Impact in Brief • 3 min read
As the new year presses ahead, we thought it would be timely to highlight a few reasons why we’re optimistic about 2022. And although we naturally tilt towards the positive, our optimism is firmly rooted in the pragmatic approach and long-term soundness of the CIRCA5000 investment thesis.
Want to know why 2022 and beyond look promising to us? Read on for the trends we’re most excited about.
Energy from our sun is already the cheapest form of electricity in many parts of the world.
In 2022, we expect this to fall even further as technology improves.
While desalination – the process of separating fresh drinking water from salty seawater – has made clean water more accessible to people for centuries, some 90% of desalination plants use old systems that deposit waste into oceans. With the advent of cleaner desalination plants, we expect this trend to reverse.
For example, the U.K.-based company Solar Water Plc expects to complete the world’s first solar dome desalination plant in Saudi Arabia in 2022. It will be 100% carbon-neutral.
We believe this figure will continue to climb in 2022. This will be in part because of the rise of plant-based alternatives to meat and increasing concerns about the planet among the general population.
We’re also encouraged by trends such as January’s record-breaking 600,000+ sign-ups for the Vegan Society’s Veganuary challenge.
In the last two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development and deployment of mRNA vaccines. First put to use against COVID, this cutting-edge technology is now being used to develop a malaria vaccine.
BioNTech – the company that partnered with Pfizer for its breakthrough COVID vaccine – is leading the way and is set to start clinical trials in 2022 for a new malaria vaccine.
This move accelerated the adoption of digital tools for teaching. Although some experts say learning in person has significant benefits when compared to online learning, we expect to see more digital learning tools being used in 2022, both in the classroom and at home.
Companies are increasingly using the predictive powers of artificial intelligence to stay one step ahead of hackers, who often use artificial intelligence (“AI”) themselves.
A recent study by Capgemini found that two thirds of businesses are now integrating AI into their cybersecurity strategies and this will no doubt bolster the security of private data.