humans. In the United States, Europe, India, China, south-east Brazil and south-east Australia, the mean species abundance (MSA) indexes for native organisms have fallen below 0.2 over vast areas. The monocultures arising from intensive agriculture and forestry have replaced natural habitats all across the globe.
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